@RSJB18 posted:Back with a better video that I shot last night. I don't have a TIU, just a remote commander, but since both engines are a match electronics-wise, they will run together without problem. I just can't control them so that electro-couplers and sounds can be run separately.
Bob
Nice looking engines Bob. Those lobsters and beer must be pretty heavy. 😵💫😂
@Bill Swatos- Bill thanks for your comment. I would agree, I bet RMT got hold of the Marx molds and used them. I think that perhaps Kline did the same for awhile. I once checked the level of detail on the 1998 and found it is pretty close to the S-3 except the stack is the wrong shape (which would have been an easy fix for Marx) and I think it lacks one set of louver doors on the side ( which I can understand as this would have required lengthening the frame )
Again thanks for the comment
Don
@Bill Swatos posted:Thanks, Mel, for the compliment on my milk car operation and encouragement on scenery. I think a station will be next since I can place it trackside like the delivery platform. Thanks, too, to @Sitka and @coach joe for their kind words on my milk car operation.
The milk car is a 1987 late-MPC era reproduction of the PW version, right down to the staple-end trucks and plate and lever coupler releases. There were a couple of things I did with the car to get it to work largely trouble-free. The first was to "pop the hood" and sparingly grease all of the metal-to-metal pivot points and sliding areas of the mechanism. I also applied a couple of drops of Pjur Basic 100% Silicone Personal (!) Lubricant to the solenoid piston where it slides into the delrin (nylon?) solenoid liner. This lubrication process got the milkman to emerge fully at 11.5 V instead of 14 V initially. He also moves just a bit more slowly at the lower voltage so he doesn't knock over the cans he's already placed on the platform...
This keeps the cans aligned properly in the chute so they won't get "sideways" and jam yet allows them to roll freely in the chute.
I hope this helps everyone to get their operating milk cars back as one of their roster favorites for switching operations 'cuz it's a blast, especially when you don't have to worry about holding the cell phone to record the action!
Bill,
When building a layout, the first thing I do after the track is laid is to build a station model and set it next to the track. It creates a scene around which the rest of the layout develops.
I was impressed with the smooth operation of your milk car. Good engineering in my opinion. Your comment reminded me of the poor operation of my 1950s Lionel milk car. Milkman used to knock down cans and cans would get stuck and jam.
Looking forward to seeing your station. But where will you put all those cars and engines?
MELGAR
@taycotrains posted:Both are still alive and well in my collection Walt despite their prone to failure 5volt boards…”kennywood” and “pirates” !!!
Glad to hear that you are keeping them going Bob (@taycotrains)!! I miss those buggers - they were the best haulers that I had.
walt
Hey everyone! What a terrific Switcher Saturday we are having
AND into Sunday too
It's such a delight to be sitting here with the my cup of coffee taking in all the information, photos, and videos posted here. SwSat is such a terrific community of folks sharing info and our love of these wonderful engines designed to do the nitty gritty of railroading.
MELGAR - thanks for your most interesting historical info about the L&NE and photos/video from your terrific layout. Your info pointing out the differences between the RS 2 and RS 3 is most appreciated.
You mentioned that you purchased your RS2 from Public Delivery Track. I think BethMarshall deserves a train load of credit for getting manufactures to produce/import switching locomotives of short lines and smaller railroads ie: Utah Railroad and L&NE.
Dave P - Welcome back to the model railroading community and Switcher Saturday! Thanks for your opinion regarding your Penn Central GP20 by Lionel. Your Lionel Legacy 0-6-0 looks terrific on your layout.
Darrell - Your Utah Railway RSD looks terrific as do the matching gons! Great job converting gons from 2 rail to 3 rail. As I mentioned to MELGAR - Beth Marshall is a great service to our O gauge community.
Sitka - that's a fine looking post war Erie NW2 you have there!
Steam Crazy - John a 1938 American Flyer in 3 rail! How cool is that!! AND it's' a pretty darn smooth runner too ... no arthritis lol! Who knew! Thanks for sharing!!
tnkMarx - Got to love the CN 45 tonner doing a switching maneuver!
Putnam Division - Peter ... WOW! What a fine looking layout you have! Your Mogul looks fabulous pulling the milk train and the milk train itself looks terrific too. I'm sure that o'l Mogul paid its' dues on many switching assignments and of course switching cars in and out of dairy's as it made its' way along the ROW at the head of many milk trains and way freights.
Jstraw - Got to love that Fairbanks - Morse H- 10 -44 or is it a H - 12- 44? At any rate it looks terrific in the UP livery!!
Bill Swatos - Your 0-6-0 tank engine looks great!! Thanks for all the information regarding your tweeting of the Lionel Milk automatic milk car. As others here have stated the operation of the car is superbly smooth. Although I didn't ever have too much problem with my PW milk cars operation, when I left the voltage up high the little man unloading cans did so with such vigor as if he had just consumed an entire pot of coffee .. lol!
CAPPilot - Ron your Pennsy SW 1 is a good looker for sure, especially photographed in the context of your wonderful looking layout. The SW 1 ( all be it a B&O ) was the first locomotive cab ride I ever had. Thanks for the memory!
Mark Boyce - What a terrific night shot of your P&WV 0-6-0 doing some switching at the Sanky Wanky Coffee Co.!!! Thanks for sharing!
Dave Warburton - Congrats on your purchase of the PW Lionel 45 tonner! What a great looking paint scheme too!! Enjoy this locomotive to the max!!
Coach Joe - Thanks so much for stopping by and for chiming in with your insightful comments!
Strap Hanger - Your Long Island Railroad Boxcab looks terrific!!
Pennsyfan - It's fantastic to see that steeple cab run on your layout! It runs as smoothly as and expensive Swiss watch!!! ENJOY!!!
Walt Rapp - Lovely RS 3 consist in Erie Lackawanna livery running on your Christmas layout! Thanks for posting this pic!
RSJB - Bob " May the 4th be with YOU too!" It just occurred to me that R2D2 sounds more like a switching locomotive than a robot ... lol! Great video of your L&NE locomotive consist!!I I'm happy you finally got your RS 3 from Fedex! Congrats on your new RS - 3.
Mark Spadaro - Anyway you slice it your RailKing dummy without number boards looks great!! I wonder if the senza number boards was a MTH purposeful omission to save a couple bucks ... or ... quality control issue? Hmmmm....
Don McErlean - Nice looking Marx S3 switcher!!
Ray Kay - You sure have a smooth running and nice looking Lionel 0-4-0!! I assume a PW model?
Tom Densel - Got to love that AC&Y FM H - 16- 44 styled by Raymond Lowey!! Great video too!!
@pennsyfan posted:Nice looking engines Bob. Those lobsters and beer must be pretty heavy. 😵💫😂
You can't have too much power when precious cargo is being transported......
@trumpettrain- Actually Pat, both Droids have adapted to this ancient technology quite well. 
@Steam Crazy posted:Today, I’m going to the archives to post my oldest switcher by chronological age, American Flyer 0-6-0 no. 429. No. 429 dates back to 1938, but, as you’ll see, she runs like a youngster!John
John,
Yours is the first photo I've seen of an American Flyer O gauge locomotive. Based on its looks and operation, it seems to me that AF could have been an O gauge competitor to Lionel. Maybe it was an unwise business decision to go with S gauge. When was their last O gauge locomotive made?
MELGAR
Mel,
Flyer had quite an extensive lineup of O gauge engines from the early 20th century to WWII, most being models of electric locos. They also developed a line of 3/16 scale trains that operated on O gauge track (like Marx), which morphed into the S gauge we know today.
I'm no Flyer historian, but the TCA Western Division has published a detailed description of Flyer history. Here's a link: http://www.tcawestern.org/af.htm.
Note my engine originally had AF lettering on the tender, but I painted over it and added NYC decals when I was a boy. My father soldered a Lionel coupler on the tender, replacing the AF coupler, so I could pull my Lionel cars. Since the engine was already modified, I added a "real" coal load as an adult. It also has another interesting quirk; Flyer must have saved money by making the left and right sides identical!
John
@Bill Swatos posted:Can't help it Mark but I'm imagining gliding along on a classy dinner excursion on the WMSR with filet mignon, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, potatoes au gratin and seven-layer chocolate cake for dessert!
Bill, That sounds like a classy dinner excursion for sure. Our trip on the WMSR wasn't as classy. It had to be about 35 years ago since our first daughter hadn't been born. We didn't think about calling for tickets, and when we got there the seats were all sold. We were told we could buy standing room only tickets for on the open vestibules, which we did. The weather was good, but the problem was when we went around an outside curve, we got a face full of ash particles. 
Maybe I should take a photograph of a switcher spotting a diner in front of the station on the other side of the big bridge next time.
Good morning SwSat folks! Patrick, thanks for cracking the throttle; Bob, love that steeplecab!
Last Saturday I posted my oldest switcher by date of acquisition. Today, I’m going to the archives to post my oldest switcher by chronological age, American Flyer 0-6-0 no. 429. No. 429 dates back to 1938, but, as you’ll see, she runs like a youngster!
John
John,
You have a VERY RARE beast here! 99.995% of O guage AF steamers succumbed to zinc pest. The fact that yours survives is a minor miracle! Enjoy it in whatever shape it is in!
Chris
LVHR
LVHR, thanks for your feedback, I knew I was lucky to have that engine, but not HOW lucky! It has no zinc pest at all, just minor cosmetic flaws that come with age (not unlike myself) and you've seen how well it runs (the E unit is balky, so I lock it in forward). Thanks again!
John
@Don McErlean posted:
I've come to really like those little engines. When I was toying with the idea of "what if" I attempted some 3-rail again, my thinking was trying to portray late 1940s/early 1950s using TRADITIONAL sized stuff on an urban setting layout containing "sincere" scenery.
Staying with strictly traditional sized trains ruled out Lionel 623 type switchers, Lionel F3 units, and such. (Those and more are near O scale and tower over 6464/6454 boxcars.)
That decision would have left the above little switcher to fill the bill for a diesel switcher, as well as Rail King F's (the compressed versions) as my EMD road power. (With Lionel's cast frame FA's for Alco road power.)
However, the jury's still out as to whether I'll ever attempt a 3-rail layout again... but I still enjoy looking at pics shared by others, as well as enjoy owning the few pieces I have.
(EDIT: I think I recall that the above Marx Alco switcher dies went to K-Line and revamped, then to RMT, and revamped again.)
Andre
Thanks Patrick for starting this Switcher Saturday thread.
This video shows my MYH PS3 NY Central diesel switcher hauling oil tankers past the old ball park:
Arnold
@laming - Hey thanks for the comment. I was asked by Bill Swatos if the molds for this 1998 engine didn't go to RMT. I didn't know but like you thought they went to Kline and then RMT. Thanks for your view on this, good to know.
Don McErlean
@Mark Boyce posted:Bill, That sounds like a classy dinner excursion for sure. Our trip on the WMSR wasn't as classy. It had to be about 35 years ago since our first daughter hadn't been born. We didn't think about calling for tickets, and when we got there the seats were all sold. We were told we could buy standing room only tickets for on the open vestibules, which we did. The weather was good, but the problem was when we went around an outside curve, we got a face full of ash particles.
Maybe I should take a photograph of a switcher spotting a diner in front of the station on the other side of the big bridge next time.
Your ambient evening lighting was just so perfect setting off the lighted train that my reaction was nearly instantaneous. Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serenade" also began playing in my head...
@MELGAR posted:Bill,
When building a layout, the first thing I do after the track is laid is to build a station model and set it next to the track. It creates a scene around which the rest of the layout develops.
I was impressed with the smooth operation of your milk car. Good engineering in my opinion. Your comment reminded me of the poor operation of my 1950s Lionel milk car. Milkman used to knock down cans and cans would get stuck and jam.
Looking forward to seeing your station. But where will you put all those cars and engines?
MELGAR
Aye, there's the rub, Mel. As you and others have noted, I've been very enthusiastic regarding locomotive, motor and rolling stock acquisition. As I am currently operating in a spare bedroom that doubles as my office space, I have no options for off-layout active-roster storage such as rail shelves. Therefore, as long as I'm so constrained, I will have to make the somewhat distressing decision as to what equipment to box up (no switchers!) and store under my tables as I acquire scenery pieces. Our intermediate future potentially holds a move back to Missouri to a home with a large basement space so any boxing-up I would do in the meantime would, at least, give me a head start on boxing up everything for a move.
@Bill Swatos posted:Aye, there's the rub, Mel. As you and others have noted, I've been very enthusiastic regarding locomotive, motor and rolling stock acquisition. As I am currently operating in a spare bedroom that doubles as my office space, I have no options for off-layout active-roster storage such as rail shelves. Therefore, as long as I'm so constrained, I will have to make the somewhat distressing decision as to what equipment to box up (no switchers!) and store under my tables as I acquire scenery pieces. Our intermediate future potentially holds a move back to Missouri to a home with a large basement space so any boxing-up I would do in the meantime would, at least, give me a head start on boxing up everything for a move.
Bill - I feel your pain - I'm relegated to a 5'x 9' layout in a notch in our storeroom/mudroom. I'm running out of space - most of my engines and rolling stock are in Sterlite containers tucked under the layout, along with the original boxes to my locomotives, cables and some unboxed accessories. Our plan is when my son goes to college we downsize to a townhome, hopefully one with a family room/basement area.
@DaveP posted:Bill - I feel your pain - I'm relegated to a 5'x 9' layout in a notch in our storeroom/mudroom. I'm running out of space - most of my engines and rolling stock are in Sterlite containers tucked under the layout, along with the original boxes to my locomotives, cables and some unboxed accessories. Our plan is when my son goes to college we downsize to a townhome, hopefully one with a family room/basement area.
You've got a very nice variety of scenery in a small space, Dave. I'm looking to work out something like you have on my 5' x 14' pike, but it will take awhile. Your swing bridge looks fun. I also like your model of the REAL Batmobile!
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