Switcher Saturday 07-02-22

Good morning SWSAT crew!

JHZ, I hope you get your AC issue resolved quickly. I heard its going to be hotter than a firecracker!

Penn Central RS-11 7608 (Lionel) handles a Caboose Hop this morning:

Have a great weekend and a safe and happy Independence Day!

Tom

Happy SWSat!

Sorry to hear about the AC John. My system is getting up there in years, I cross my fingers every spring when I start it up.

Some of the red white and blue on my layout for Independence Day Weekend.

I got this HO AFT from a former co-worker. It's still in the shops waiting for repairs to be completed.

Have a great Holiday Weekend!

Bob

Tough break on the AC, JHZ, but nice train find. Glad you were able to get it repaired quickly.  Happy 4th of July switcher Sat to all!  Here is my RS3 pulling a load through the lower east side of my layout -

@Tom Densel posted:

Good morning SWSAT crew!

JHZ, I hope you get your AC issue resolved quickly. I heard its going to be hotter than a firecracker!

Penn Central RS-11 7608 (Lionel) handles a Caboose Hop this morning:

Have a great weekend and a safe and happy Independence Day!

Tom

Tom what Mfg. crossing gates are you using?

Ron

Chesapeake and Ohio EMD NW2 switcher pulls a local freight by Tower A, your Yardmaster’s home away from home.  See photo of the Yardmaster on the tower steps.

John

I recently purchased Boston & Albany USRA 0-8-0 #53 from forum sponsor Trainz. The model was produced by Lionel (6-28702) in 2006 with TMCC at an MSRP of $649.99. I had been wanting to buy a small B&A locomotive model that fits on my 10’-by-5’ O-54 layout but it seems to me that there aren’t many such Boston & Albany locomotive models being made or for sale on the secondary market these days.

Trainz had rated this model as C7 (excellent) and described some minute scratches and wheel wear that made me somewhat hesitant to buy but, after a day or so, I relented and ordered it. The model arrived after nine days in transit and was packed securely. I found no scratches or wheel wear and it looked to me as though it had never been run. I bought a Lionel Mogul from Trainz last year that was rated as C9 (new). In my opinion, both models were fairly and conservatively rated. But neither was low-priced. I’m satisfied with my two purchases from Trainz.

The model operated properly when I began to run it. Initially there was some sound dropout so I installed a 9V battery in the tender, but cleaning the rails later eliminated the issue and I don’t think the battery is necessary.

Unlike recent diecast steam locomotive models that are made in China, this one was made in South Korea and, in my opinion, its design, manufacture and details are excellent. My pictures show that the boiler is fully round on the underside with a prototypical clear space between the boiler and the frame.

B&A #53 was a U-3b class switcher built by Lima in April 1921.  It had 25-by-28 cylinders, 51-inch driving wheels, weighed 219,000 pounds, and produced 51,040 pounds of tractive effort at 175 pounds-per-square-inch boiler pressure. It was renumbered to New York Central #7725 in 1951 and ran on the Harlem Division until it was retired in January 1955.

A further observation - in tracking the modern O-gauge steam locomotive models for sale on Trainz, it seems to me that the most prevalent type is the 0-8-0 switcher – mostly by MTH and Lionel.

MELGAR

Crikey I had to search deep into the bowels of the collection for a "Switcher"

Best I could find was an old Triang, Playcraft and Hornby 

I just got this Lionel 41 switcher on a Stout auction.  It was in fantastic shape with little run time.  I added a small warm white LED for the front headlight (I can't believe they go around in the dark), and a little person inside.  I had to put black paper underneath the 3 open smoke stacks to stop the light bleed.  I'll be adding a small flashing red LED for the back light when they arrive in a few days.  It may not be prototypical, but I will like it.

I think I'd like to add a brass bell to it.  Does anyone have a suggestion on what to buy?

Good afternoon from Finland. I have worked on the interior of the locomotive shed and the outer wall of the tunnel. There is still a lot to do regarding them as well. I think the switchers fit very nicely in this landscape.

Jhz563, there must be a conspiracy of air conditioner revolts! My AC went out last week also. Technician found it to be a faulty capacitor that blew. Those babies cost $600 but we had it replaced 2 years ago and was still under warranty so no cost to us this time.

My contribution to SWAT  is my venerable CNW NW2 sitting on the runaround track as a cut up iron ore jennies gets delivered.

Happy Independence Day and SWAT to all.

Johan, I think the switchers fit very nicely into the landscape too!  I also was very pleased to hear Finland will be admitted to NATO!

John

U.S. Army #41 moving some a rocket and some missiles. God Speed all!

Don McErlean and myself, Leapin Larry are at the TCA MEET In Nashville Tennessee

Have a Happy 4th!

@PRRronbh posted:

Tom what Mfg. crossing gates are you using?

Ron

Ron,

Those are the notorious MTH gates that have the nylon gears that split. 

Tom

@Steam Crazy posted:

Johan, I think the switchers fit very nicely into the landscape too!  I also was very pleased to hear Finland will be admitted to NATO!

John

John,

NATO was definitely the right solution and I believe that now many people here feel much safer. Recently, Finland and the USA have also had a lot of joint military exercises here in Finland.

Johan

It is 1976, and a CONRAIL GP38 is moving some cars to the classification track.

Engine is Weaver

Great looking engines everyone! Have a fantastic weekend! Happy 4th!Southern SD35 3085 pauses next to the old team track that sees little to no use nowadays (1980’s).

Leaping Larry, are you the good looking one or the other one?

John

With no road power available, two NYO&W NW-2's leave Scranton with a short coal drag headed for Maybrook Yard and the New Haven.

My favorite switcher pulling "The Big Stick" to the front.... 'gonna ruin somoene's day!'

@ToledoEd posted:

My favorite switcher pulling "The Big Stick" to the front.... 'gonna ruin somoene's day!'

LOL........ ruined day on the way'........... 👍 Nice work Ed'. Great looking equipment'...... 🌟😁

@Quarter Gauger 48 posted:

LOL........ ruined day on the way'........... 👍 Nice work Ed'. Great looking equipment'...... 🌟😁

Thanks, Ted. It was a challenge finding the M4 High Speed Tractor at 1/48.

Wow!  Gentlemen this has been an amazing Switcher Saturday.   A great international flavor with not only @BAR GP7 #63 checking in from Finland, but also @Fatman posting from Australia.

Johan, that shop scene looks great. And Tom, who doesn't love a good string of cabooses? And as has become the standard,  no-one provides a more thorough Switcher Saturday post than @MELGAR! 

A Republic Locomotive switcher in its natural habit, working coal hoppers in the yard.

@Tom Densel posted:

Good morning SWSAT crew!

JHZ, I hope you get your AC issue resolved quickly. I heard its going to be hotter than a firecracker!

Penn Central RS-11 7608 (Lionel) handles a Caboose Hop this morning:

Have a great weekend and a safe and happy Independence Day!

Tom

Tom - nicely done!!! Bravo!!!

Great posts by everyone!!  Thanks JHZ563 for notching out the throttle this morning and getting us rolling.

As I'm in western North Carolina playing concerts this weekend, I'm seeing lots of beautiful country which of course includes lot of mountains.  The first photo is titled " Switchers on the Mount"

Running lite at first light.

@Tom Densel posted:

Ron,

Those are the notorious MTH gates that have the nylon gears that split.

Tom

Looks to me that when those MTH gates work, they're excellent.

jhz563,

Beautiful. Your kids must love that layout. Who made the 0-4-0 tank engine? Recently, there was a similar locomotive - brass - for sale on Trainz.

MELGAR

@MELGAR posted:

jhz563,

Beautiful. Your kids must love that layout. Who made the 0-4-0 tank engine? Recently, there was a similar locomotive - brass - for sale on Trainz.

MELGAR

Thank Melgar!  That is a R-O-W Industries Switcher.   I picked it up at an auction somewhere.   Suethe smoke unit and no whistle,  but absolutely beautiful finish.   Runs smooth and quiet.  There's a little mechanical noise but not enough to care, top of the line for it's day.  I like to use it with two or three mpc passenger cars, and think of the train as either a local or a tourist line run.

It took me about 36 hours to get through this week's SWSAT.  And a great one it is. 

jhz563 your layout looks like tons of fun.

Mel, sweet 0-8-0.  Looks, runs and sounds great on the 10x5.

Johan the new module is coming along nicely.

Larry and Don lighting it up at the train show!  Nice.

Ed, the prime mover for the Big Stick is really the icing on that cake.  Don't think I've ever seen that model kit before.

@coach joe posted:

It took me about 36 hours to get through this week's SWSAT.  And a great one it is.

jhz563 your layout looks like tons of fun.

Mel, sweet 0-8-0.  Looks, runs and sounds great on the 10x5.

Johan the new module is coming along nicely.

Larry and Don lighting it up at the train show!  Nice.

Ed, the prime mover for the Big Stick is really the icing on that cake.  Don't think I've ever seen that model kit before.

Coachjoe, thanks. great model kits are available at 1/35 scale. 1/48 impossible to find. This one is a 3D resin model at 1/48.