It's SWITCHER SATURDAY 9/21/24 Edition

Switchers at work ... FM B&O H-10-44 and a Washington Terminal ALCO RS1.

Patrick, thanks for starting early. Nice video.

It is late 1949 and the engineer and fireman on the yard’s only B28s is admiring the brand new Peterbilt picking up pallets of various Campbells soups.  Because of the shine on the truck they are thinking it is the first run of this brand new tractor-trailer.

Atlas USRA 0-6-0, truck is Matchbox/Dinky

@trumpettrain

Patrick thanks for getting us started today. That was some story, in line with that I running a GAS turbine today. 😂                    Lionel ARMY #41 with MASH supplies. The Jeep flat car is a RailKing METCA exclusive.The MASH boxcar is a former METCA offering. The caboose is from a KMT set.

New Haven 0-8-0 #3400 (MTH 20-3148-2, scale wheels, 2005), a favorite that’s usually parked on a siding on my layout, was to be my switcher for this Saturday, so I began to take photos and videos. A few minutes later, it stopped abruptly and wouldn’t move. It’s now on its way back from repair. A simple fix. I will post it on SWSAT again as I run it next week.

MELGAR

MTH, Great Northern SW8 Cow & Calf pulling some boxcars.

My New York Central Legacy S2 hauling a local freight on the Harlem Divsion……

Have a great and safe weekend, folks!

Peter

Decided to take one last picture before the layout came down. So here are a few of my switchers in a group photo!

Red USCG Lionel NW2 waiting behind an RMT Bang SF S4 with the K Line MP15 out in front on the inside siding.

Have a Lionel yard switcher repainted/lettered for the USCG yard in Curtiss bay MD with a USCG RMT beep on the outer siding.

The inside loop of the twin mainlines has a pair of Whitcomb 65 tonners, 504 used a K Line S-2 frame and 506 based on a RMT Bang frame.

The outer main line has a lone RMT Alaska Bang S-4.

Could have included a few more, but didn't feel like opening all those boxes, LOL.

Everybody have a great switcher Saturday!

Sunrise Coop in South Charleston, OH.  All is quiet except the trucks bringing in beans & corn.

Have a great SwSat!

@trumpettrain posted:

Switchers at work ... FM B&O H-10-44 and a Washington Terminal ALCO RS1.

Nice switcher action, Patrick! I like that "hotshot" freight with your WbB B&O Hudson #5318 on the point, too!

Running with the MOW theme, here's the tie car I lighted and featured last TET being moved into position by another newly-lighted BEEP, my ATSF:

Getting the platform lighting "spread" right on this little tie car was a bit dicey and the reason I missed last week's SWSAT. I hope she's worth the wait...

MTH PS2 Pennsylvania VO1000:

Here it is hauling postwar boxcars and a caboose through my little town:

Thanks, Patrick, for your usual great start for Switcher Saturday. Arnold

Good morning, SwSat Nation!  I think some of you guys get so excited about SwSat that you can’t sleep!  I can’t believe it’s only 6:58 AM and there are already eight posts up!

With a nod to Patrick, the Steam Crazy Lines president has designated today as EMD BL2 day.  The stars of the show are my Williams Boston & Maine and Bangor & Aroostook models.

John

@pennsyfan posted:

@trumpettrain

Patrick thanks for getting us started today. That was some story, in line with that I running a GAS turbine today. 😂                    Lionel ARMY #41 with MASH supplies. The Jeep flat car is a RailKing METCA exclusive.The MASH boxcar is a former METCA offering. The caboose is from a KMT set.

Very nice Bob!! Go Army! This We'll Defend! God Speed!

Wow, great pics everyone! Here is my little B6 switcher moving boxcars and then relegated to shortline passenger duty -

Happy SWSat!

Gonna have to rename this thread to SWFri/Sat soon.........

Big goings-on in the RSJ&B household this week. Our daughter and her boyfriend are moving to Pensacola Fl and left Long Island this morning. Sad to see her go (won't miss him... ), but we are happy for them at the same time. Just so you all know, I taught her right- they are taking the Autotrain!

So with all the other stuff going on, no new switcher action this week but I should have something new to share next week.

Here's 1553 on the siding while 499 (MTH SW8 w/PS2-5v) passes on the main.

Have a good weekend!

Bob

PW Lionel #41 U.S. Army running the rails

Happy Switcher Saturday+ !

Today I'm showing my B&M Beeps, they run great, especially lashed together.

Take care, Ray.

Thanks for posting!

Well with all the "little" Army switcher's today, I thought I would change it up a little and post a "big gal" for your review.  This is a Japanese lithographed battery powered floor toy, representing a road switcher of the "GP" type  and it is large.  You can get some idea by comparing it to that Lionel GP Burlington locomotive a little bit beyond it.  This uses 3 D cells for power and has animation, lights, and sound.  It is one of my collection of the high quality lithographed tin toys made in Japan in the late 50's and 60's when they really went all out to create some beautiful quality products.  I picked this one up in Japan when I was doing business there for the Air Force.   If I had to guess I would say this is closer to "G" gauge in size rather than "0" gauge.  To me however the detailed lithography is just really neat, they went all out to create a colorful  yet surprisingly realistic looking toy. I forgot to add that she was made by "TM" or Trade Mark Modern Toys.

Here is a view showing the top with the highly detailed cooling fans.

A view of the cab, note that the crew, just like in Japan, are all in uniform.

Here is a close up of the cab area.

Well that is my "switcher" for this Saturday.  Best Wishes, hope your weekend is going well.  Fall has not yet arrived here in Central Texas, it was 105 degrees at noon today!

Don

@Bill Swatos posted:

Nice switcher action, Patrick! I like that "hotshot" freight with your WbB B&O Hudson #5318 on the point, too!

Thanks so much Bill!!   Your Santa Fe Beep and your tie car look terrific!!! AND yes the tie car was worth waiting for  Great job!!!

@Don McErlean posted:

Well with all the "little" Army switcher's today, I thought I would change it up a little and post a "big gal" for your review.  This is a Japanese lithographed battery powered floor toy, representing a road switcher of the "GP" type  and it is large.  You can get some idea by comparing it to that Lionel GP Burlington locomotive a little bit beyond it.  This uses 3 D cells for power and has animation, lights, and sound.  It is one of my collection of the high quality lithographed tin toys made in Japan in the late 50's and 60's when they really went all out to create some beautiful quality products.  I picked this one up in Japan when I was doing business there for the Air Force.   If I had to guess I would say this is closer to "G" gauge in size rather than "0" gauge.  To me however the detailed lithography is just really neat, they went all out to create a colorful  yet surprisingly realistic looking toy. I forgot to add that she was made by "TM" or Trade Mark Modern Toys.

A view of the cab, note that the crew, just like in Japan, are all in uniform.

Well that is my "switcher" for this Saturday.  Best Wishes, hope your weekend is going well.  Fall has not yet arrived here in Central Texas, it was 105 degrees at noon today!

Don

A very unique model Don.

Thanks for sharing.

Bob

As usual all of your rails are popping  with some fine looking switchers and videos & info!!!  Thanks so much to everyone who's posted so far   

Remember .. the Switcher Saturday party is not just confined to Saturday ... you can post anytime during the week too!  But heck the day is nowhere close to being over so please keep on posting your favorite switcher pic/videos!    

I'm hoping to get some layout building time in tomorrow afternoon after my gig.  I'll be doing some preliminary work on my industrial spur which will spawn at least two sidings to industries plus bring express freight to Union Station.    When this spur is completed my switch crews will have more pickups and drop offs.  

Once the new yard is complete I may be able to simultaneously run a switcher on the industrial spur and one in the yard  while three trains are kept busy running the loops ... and of course one trolly running on the EL.   I like a busy layout ... can you tell? LOL!!

I hope everyone is having a most relaxing and satisfying weekend!!  

Here's another fresh video of my H10 44 and RS 1.   Both locomotives are MTH RailKing scale with PS3.   The work caboose is also MTH RailKing which I weathered.  

Patrick, that is a very interesting bridge.  Do you have a prototype for it? I don't think I have ever seen such.  Kind of a "stayed ladder" on it' side. Hope you don't mind I stole your pix and put it in my unusual structure photo file.     Thanks for sharing,      j

@RSJB18 - Bob, thank you for your comment.  Glad you liked it.

Don

Late to the BL2 party, but it’s still technically Saturday.

Ok it's still Saturday here so, I'll post one more of my many switchers!

This is a PS/2 model MP-15 #2724 in SP bloody nose scheme. Today it's lending a helping hand to the USCG by moving some cargo for them,

And yes I could not help myself, even though the room is nowhere near ready, I just had to test the new track plan!

The bridge shown farther up this thread is a Bollman Truss Bridge.  I believe there is still one in existence in Maryland along side old route one.  It was a B and O bridge.  All cast iron and wrought iron, no steel.  

https://www.asce.org/about-civ...ollman-truss-bridge/

@JohnActon posted:

Patrick, that is a very interesting bridge.  Do you have a prototype for it? I don't think I have ever seen such.  Kind of a "stayed ladder" on it' side. Hope you don't mind I stole your pix and put it in my unusual structure photo file.     Thanks for sharing,      j

John- I'm glad you like the bridge!  Yes it is an unusual bridge and the prototype exists a block from where I live in Savage, Maryland.  Below are a few pics of the prototype two bridge span.  Each span is 80 feet long.  I only have one span on my layout, due to space limitation.  I searched for ten years for a model of this Bollman bridge design.  Of course on one of my York visits, I walked in the Orange Hall and there it was!  I had to buy it!!  Although my model is not an exact detailed down to the rivet replica, it is close enough for me.   If you'd like more pics of the prototype let me know ... I'll be happy to get them to you!

The prototype bridge was designed for use on the B&O Railroad by Wendell Bollman,  a civil engineer who lived in Baltimore during the1800s.  This bridge design is the last surviving example of the first iron truss railroad bridge in the U.S.   At one time there were about 100 of these bridges employed throughout the B&O' s system.   If you view photos of Harpers Ferry during the Civil War,  this same bridge design takes the B&O mainline across the Potomac River from Maryland to West Virginia.  

Over the years, as locomotive technology evolved and locomotives/trains became heavier, these types of truss bridges became obsolete and were phased out.  This particular bridge in Savage, spans the Little Patuxent River taking the B&O's Patuxent Branch to a cotton mill located about 200 feet from the near side of this photo.  No one seems to know the prior location of this bridge before it was moved to its' current  location in Savage. I assume it was located on a B&O mainline because it's wide enough for two tracks.   It was moved here approximately 1880.   It's now maintained by the Howard County Parks Dept.  

In its current location, no locomotive has ever crossed this bridge, due to its' weight restrictions.    To get loaded freight cars to and from the mill, the B&O employed a set of idler cars, which were coupled between the locomotive and the in or outbound loaded cars.  The switch to the steam generated power house is about 50 feet from the nearside of this photo and is a trailing switch.  Once the locomotive pushed the coal hoppers and idler cars across the bridge, the hoppers were then connected to a winch with a long cable which then  pulled the loaded car up a slight grade to the powerhouse's coal dump which angled the coal near the furnaces.  The coal was then shoveled into the furnaces by hand of course.  

Before electricity,  my assumption is that,  mules pulled loaded freight cars across the bridge when there was no locomotive around to push/pull the idler cars.   There was a wide walkway on the far side of this bridge ( not shown ) large enough to accommodate a set of mules or horses.  Since being turned over to the Howard County Parks Dept by CSX, that walkway was torn out and a new one with hand rails was installed ( safety first ).  I walk across this bridge several days a week with my dog, Barney.  FYI our OGR Magazine Editor in Chief Allan Miller used to live near the this bridge and he'd often walk over it to get to some restaurants located within the mill.  The mill is now a National Historic Site and has been converted to shops, art studios, and restaurants.

@Don McErlean

This is a true case of the voices or in this case posters. It’s all Don’s manipulation. Don and someone else were have a discussion about a model Schylling propellor driven railcar. They got me so interested that I started looking for them. I found one and I purchased it.  Here it is in C-10 condition with a box.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Love that bridge Patrick. Glad it was preserved.

@Darrell- Love it!

Switcher in the nude........

To be continued

And I've got a lot of orange locos on the layout at the moment.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

Switcher in the nude........

To be continued

Bob

Bob, I admire how much you enjoy tinkering with the electrical part of an engine. I absolutely have no idea “the works” inside these locomotives.

Gene

@Genemed posted:

Bob, I admire how much you enjoy tinkering with the electrical part of an engine. I absolutely have no idea “the works” inside these locomotives.

Gene

I might be crazy but I do find it both challenging and enjoyable at the same time. I'll throw in a good helping of frustration at times too......

Since my layout is basically complete with no prospects of major changes for a few more years, I need to keep up the interest beyond just running trains. Our daughter just moved out yesterday, she left for Pensacola Fl with her boyfriend to start her life so I'm a baby step closer to having the "I want to expand my layout" discussion with the CEO.

Thanks

@pennsyfan - GREAT FIND Bob!  You are ahead of me, I have not located one yet, but still looking

Don

@RSJB18 posted:

Love that bridge Patrick. Glad it was preserved.

@Darrell- Love it!

Switcher in the nude........

To be continued

And I've got a lot of orange locos on the layout at the moment.

Bob

Nothing like a nude ... especially when it's a switcher!!!!  Looking forward to seeing how this project turns out Bob!!  Thanks for sharing!

@jhz563 posted:

Nice to hear from you John.

Is the Halloween layout ready yet?

@trumpettrain posted:

Thanks Patrick. Should be gobs of switcher fun when I'm done.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

Nice to hear from you John.

Is the Halloween layout ready yet?

Thanks Patrick. Should be gobs of switcher fun when I'm done.

Bob

Hi Rob.  Halloween layout doubtful this year.   I have undertaken a quest for a new degree,  and going back to college after a 2.5 decade gap is keeping me rather busy.

@RSJB18 posted:

Love that bridge Patrick. Glad it was preserved.

@Darrell- Love it!

Switcher in the nude........

To be continued

And I've got a lot of orange locos on the layout at the moment.

Bob

Last mini-commander BEEP project? Looking forward to the final product!

@jhz563 posted:

Hi Rob.  Halloween layout doubtful this year.   I have undertaken a quest for a new degree,  and going back to college after a 2.5 decade gap is keeping me rather busy.

I went back to school in 1998, graduated in 2005.... after being a 1980 HS Grad..I feel your pain.

Good luck!

@Bill Swatos posted:

Last mini-commander BEEP project? Looking forward to the final product!

Nope- Flyerchief. It's going well so far.

Thanks