It's SWITCHER SATURDAY February 17, 2024 Edition

For switcher Saturday we have Delmarva Central 1564 resting on one leg of the former wye in Georgetown, DE March 20, 2020. Hope y'all have a great day and do some switching.

CN’s 44 ton switcher(WbB) pulling unmarked boxcars & a GT caboose.

Have a great Saturday!

Good Morning all; thank you Pat for another great start to SWSAT!

PRSL had this new plow delivered just in time. PRSL 6016 has been assigned to the plow today as is moving it out to meet the snow.

B&O RSD5 #2008 is starting up and moving a cut of tankers to the team track.

Rutland 10 wheeler #74  spending it’s final days working locals. Picking up a Auto. Boxcar at the team track.

Happy Shunter Saturday, SwSat nation!  Shunter?  Yup, that’s what the Brits call them.  In the USA we occasionally use the term “shunt” to describe movement of short strings of cars, but they are pulled by “switchers”. The PRR, of course, always did their own thing, so they called their switchers “shifters”.

Your favorite rail fan/photographers, Tom and Jerry, are out on B&M’s Fitchburg Division, in Ashburnham, MA, today.  A westbound freight goes by, headed up by one of B&M’s four EMD BL2s, no. 1550.  It passes eastbound  B&M Doodlebug no. 181 and a reefer at the station, picking up a couple of passengers, mail and milk.

Patrick, with regard to your suggestion; I think inclusion of all engines, even though most “shunted” at some time, would dilute the SwSat theme too much.  I remember one of your predecessors used to say “keep your posts switcher related”.

There are threads for other interesting locomotives, such as Steam Day Sunday.  If you want to include non switchers, like I did today, “cheat” by starting with a switcher theme and include other engines/rolling stock that would be of interest to our fellow SwSatites.

John

Lionel - I think this and the C&O version, both conventional control, were Lionel’s first venture into “china” drive, moving away from the venerable Pullmor motor.

Morning all on another fine Switcher Saturday. Here is my latest acquisition a brass Right of Way Industry Saddle Tank Car in the Chesapeake Ohio livery. Originally all the waaaaay from Akron, Ohio (about 30 minutes north of me 😂). Found her on the Bay at a can't pass it up price. She was a bit finicky while servicing her. Once you get these little 0-4-0's dialed in they make for gorgeous smooth running switchers. I've got her pulling some K-line Alaskan skeleton cars in traditional 027 size. Now to find a crane car to lift the logs..

Good morning. Switching around my layout.

Good morning SWSAT crew!

AC&Y H16-44 202 (Lionel) switches a couple of customers:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Tom

Happy SWSat!

Thanks again Pat for starting things off. I'm OK with showing unusual "switchers" so I'll see what I can come up with for next week. I was watching Virtual Railfan the other day and saw a BNSF ES44AC running long hood forward with a single car in tow, so it does happen.

This week I revived a switcher from the depths of the repair pile. I had re-wired the motors in series a while back and messed something up and could not get it to run. I closed it up at the time and let it live to see another day. Well, I opened it up last weekend and found the wiring problem, the wires were reversed from the trucks for power and the motor, and got it running.
It's a Lionel (LTI?) D&H RS-3 from the Coastal Freight Service Station set. I bought it from Trainz in 2019. Made in 1991 it has DC can motors in the trucks and a horn that sounds like a sick cow. Lacking a ton of details, but the paint is sharp and it's one of my favorite scheme's.

Here's the test run after it left the shops.

More snow here in the Northeast today. We've had more in the last week than we've had in the last 2 years combined.

Have a great weekend.

Bob

Another Great start trumptrain Great looking photos all! Have a good Switcher Saturday,

Bob - Lionel featured NYC, EL, and D&H RS3s in sets. Adequate power for their included set cars, but bogged down as additional cars were added. These lokes are very light and benefit from added weight. Hence, my rational for swapping out Lionel engines for MTH.

A tank 0-6-0 switcher backs into the yard to get its assignment while the venerable 0-4-0 tender loco begins to move its consist up the line to the wharf area for loading into waiting ships.

Happy weekend

Don

A pair of NEW HAVEN Alco S2’s hauling a transfer run.

S2’s by MTH. Most of the freight cars by Atlas.

@Mark V. Spadaro posted:

Bob - Lionel featured NYC, EL, and D&H RS3s in sets. Adequate power for their included set cars, but bogged down as additional cars were added. These lokes are very light and benefit from added weight. Hence, my rational for swapping out Lionel engines for MTH.

Agreed Mark. I like the MTH RS-3's and have several. I'll keep the Lionel for now. Too many other priorities for the train budget.

I also have a Santa Fe RS-3 from the same period that originally came with only one powered truck. It could barely move 3-4 MPC cars. I added a second powered truck to increase the pulling power.

Bob

@ctr posted:

A pair of NEW HAVEN Alco S2’s hauling a transfer run.

S2’s by MTH. Most of the freight cars by Atlas.

Looks like a complex interlocking between your yards. Got more pix of your layout to share?

Happy SWSAT everyone.  Today's switcher is an Atlas Trainman ALCO RS-3.  It has just been released back into service, fresh from the CNJ's Elizabethport, NJ paint shop.  The local switcher crew is seen checking out 1545's "new" B&O-inspired blue and yellow paint scheme adopted by the CNJ in the late 1960's.  The last time they worked with 1545 it was still in its as-delivered green and yellow "toothpaste" scheme.

WOW!!  As is the usual case, everyone has made terrific contributions so far today   Please continue to post and keep our switcher party going!!  Remember you can post anytime during this weekend and the coming week too.   I hope everyone is having a terrific President's Day Weekend!!

Here are some more  photos of switchers on the Free State Junction Railway.

Patapsco and Back Rivers VO1000 basques in the afternoon sun as Western Maryland BL2 number 81  brings a freight through Butler Junction.    The tender rear of C&O 0-8-0 number 75 is seen with its backup light on.  

This trio of switchers are all about business of the FSJR.  

CTR.  As  New Haven fan, I loved seeing your S-2's and other NH engines and rolling stock. Please post some additional photos of your layout. Bill Park

Lots of great looking switchers, folks!  Here is my contribution for RS3SWSAT.  Road Switcher Three, yes 3 RS-3's in beautiful Western Maryland black.  Yes, I must be crazy, you are seeing 20% of my full roster in this one photograph! 

Love the 3-unit consist, @Mark Boyce!  There’s something catchy about that WM black paint scheme.  Maybe it’s the fireball logo!  Are all 3 powered units?

Thank you, Joe!  Yes, all three are powered.  I have run the first two, which are MTH PS3 and PS2, as a lash-up.  The third one is a new acquisition, a Weaver with ERR.  It runs very differently, so I don't think I will be able to lash all three, but I'm going to play around with them and see what happens.  Maybe I will be photographing the Great Western Maryland Train Wreck in coming weeks!! 

Love the SWSat evening follow up.

Great trio of fireballs Mark.

@CNJ #1601- The shop did a great job Joe.

As for me, I spent the afternoon fixing yet another switcher. I'll save the details for a different thread but here's my Lionel RS-11 with TMCC/Odyssey.

Bob

@Bill Park posted:

CTR.  As  New Haven fan, I loved seeing your S-2's and other NH engines and rolling stock. Please post some additional photos of your layout. Bill Park

Agree, CTR…..would love to see more!

Peter