Op Session 10 - The Whole Day - Part I

I will be winding down this blog (except for occasional special events) since the major portions of the rebuild are essentially completed and there were no responses to my "anybody reading" request on the August 8^th post. It is therefore appropriate to finish with recreations of highlights of our last operating session where we basically ran a complete PRSL 1954 freight schedule. (Engine assignments were fudged!)

This will be in 2 parts.

We began the day with the Philadelphia transfer arriving in the Pavonia yard with loads from the frontier (anything beyond southern New Jersey). It is headed prototypically by a Pennsy RT624 (sometimes PRR FAs). A pair of BS12s head out to meet it and begin breakdown and reclassification of the freight cars.

A quick aside here. The only N scale manufacturer equipment available painted for the PRSL are (3) Atlas GP38s (w/o the extended cab) and (6) Bowser N5 cabins (both logos). A friend has also re-lettered an Atlas VO-1000 (~BS12) and 2 RDCs for me. I have (4) AS-16 (WM version) shells but will need to find help getting them completed and on the road. The AS-16s were the entire PRSL road diesel power from 1950 until the arrival of the GP38s in 1967. When the PRSL needed additional power, it was provided from it's parents, the Pennsylvania RR and the Reading Company. Almost anything the parents had could find its way onto the rails in South Jersey.

Kicking off the road parade WY841 was the coal drag to supply the power plant in Deepwater. Here we find it leaving Camden.

I am sure the Woodbury commuter did not find the swirling coal dust enjoyable during WY841's run-by!

WY843 the Deepwater local leaves next and here we finding it stopping along the way to deliver sand and cement to the Buzby Bros. facility in Westville. (All trains on these branches are “turns”. They leave the Camden freight yards go to one of the 3 branch terminuses (Millville/Salem/Deepwater) and return to Camden the same day.)

WY843 delivering loads of sand and cement to Buzby Bros. in Westville

A pair of PRR H30 covered hoppers

WY33 the sand hog with a string empty gondolas and covered hoppers heading south for loads. Here we see it passing the Haines -Falcone dairy farms

WY27, the Millville local, has already departed and now the Salem local (WY51) follows soon after. Here it is passing the Broad Street Lake in Woodbury and shifting reefers at the icing facility in South Woodbury.

WY51 passing Broad Street Lake in Woodbury

WY51 working the icing tracks in South Woodbury

Op Session 10 - The Whole Day - Part II

Final departure of the day: WY79-WY80 the tank sweeper is off to service the refineries in Westville and Paulsboro.

Servicing the Texaco refinery in Westville

*****************************************************************************************

The "turns" have all reached their intended destinations and are now heading back to the Camden Pavonia yard. WY27 is now designated WY26. We find it here dropping a loaded coal car at Barry Bros. Fuel in Westville. Most of the spurs along the double tracked main line are conveniently serviced as trailing point sidings.

The box cars serve as spacers to keep the engine's weight off the coal yard's timber trestle

WY33 is now WY34, the loaded sand hog . It is passing through Westville with New Jersey’s chief export: sand. (Remember this is the early 1950s and the massive interstate road constructions have an insatiable appetite for concrete (hence sand).

WY840 (841) is now straggling home with empties. It has to cross over 3 tracks in Woodbury to continue right hand running back to the yards.

Woodbury

North Woodbury

When WY50 (Salem), WY842 (Deepwater) and WY80 (tank sweeper) finally limp home the day will be over ... and we can do it all again tomorrow!