It's SWITCHER SATURDAY December 7, 2024 Edition

Happy Switcher Saturday all!

Patrick, thanks for hosting this and I like your winter scenes.

Saturday, December 7th is also the observance of Pearl Harbor Day. May we never forget.

Here's my switcher for this week...an HO Mantua-Tyco 0-4-0. Check out the great looking valve gear!

Tom

I ran New York Central electric locomotive #3207 this week on my 12’-by-8’ layout. It’s a diecast Legacy model (Lionel 6-84507) of an S-2 electric motor released in 2017 at MSRP $799.99 and listed for operation on O-36 curved track.

Also on the layout was New York Central P-2b #223, a model of a large electric locomotive that hauled passenger trains in the NYC electric zone between Grand Central Terminal and the northern suburbs of Manhattan. #223 is a heavy, die-cast MTH Premier model (20-5507-1, MSRP $599.95) delivered with PS1 in December 1999. It’s been running on my layout for 25 years with its battery replaced by a BCR.

Both locomotives pulled heavyweight “lightning stripe” passenger cars made by MTH in 1999.

After an accident due to excessive smoke in the Park Avenue Tunnel in 1902, a law was enacted to prohibit steam locomotives in Manhattan beginning in 1908. General Electric and Alco developed an electric locomotive (Class S-1 #6000) with a 1-D-1 wheel arrangement and the Central installed 600-volt DC third-rail on its line between Grand Central Terminal and Harmon, NY (about 31 miles), and on its Harlem Line between GCT and North White Plains. After electric operations began in 1907, a train powered by two electric locomotives derailed with numerous fatalities and injuries, so the Class S locomotives were modified by adding another set of wheels to the leading and trailing trucks to improve high-speed tracking on curves. Despite their 2-D-2 wheel arrangement, and due to their long rigid wheelbase, the S-2 locomotives were never fully satisfactory pulling long heavy trains at high speeds.

As a result, the S motors were assigned to short local commuter trains and empty equipment movements between Grand Central and the coach yards at Mott Haven in the Bronx (about 6.5 miles) for 60 years. Their final assignment was switching in the underground yards of Grand Central Terminal. The last one was retired in 1981 after 75 years in service. They had a maximum speed of 60 miles-per-hour, tractive effort of 37,000 pounds, 2,200 horsepower for starting, and 1,695 horsepower for continuous operation.

MELGAR

NYO&W 116 moving giraffes for the Bronx Zoo…….

Have a great and safe weekend everyone……

Peter

Happy SwSat thanks for getting us started today Patrick. I’ve been involved with the final push on the club layout this week so I grabbing some video I took over there. I managed to pick up several more giraffes, elephants and a reindeer though the year and added 3 more actuators. So here’s Lionel B&M GP9 with the giraffe train.

Great start, Patrick, as usual.

Video below shows an MTH PS2 NY Central GP7 diesel switcher, running on DCS, hauling oil tankers through town:

Have a great Switcher Saturday everyone.

Arnold

Good morning SwSat fans!  Patrick, I really enjoyed your winter scenes, but they made me feel colder than the actual 22 degrees here in Central MA!

I’m going to warm things up by showing a road switcher from my small Western fleet of diesels.  Union Pacific EMD GP20 no. 475 is a MTH Railking Scale model equipped with the PS3 operating system.  These engines are a great value, lacking only the fine detail of Premier models costing up to $200 more.  No. 475 sounds great too, second only (to my ears) another fine Railking model, my NYC RS1.

John

The newest acquisition on the North Branch and Lamington being put through it's break-in... Nickel Plate GP9 452, a Lionel custom run for Mr. Muffin's Trains. I'm really impressed by how far Lionel has come with Legacy - soon as I placed this on the track the locomotive gave feed back trough the Base3 and both my Cab2 and Cab3 app read it - all I had to do was switch to Program and assign a roster number.

Happy SWSat!

Into the archives once again as the weeks seem to keep flying by. Thought I'd share my fleet of BL-2's. The humble BL-2 that is either loved or not. I'm obviously in the former category.

I have 3- Western Maryland, Chesapeake and Ohio, and EMD Demo. The WM and C&O are from Williams, and the Demo is by MTH. All are conventional runners. No need to rehash the history of these engines here, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess.

Have a great weekend!

Bob

Good morning, SwSat,

My K-Line A5 has not received much love lately, not since I got my MTH A5.  Here it is doing what it does best.

Better late to SwSat than never!  Its Global Fat Bike Day, so I got my frozen trail ride in with some friends.

Canadian National MTH Alco S2 with a few cars & CN caboose circling the rails today.

Next on the list is the Christmas tree…

Enjoy your weekend this SWITCHER SATURDAY remember the live lost on 7 December 1941, God Speed

Well Switcher Fans, today is a rather auspicious date, Dec 7 ... "a day that will live in infamy..." and it turns out that I just received a rather neat little locomotive from the first foreign nation that stepped up to help the United States at that hour of need...the United Kingdom and Mr. Churchill.   So here is  the Hornby 101 Tank engine in the freight livery of the LNER (London North Eastern Railway).  She is clockwork, like many of Hornby's trains and the 101 was available from 1946 -1954 although it was only cataloged from March 1947 to April 1954.  This particular version, dated by the form of the product id printing on the rear of the coal bunker and the method of securing the couplers to the frame, dates her from 1950.  The Type 101 is actually the post war re-emergence of the Type M3 from before the war however she has a greatly improved drive mechanism and far more efficient brakes (the brakes on the M3 were a constant consumer complaint).

Just for your information, the little bracket just forward of the stack is where any specific train identification lanterns (like for an "extra" ) would be hung.  Yes the lanterns were available from Meccano at the local hobby store in the UK ... a bit of a trip from Texas!!

Here is the product identification on her box.  This also confirms my dates above as the printing code on the box is dated 1949.

Best Wishes, and yes you will likely see more pictures of her in "Steamday Sunday" as I will be unable to resist not displaying my newest acquisition...

Don

Nearing Bohemian Falls on the Northwestern Pacific.  Hoping everyone’s weekend is a good one.  Jim

Happy Switcher Saturday!

MTH's New Haven 44 Ton switcher (20-20470) getting ready for Christmas.

Take Care,

Ray

Wheeew Wheeee!!! Another wonderful Switcher Saturday made possible by of your posts!  Switchers of all sizes .... Everything from electric to steam to diesel switchers!   Plus a historic Hornby )-4-0 tank!!  By all means keep on posting.  The switcher party is ongoing!!!

AND yes let's remember Pearl Harbor, the tragic event that took place that day, and all those who lost their life.

Here is a road freight with 4 switchers and 28 cars led by Washington Terminal RS1 number 46.  

No 70 ton switchers this week so I'll add mine.  The newest addition to my fleet a Williams GE 70 ton Switcher in Tropicana livery.  I planned on having my little Juice Train running on one track and a milk run.

@Don McErlean posted:

@coach joe - Hey hope you are feeling better, the nerve thing can be a real pain (literally !).  Hey Joe, when you get a chance, how about a little report on how that new engine (Williams 70 ton) operates.  Its a neat looking engine at a great price so I am wondering how well it performs.  Thanks

Don

Don, I have the Rutland model. They are very nice, especially at the price. They come equipped with Tru-blast sound, bell, and horn.

Only issue I've encountered is with the fixed pilots. They are less than flexible for 027 curves. I've modified the couplers to swing a little more so that cars don't get pulled off the track.

Bob

@trumpettrain posted:

Patrick , my gray matter neurons never tire of your stories ....................my eyes are never disappointed with the scenes.   Especially love the snow scenes sir.

Have a great Switcher Saturday night . God Speed.

@RSJB18- Thanks for the info on the 70 Tonner Bob, appreciate the response.

Don

Love the snow scenes, Patrick, especially since we don't get snow on the Coachella Valley floor here in SoCal. Nice to see and not have to shovel!

For my Sunday Supplement, I'll go to the archives to let @coach joe know you're gonna' love that little lady on the point of your orange juice train:

These are Lionel "Standard O" cars so they match the scale WbB 70-tonner. The video shows 6 cars; I have 8 now. You'll likely have to tolerate a few duplicates wrt road number if you want to get several of these cars. Lionel only produced 4 roadnumbers in this series, 300-303.

Regarding the fixed pilot problem @RSJB18 points out, here's how I fixed mine with guidance from Bob and other Forum members:

I extended the curved groove for the coupler guide pin with a Dremel "pin" grinder bit to allow the coupler to swing over the full range allowed by the original pilot opening. As a result, I had to leave off the centering spring (it permanently deforms rather easily after full- range deflection and quits working properly, anyway) and set up a "clutch" with shim washers in the pivot screw mounting that allows the coupler to swing on tighter curves but stay centered after uncoupling on the uncoupler section. Here she is on an 048 curve:

Most importantly, may we all keep all those who were lost at Pearl Harbor in the Japanese attack of December 7, 1941 in our hearts and minds as well as all those who have made, and continue to make, the ultimate sacrifice for freedom and democracy here and around the world.

@Don McErlean posted:

@RSJB18- Thanks for the info on the 70 Tonner Bob, appreciate the response.

Don

My pleasure Don.

Williams has an equally nice scale 44 tonner too.....

Bob

In response to @Don McErlean, here's a little more about Tropicana No. 98.  Smooth runner right out of the box, once I get around to lubing it, performance should be very smooth.  Nice sounds for Williams, however they're a little low.  Ay one know how to increase the volume?  As Bob and Bill have pointed out, the fixed pilots present a challenge for us radially challenged operators.  I already knew this from posts on the forum and it was pointed out by the salesman at Trainland.  My current layout configuration has two concentric 0-27 loops of track, the inner has 0-27 curves with a half straight at the apex, the outer is 042 curves with a half straight at the apex.  98 hasn't touched the inner loop yet and has made several laps around the outer loop without incident.  I have a new to me MTH RK flat car handy and have tried to run the 70 tonner with the flat car.  The flat car de-rails when it comes to the half straight every time.  Since the flat car is also new to these rails I'm not ruling out an issue with the flat car but it appears that scale length engines with fixed pilots, no matter how small the prototype do not play nice with smaller radius curves.  I'll reserve final judgement until I get some juice cars behind 98 but I think I'll be following in Bob and Bill's foot prints and altering either the switcher or it's rolling stock to permit operation on my 042 loop.

I also have examples of the nice Williams switchers with fixed pilots,  a D&RG 44 tonner and a Rutland 70 tonner.  I’ve not had any derailment problems with the 44 tonner on my O31 or O42, loops, but the lead car following the 70 tonner often derails on O31.

By “happy accident”, I discovered the brand of car trailing the 70 tonner makes a difference.  I assembled a milk train with a Lionel reefer in the lead; it didn’t derail. Then I switched to a MTH  car - it derailed (all MTH cars I tried derailed).  Some Weaver and K-line cars also don’t derail.

I’m guessing the length of the car coupler shank or the radius the coupler swings explains my experience.  Try some different cars behind your 70 tonner and let me know how it works!

John

@RSJB18 - Bob thanks for the input.  I agree the Williams 44 T is nice, I have a UP and a Southern, but the 70 T looked like it represented a bit of a step up and I was interested.  Unfortunately, I run 0-27 and 0-31 radii so now Im not so sure.

@coach joe and @Steam Crazy - Thank you both for the input.  Looks like my current 0-27/0-31 layout is not ideal for that 70T .

Best Wishes

Don

@PRR8976 posted:

Happy Switcher Saturday all!

Patrick, thanks for hosting this and I like your winter scenes.

Saturday, December 7th is also the observance of Pearl Harbor Day. May we never forget.

Here's my switcher for this week...an HO Mantua-Tyco 0-4-0. Check out the great looking valve gear!

Tom

Tom - thanks for posting this well detailed HO 0-4-0!!  Did you do the weathering?  It looks great!

@Steam Crazy posted:

(all MTH cars I tried derailed).  Some Weaver and K-line cars also don’t derail.

I’m guessing the length of the car coupler shank or the radius the coupler swings explains my experience.  Try some different cars behind your 70 tonner and let me know how it works!

John

John , did those MTH cars have the articulated couplers? 🤔

Dallas, I admit I don’t know the difference between an articulated coupler and a handshake!  I thought all MTH  couplers were probably the same.  Can you explain it for me?  Thanks!

John

@coach joe posted:

In response to @Don McErlean, here's a little more about Tropicana No. 98.  Smooth runner right out of the box, once I get around to lubing it, performance should be very smooth.  Nice sounds for Williams, however they're a little low.  Ay one know how to increase the volume? As Bob and Bill have pointed out, the fixed pilots present a challenge for us radially challenged operators.  I already knew this from posts on the forum and it was pointed out by the salesman at Trainland.  My current layout configuration has two concentric 0-27 loops of track, the inner has 0-27 curves with a half straight at the apex, the outer is 042 curves with a half straight at the apex.  98 hasn't touched the inner loop yet and has made several laps around the outer loop without incident.  I have a new to me MTH RK flat car handy and have tried to run the 70 tonner with the flat car.  The flat car de-rails when it comes to the half straight every time.  Since the flat car is also new to these rails I'm not ruling out an issue with the flat car but it appears that scale length engines with fixed pilots, no matter how small the prototype do not play nice with smaller radius curves.  I'll reserve final judgement until I get some juice cars behind 98 but I think I'll be following in Bob and Bill's foot prints and altering either the switcher or it's rolling stock to permit operation on my 042 loop.

Joe, there is a volume pot on the sound board, but mine was already turned all the way up.

The "Standard O" juice cars do not have articulated coupler shanks so you will likely have trouble with them on your 042's without the mods to the 70-tonner couplers I've shown above. In my experience, the mods to the loco allow cars with unarticulated couplers to follow the loco through curves down to 036 without derailment and it looks like there is still more room for the loco coupler to move so you might even get away with 031.

MTH makes RK 027-scale Tropicana 50-footers with articulated couplers but they don't look as good as the scale cars behind the scale 70-tonner:

I also had to add a couple of "stops" in the upper door tracks to keep them closed under way:

Before:

After:

Regardless, I imagine you could use one of these as a "transition" car behind Tropic Ana to keep her happy if you don't want to mess with the coupler mods.

@coach joe et-al......I've found that proper weight in a freight car helps tremendously. The added weight helps keep the wheels down on the track.

I've also found that certain cars handle the 70 tonner better than others.

Passenger cars with long shank couplers seem to do the best.

A dedicated idler car that stays behind the engine would provide the best solution over all.

Bob

Bill and Bob, thanks for the input.  I'll weight, pun intended, until I get my Tropicana cars out and see if one works better behind the engine than the flat car I tried.  Those MPC era billboard reefers will probably need some weight added anyway so that'll be my first step. maybe alter the end sill to allow more coupler swing on the reefer?

@Steam Crazy posted:

Dallas, I admit I don’t know the difference between an articulated coupler and a handshake!  I thought all MTH  couplers were probably the same.  Can you explain it for me?  Thanks!

John

I guess I'll chime in here, John. Most MTH couplers are articulated, that is, the coupler can swing side-to-side, relative to the truck. The coupler mount on the truck includes a centering spring to keep the coupler centered relative to the truck when it is not coupled to another car or locomotive. This allows the cars to negotiate tighter curves because the pivot of the truck and the swing of the coupler relative to the truck work together to allow a very wide range of overall side-to-side movement. Lionel, on the other hand, does not offer articulated couplers on their low- to mid-priced cars. Even their "027" cars do not feature articulated couplers.

@coach joe posted:

Bill and Bob, thanks for the input.  I'll weight, pun intended, until I get my Tropicana cars out and see if one works better behind the engine than the flat car I tried.  Those MPC era billboard reefers will probably need some weight added anyway so that'll be my first step. maybe alter the end sill to allow more coupler swing on the reefer?

You're welcome, Coach! Looking forward to your OJ train!

Thank you, Bill, for the explanation of articulated couplers.  I suspect all of my MTH freight cars have them, but I don’t recall the specific cars I coupled up to my 70 tonner.  The Lionel reefer I mentioned has them (pictured below).  I don’t plan to modify my switcher since I have cars that will operate behind it.

John

The MTH RK flat car I was running behind the 70 tonner does not have articulated trucks.  I do have a pair of MTH trucks, one in pieces that I must try to put back together, that are articulated.  They may be the answer to the problem if I can't find a "transition" car that works behind the 70 tonner.

@coach joe posted:

The MTH RK flat car I was running behind the 70 tonner does not have articulated trucks.  I do have a pair of MTH trucks, one in pieces that I must try to put back together, that are articulated.  They may be the answer to the problem if I can't find a "transition" car that works behind the 70 tonner.

I think that'll get you there, Joe.