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Welcome one and all to Switcher Saturday September 14, 2024 edition!!!

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A vast majority of us who frequent this thread love those small ( and not so small ) locomotives that can perform all the tasks given by any railroad.   Yep!  Switchers do it all ... switching in yards, at the point of way freights, industrial switching, switching at larger passenger stations, heading a MOW train ... including pushing snow plows, switching tight curvature on city streets in harbor areas, at the point of commuter passenger trains and long distance passenger trains.  

Switcher Saturday  (SwSat)  welcomes  your photos, videos, and information/discussion  regarding switching  locomotives, steam, diesel, and electric  of all gauges and scales from Z - G  ... and even real life 1:1 scale too!  We'd be honored to have you join us by posting pics and videos of your switchers.  We'd also love reading any information regarding toy, model, or prototypical switchers.  

Please keep in mind:  

* Post only photos that you have personally have taken.  If you post someone else's  photo be sure you have express written permission by the photo's owner to post their photo.  Posting someone else's photo without their permission is a violation of copyright law and the poster can/will be held legally accountable.  

* Refer to and comply with the OGR Forum TOS.

I hope everyone has a most enjoyable weekend!   May you spend time running some trains and in particular switchers!   Keep your switches aligned ... green signals to all!  

This week on the Free State Junction Railway a B&O SW9 heads a way freight.  Here the train is making its' way into town having just come off the main line at Butler Junction.   The team track to the right is vacant only for a few more minutes.  Soon the SW9 will push a flat car loaded with heavy equipment onto the track.  

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Veteran engineer Herb Junker slows the train to a crawl as the flat car loaded with heavy equipment is destine to be dropped off onto the team track.  Brakeman Whistling Willie Dean, having stepped off the locomotive, relays hand signal to the fireman in the cab who will tell Herb to stop the train at a certain point.  After Herb brings thetrain to a stop the rear end brakeman will uncouple the flat car from the rest of the train.  Conductor Earl Jennings will stay put in the caboose due to a bout of the Hershey squirts.  

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After dropping off the loaded flatcar, the crew will pick up the boxcars waiting on the siding by the coaling tower. IMG_3185IMG_3200

Rear end brakeman Wilkie Renwick is about to pull the uncoupling bar.   He first gives the flatcar's cargo a quick admiring glance.  IMG_3205

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Last edited by trumpettrain
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Boston & Maine RS-3 #1506 is an MTH Railking model (30-21164, $389.95) with PS3 delivered in 2024. The manufacturing quality is excellent. It runs very smoothly and the sounds of a 12-cylinder Alco 244 powerplant are captivating, to say the least.

B&M #1506 was built by Alco at Schenectady in April 1954 and equipped for passenger service. Alco produced 1,416 RS-3s between May 1950 and August 1956. They weighed 247,100 pounds, had 61,775 pounds tractive effort, 1,600 horsepower, and maximum speeds between 65 and 85 mph depending on gearing.

Photos and videos show #1506 on my 10’-by-5’ model railroad pulling two cars that carried milk from Vermont to Boston – Brookside Fresh Milk MTC #1835 (Bellows Falls Creamery) by Atlas O and Hood’s Milk GARE #819 (Crown Model Products). At my house, we still drink Hood’s Milk…

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Good morning, SwSat fans all across the great USA!  The Steam Crazy Lines president, having run out of switcher/steam combos to feature a specific road for the weekend, has decided to designate today as Maine switcher Saturday.

The switchers of the day are Lionel Maine Central EMD GP7 no. 562 and Williams Bangor & Aroostook EMD BL2 no. 51.  You’ll note no. 562 is seen on a plow extra, on a test run in preparation for winter.  You can’t be prepared too well for those Maine winters!

John

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Happy SWSat!

Off to a great start again. Patrick- I hope Ol' Earle makes a speedy recovery.

Switched up some equipment last week on the RSJ&B to the home road- LIRR.
I have a pair of ALCO's done in the Worlds Fair orange/ gray scheme running at the moment. Both have local icon "Dashing Dan" on the short hood. On the high line a RS3 is pulling the excursion train out to the east end for a day of winery tours (good thing those folks aren't driving), and on the main, an RS1 is pulling a loaded car from the warehouse dock.

The RS3 #1553 is from MTH w/PS2, and the RS1 #461 is from Atlas w/TMCC.

2024-09-14 08.20.502024-09-14 08.20.572024-09-14 08.21.14

Have a great weekend.

Bob

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Whoah!!!  Always a feast for the eyes and mind here on SwSat!!!  You all are doing that awesome  thing yet again  So much terrific information, photos, videos, and just plain fun!!!

Here are two videos of my MTH B&O Fairbanks - Morse H-10-44 running lite on  the Mountain Division this afternoon.  This is a RailKing Scale model with PS3 which I purchased new back in April from Mr, Muffin's Trains, one of our OGR Forum sponsors.


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Last edited by trumpettrain
@RSJB18 posted:

Happy SWSat!

Off to a great start again. Patrick- I hope Ol' Earle makes a speedy recovery.

Switched up some equipment last week on the RSJ&B to the home road- LIRR.
I have a pair of ALCO's done in the Worlds Fair orange/ gray scheme running at the moment. Both have local icon "Dashing Dan" on the short hood. On the high line a RS3 is pulling the excursion train out to the east end for a day of winery tours (good thing those folks aren't driving), and on the main, an RS1 is pulling a loaded car from the warehouse dock.

The RS3 #1553 is from MTH w/PS2, and the RS1 #461 is from Atlas w/TMCC.

2024-09-14 08.20.502024-09-14 08.20.572024-09-14 08.21.14

Have a great weekend.

Bob

Of course the bar car Montauk is along for the excursion, just in case there aren't enough samples at the wineries.

Going over the for sale ads, I saw that Gunrunnerjohn was selling his Weaver PRR C1 with lots of TMCC upgrades.  I wish I had seen it before it sold  Here is mine.  It has also been upgraded, but only minimally and not as well.  I do not run the engine much, and this long video of it doing some shifting was done many years ago.

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Weaver PRR C1 short

Here is a Marx #588, GE 70 Ton Switcher and her train.  She is from 1958-1962 and I acquired her as a complete set in the box. It is set # 7822 (B) and she came with the cars shown plus 10 pcs of 0-27 track and a 30 watt transformer.  In 1962 this set, as shown here, sold in the Sears catalog for $9.49 complete with trains, track, and transformer.

Marx Set 7822 NYC engine

Here she is pulling her entire consist of a Black / yellow LV hopper, Erie maroon flat with stakes and a red NYC caboose

Marx Set 7822 consist

Here is the set as she was packed new by Mr. Marx.  Note that always looking out to save a little money, the flat car, with the rails removed, is packed under the hopper car, saves cardboard!

Marx Set 7822 inside of box

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Here is a Marx #588, GE 70 Ton Switcher and her train.  She is from 1958-1962 and I acquired her as a complete set in the box. It is set # 7822 (B) and she came with the cars shown plus 10 pcs of 0-27 track and a 30 watt transformer.  In 1962 this set, as shown here, sold in the Sears catalog for $9.49 complete with trains, track, and transformer.

Marx Set 7822 NYC engine

Here she is pulling her entire consist of a Black / yellow LV hopper, Erie maroon flat with stakes and a red NYC caboose

Marx Set 7822 consist

Here is the set as she was packed new by Mr. Marx.  Note that always looking out to save a little money, the flat car, with the rails removed, is packed under the hopper car, saves cardboard!

Marx Set 7822 inside of box

Don -   Very nice looking set of vintage Marx trains.  You made a great score!!   I like that 70 tonner!!   Thanks of posting!!  

Back in the 50s/60s Marx Trains were a good buy for folks on a budget.  Two of my neighborhood pals had Marx sets when I was growing up.    I must say that I've always felt the Marx brand offered a nice dimension of whimsical charm, especially when under the Christmas tree or in a dept. store window display.    

Hey guys, anyone hear any new about when Lionel's newly upgraded B6 Switcher will be released?  It is quite late from it's schedule.  Mr. Muffin's train web page has information on the updates, but not on the pending release.  I will say, if the engine really receives all the mentioned upgrades, it will be like a totally new switcher engine, especially with the drop plate to the tender!  Very itchy for this guy to show up on my front porch!

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