Revising Plans

From the Department of Planning, PoNY RR

I've obtained a leaked document from the PoNY Department of Planning dated today that indicates there may be some 11th hour adjustments to the Hoboken Shore plan in the works. A cursory gaze reveals a new overall configuration compared to the last published plans for the HBS.

The layout has shifted from an "E" plan with 3 aisles to a  panhandle configuration with only 2 aisles. A quick measurement reveals that there is approximately 17 more feet of linear aisle footage (fascia feet), which indicates more operational opportunities.

Coming from information obtained from the real estate report posted several months ago, the new plan takes into account a more accurate track arrangement and several priority shifts. Of note is the continued emphasis on the Bethlehem Steel Co. facility but in a more straightforward presentation with much better reach characteristics. Along with this, the car float operation is much more pronounced with a scale treatment of the trestle and float bridge. This reflects the emphasis company officials have placed on car float modeling operations recently.

Also of note are the two aisle-piercing piers representing the US Maritime headhouse with Holland-America lines as well as a Hoboken Dock Stores pier near the end of the HBS trackage. This will provide better opportunities for ship and pier modeling, which were elements missing from the earlier representations of the waterfront.

There is also a notable expansion of the size of both the HBS and Erie Weehawken yards which indicates a strong desire to model the interchanges between those railroads. A cryptic "6' RO-RO" (roll on roll off staging unit from ro-ro.net) notation at the Erie yard could be a sign that there will not only be traffic coming down the Weehawken Branch from Croxton, but also that this could be used as the interchange between the New York, Ontario, and Western, NY Central, and Erie Northern Branches as well. We could see some Erie RS-3s and maybe the occasional F unit trundling down to Weehawken, and who knows what the foreign roads will use to pull their cuts into the yard? Could be an exciting railfaning location. There is also a hint in the bottom right of the document that the Weehawken Docks will be operational which means maybe some icing operations for fruit as well as automobile crates and other goods for the island of Manhattan.

Stay tuned for this reporter will be on the look out for any more evidence of what is going to happen next...

Voice on the River

In collection of author

An advertisement for Erie featuring the radio communications of the Erie navy. Good detail of the tugboat Scranton as well...

Quickie Railroad Graphic

Did a quick ad to fill an empty slot in the pike ads of the latest Marker Lamp (the quarterly publication of the Lone Star Region NMRA). It took about 30 minutes to put together. This adds to the growing collection of 'ephemera modeling' I have been doing including courtesy cards I've made for thank you notes. That would make a good topic for a clinic and article.

Scenery Plan

Preliminary area plan for landscaping. I failed to indicate that the dashed line is a chain link fence. Some of it is on concrete pony wall (bottom, or south side), some on the ground (I think the rest of it).

Lots of concrete at Harlem Station! I hadn't really noticed, but I guess with all of the LCL going into trucks, there needs to be an all-weather surface to keep the freight moving.

This quick sketch of a scheme is based on an equally quick interpretation of the aerial photo from 1956 and various photos. As always, please feel free to share with me any information you might have on this subject.

The freight shed is gone by my modeling date of 1959, and the new freight house expanded to cover the tracks to make an indoor unloading facility. I'm not keen on covering up all that layout area, so I'm either A) going to back date this terminal to early 50s or B) stay accurate and build just the walls of the freight house extension and lose the 'cute' freight shed building.

At this point, I would bet on 'B' if I were a viewer of this blog. (Remember: all wagering is for entertainment purposes only.)

PoNY Marine Shops Deliver Carfloater™ Prototype

In July of 2012 the PoNY RR Marine Shops proposed an operating carfloat service for interchange operations between pocket terminals. Today the Shops delivered the first working prototype for sea trials in the Port of New York.

Built using an old Metro Shelving TV cart, this first prototype of the Carfloater™ is manual drive with 4 large diameter swiveling rubber casters. The top portion that holds the car floats is constructed of lightweight pine 1x4s and oak 2x2 uprights, and it is affixed to the metal cart top with clamps. The upper portion is adjustable at the moment while the marine standards for the layout are being developed. The temporary float bridge at 149th (the white foam core) will be replaced with a Frenchman River float bridge that is to be installed "soon."

The large cart casters allow the float to easily navigate the carpet, and it is smooth enough that there is no fear of toppling the cars during careful movements at this point. A system for securing the cars on board needs to be developed. Later, the float carrier portion will be wider and modeled as harbor water, which will provide a place for sideways toppling cars to land instead of falling all the way to the floor. This prototype is designed to allow for up to a 36" long car float, and a locking mechanism will be developed during the testing period securing it for transfers.

All I need is a place for the Carfloater™ to sail back and forth to. In the operating scheme, traffic will be dispatched from Jersey City (this is a recent change from the originally planned modeling of Croxton yard) where there will be three lift bridges - no waiting! Jersey City could be thought of as a working staging yard, as this will be the main connection to the rest of the Erie and the United States. Until that is built, this gives me some push to start on the next pocket yard.

Sea trials are scheduled to begin later in the week and continue throughout the summer months.

Existing 149th car float slip.

An old Metro Shelving TV cart, some scrap lumber, screws and a few clamps are the only ingredients.

The temporary foam core float bridge is the only grade at the 1-4-9. A rail on the near track popped up from the ties shortly after installing and has been a rather rude bump while servicing floats. I'm looking forward to the new float bridge as much for eliminating the bump as for getting rid of the white foam core.

The existing car float landing is a piece of 1x4 cantilevered from the bench work providing a precarious perch for a wooden car float model. This 5 minute Jerry-rigged solution has actually worked pretty well.

The upside down float stand being drilled and screwed.

Two oak upright posts with a 1x4 serving as a car float pad. Clamps secure the posts allowing for height adjustment during sea trials and to the cart since this won't be a permanent member of the marine roster. The stand actually made a pretty good work bench while constructing the float carriage, so it may be re-purposed afterward.

There is a little warpage on the top piece simulating how the harbor can get a little choppy on windy days...

The existing float bridge track is laid to match the first float I acquired. You guessed it, this doesn't match the Frenchman River models' standards. Not sure if I simply can't use this nice scratch-built float anymore or if I try to modify it. My fear is that the eBay gods will be getting an offering at some point.

View from downstream. There is plenty of length for a three foot float.

Looking down the sights.

Overhead view of the 6-car scratch-built (by others) float. This is actually a pretty good size for the 149th street operations. Having 2-4 more cars to unload and load on a larger float might get tricky due to track lengths in on shore.

Maps Monday

A couple of pages from May 22, 1908 issue of The Railway Age magazine showing improvements to Jersey City yard of the Erie Railroad. What a fun and complex intersection of many railroads.

Photos of more yard goats

Nos. 401 and 520 in their later years. Sure, fresh, new, shiny locomotives are great, but I think these little goats get better with age and weathering.