knifeswitch1
Jointed Rail
I figured I should make this a separate thread so I didn't take over a page of the USA pics thread. 
I got the idea to do one of these from Gandalf, WCL, Tbob and any others that made up a storyline based on screenies.
Part One:
It's 7:00 on the dot, and today's RS100 crew reports into New York & Atlantic's Fresh Pond Yard, formerly used by the LIRR. Today's power is parked on the west leg of the wye/interchange and consists of MP15ACs #159 and #151.
The two back to back engines move about the yard and form their train. The RS100 is a west end job, meaning that it operates west of Fresh Pond. Today the '100 is going to drop off a boxcar at DiCarlo Foods in Bushwick, a pair of boxcars Morris & Son Mechanics, a cut of cars at the team track near the old Phelps-Dodge Plant, and finally one boxcar for another industry in Maspeth. The crew boards #159 at around 8:30, and is ready to go. Unfortunately Jay tower, in Jamaica, isn't ready for them as a steady flow of LIRR trains file into Jamaica for the early morning commuter rush. Finally given the a-ok at 9, they pull out of 'The Pond' and head to Maspeth. Here they are blasting up the Mt. Olivet grade:
And under the site where the Bushwick Branch splits off from the Lower Montauk.
In order to drop off the first boxcar, an NS highcube, the crew needs to pull into the Maspeth yard to run around the train. Luckily, due to no trains needed to traverse the line at that exact moment, the RS100 was given an instant clear signal to pull back onto the main.
In order to get into Maspeth again, the train needs to back up without the power running around the train. The brakemen is the engineer's eyes from here on in. Backing into the yard without incident, they spot a the cars in front of the ones that were being dropped off. He then proceeds to back into the industry track.
All switching in Maspeth Yard done, the crew hopes that they can hop onto the main for the few hundred feet it takes to get to the spur tracks. No such luck, as another train is bearing down on the location. Although the area is two track, the RS100 is trapped on the south track and will have to wait. The LIRR train had just pulled out of the Long Island City yard, but this dispatcher isn't taking any chances on the venerable MP15ACs stalling on the main. The time is now a whopping 10:30 by the time the engineer is given permission to pull out of the yard. The train proceeds into an unnamed industrial area, usually referred as 'The Track between Maspeth and Penny Bridge' by railroad employees.
To drop off the next set of cars, the crew of RS100 needs to spot the tankcar on the team track for now. I went up to the top of a nearby building to get this shot, and you can see the train on the left, with the tankcar on the right.
Apparently time flies when not having fun, and it is 10:50 by the time that the first of switching is done in this area. The crew figures that this is the closest they'll be to food for awhile, so they throw #159 and #151 into neutral and walk across the tracks and street to a favorite deli of train crews.
Ten pounds heavier and raring to go, the RS100 crew remounts #159 and finishes switching in Maspeth. They are clocked at 11:20 now. RS100 backs the last boxcars into the team track, couples them to the tankcar, and pulls out.
Stay tuned for part two momentarily..
I got the idea to do one of these from Gandalf, WCL, Tbob and any others that made up a storyline based on screenies.Part One:
It's 7:00 on the dot, and today's RS100 crew reports into New York & Atlantic's Fresh Pond Yard, formerly used by the LIRR. Today's power is parked on the west leg of the wye/interchange and consists of MP15ACs #159 and #151.
The two back to back engines move about the yard and form their train. The RS100 is a west end job, meaning that it operates west of Fresh Pond. Today the '100 is going to drop off a boxcar at DiCarlo Foods in Bushwick, a pair of boxcars Morris & Son Mechanics, a cut of cars at the team track near the old Phelps-Dodge Plant, and finally one boxcar for another industry in Maspeth. The crew boards #159 at around 8:30, and is ready to go. Unfortunately Jay tower, in Jamaica, isn't ready for them as a steady flow of LIRR trains file into Jamaica for the early morning commuter rush. Finally given the a-ok at 9, they pull out of 'The Pond' and head to Maspeth. Here they are blasting up the Mt. Olivet grade:
And under the site where the Bushwick Branch splits off from the Lower Montauk.
In order to drop off the first boxcar, an NS highcube, the crew needs to pull into the Maspeth yard to run around the train. Luckily, due to no trains needed to traverse the line at that exact moment, the RS100 was given an instant clear signal to pull back onto the main.
In order to get into Maspeth again, the train needs to back up without the power running around the train. The brakemen is the engineer's eyes from here on in. Backing into the yard without incident, they spot a the cars in front of the ones that were being dropped off. He then proceeds to back into the industry track.
All switching in Maspeth Yard done, the crew hopes that they can hop onto the main for the few hundred feet it takes to get to the spur tracks. No such luck, as another train is bearing down on the location. Although the area is two track, the RS100 is trapped on the south track and will have to wait. The LIRR train had just pulled out of the Long Island City yard, but this dispatcher isn't taking any chances on the venerable MP15ACs stalling on the main. The time is now a whopping 10:30 by the time the engineer is given permission to pull out of the yard. The train proceeds into an unnamed industrial area, usually referred as 'The Track between Maspeth and Penny Bridge' by railroad employees.
To drop off the next set of cars, the crew of RS100 needs to spot the tankcar on the team track for now. I went up to the top of a nearby building to get this shot, and you can see the train on the left, with the tankcar on the right.
Apparently time flies when not having fun, and it is 10:50 by the time that the first of switching is done in this area. The crew figures that this is the closest they'll be to food for awhile, so they throw #159 and #151 into neutral and walk across the tracks and street to a favorite deli of train crews.
Ten pounds heavier and raring to go, the RS100 crew remounts #159 and finishes switching in Maspeth. They are clocked at 11:20 now. RS100 backs the last boxcars into the team track, couples them to the tankcar, and pulls out.
Stay tuned for part two momentarily..
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Wow!
Great shots and a fantastic story to go with them Dietrich 
