Switcher Saturday 07-0922

Good morning jhz563. That is a very nice overhead setup. What material is the bridge?

My model of Boston & Maine GP-7 #1562 was made by Sunset Models/3^rd Rail at an MSRP of $699.95 in 2021. It is highly detailed, has fixed pilots, and is powered by a horizontally-mounted Canon Motor that drives the wheels through a toothed belt. It has ERR Cruise, TMCC, EMD GP Prime Mover sounds and a smoke system. Slow-speed operation and acceleration are very smooth. I run it conventionally on Atlas O-54 curves and switches.

Boston & Maine #1562 was delivered in 1950. It had 1500 horsepower and was set up to run short hood forward. B&M had its GP-7s configured specifically for freight or passenger service. Passenger versions, such as B&M #1562, had an extended compartment at the rear of the long hood that housed train lighting equipment for commuter service and a steam generator in the short hood for train heating. Freight versions did not have the extended electrical compartment and neither version had dynamic brakes. Sunset has modeled these details correctly. The first two photos compare my Sunset/3^rd Rail model of B&M #1562 and my MTH Premier 1999 model of B&M #1563, also a passenger version. The Sunset/3^rd Rail model has the extended electrical compartment and does not have dynamic brake blisters. The MTH Premier model lacks the extended electrical compartment and has dynamic brake blisters but I still like the looks of the model and enjoy running it.

Diesel locomotives in commuter service on the B&M were eventually replaced by Budd RDC Railcars and the GP-7s were transferred to freight service. So, both of these GP-7s are a good fit for passenger or freight trains on my 10’-by-5’ single-track New England branch line model railroad. The B&M had 23 GP-7s.

General Motors Electro-Motive Division produced 2,729 GP-7s between October 1949 and May 1954. They were powered by an EMD 567B V16 2-stroke diesel engine that ran between 275 and 800 RPM. Their weight was 246,000 pounds and maximum speed was 65 miles-per-hour. Continuous tractive effort was 40,000 pounds at 9.3 miles-per-hour and 65,000 pounds for starting.

MELGAR

I have been waiting for this weeks thread to kick off JH !

I think if anything in my weird collection meets the criteria of small and nimble then this baby has to get a Guernsey !

This is a mystery machine , no doubt made by a Beardy Fellow fettling in a shed in the UK sometime before the war ...Based on a modified Trix? ( I think) Tender/wagon? chassis it is a LIVE STEAM HO Locomotive!

The wire trailing out the back is to fit into a fuel tender ( lost to time sadly) and provided the wicking to the tiny burner under the boiler ( I have trialed it using just a rubber tube with alcohol inside )

Whoever brought this to life was a magician , and I am so very sorry I cant tell his story in these times , but his work speaks volumes I think. I mean it even has a displacement oiler in line !

It is a warm, muggy morning as the crew of the yard's last remaining B28 is classifying cars for the west local.  The engine is well liked by the crews not only because it is dependable, but the low tender gave them much better visibility.  At 38 years young, it is still going strong.

Atlas O

MELGAR - I’m curious - do you remember the cost of your 1999 MTH GP7?

@Mark V. Spadaro posted:

MELGAR - I’m curious - do you remember the cost of your 1999 MTH GP7?

MSRP of the MTH model was $299.95. I had a discount of about 10 percent.

MELGAR

Have a great SWSat…🚂😉😺

Good morning SWSAT crew!

The AC&Y local seems to be making a lot of noise this morning...Maybe it is because there is a guest engineer running the train today:

Have a wonderful weekend!

Tom

Happy SWSat!

This week the crew on Santa Fe #2174 0-6-0 Tank (Lionel conventional) is back in action swapping a few cars on Team Track 2 to the interchange yard and picking up two for the return trip.

They had to hustle......the daily commuter express train is on the way and they had to clear the main.....

They got the cars spotted and the main cleared just in time.

Have a great weekend!

Bob

Happy Switcher Sat, everyone!  Really great photos and videos so far. Love that little engine,  @Fatman .  Tom, she’s a pro and you are lucky to have such a skilled helper!  Bob, great scenes. Those LIRR passenger cars you picked up look great!

Here are a few shots of switchers doing their thing from my layout this morning -

                                         Good to see some Strap action...

Good morning fellow switcher fans!!  Thanks JHZ563 for notching out the throttle and getting us rolling this fine morning!!  Your G gauge ceiling shelf layout is way cool   

Melgar ... I love both of your GP7s and their histories    Dick Dillworth of EMD hit a grand slam home run with the GP series of locomotives for sure!   Fatman ... that little 0-4-0 is quite an interesting critter for sure!   Ron .. got to love the B28 and that low tender is a keeper for switching crews!  Sorry if I missed anyone who may have posted while I was putting this post together.  

Today on the Free State Junction Railway it's all about the Washington Terminal Co. RS1.  My two models come from MTH ( number 46 ) and Atlas O ( number 63 ).  The Atlas O model has a custom paint job which was done by a fellow forumite.  

The Washington Terminal Co. served Washington DC's Union Station and owned a fleet of ALCO RS1 locomotives, in addition to others types of switchers.    The WTC RS1 assembled and broke down trains for the 7 railroads that served Union Station ... B&O, Pennsy, Southern, RF&P, C&O, Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Airline.  WTC also provided switching for freight customers situated along their tracks such as the Government Printing Office.  Eventually WTC was absorbed by AMTRAK and the RS 1 fleet could still be seen doing their job, day in and day out, for many years albeit in AMTRAK livery.  

Today's photos shows number 46 and 63 in a variety of scenes.  I hope everyone has a terrific weekend!!

F

On the Mountain Division number 63 leads a freight train.

Brakeman Lon Tillis on deck.

Number 46 is about to back through the switch and eventually latch onto this boxcar.

Night operation.

@Fatman posted:

I have been waiting for this weeks thread to kick off JH !

I think if anything in my weird collection meets the criteria of small and nimble then this baby has to get a Guernsey !

This is a mystery machine , no doubt made by a Beardy Fellow fettling in a shed in the UK sometime before the war ...Based on a modified Trix? ( I think) Tender/wagon? chassis it is a LIVE STEAM HO Locomotive!

The wire trailing out the back is to fit into a fuel tender ( lost to time sadly) and provided the wicking to the tiny burner under the boiler ( I have trialed it using just a rubber tube with alcohol inside )

Whoever brought this to life was a magician , and I am so very sorry I cant tell his story in these times , but his work speaks volumes I think. I mean it even has a displacement oiler in line !

Fatman,

That is a most unique piece. Where did you acquire it? Are you certain it was made by someone in the UK? Some clever people play with model trains.

MELGAR

Here are a couple of Williams Rock Island BL2s. A MTH Chicago North Western SW8 also snuck into the picture.

@MELGAR posted:

MSRP of the MTH model was $299.95. I had a discount of about 10 percent.

MELGAR

$270/23yrs. = $11.74 or less than $1/month cost of ownership! Not bad!

Great looking engines, and awesome looking scenes! Have a great weekend everyone! I’ve been on a Southern kick for a while. And running the heck out of this MTH SD35. A shot from this morning’s switching session.  Picking up some empty rock hoppers.

Hey gang, just to clarify,  that G gauge set up isn't mine, it's at the Oregon Dairy restaurant north of lancaster PA.

This isn't mine either, City Island Park train in Harrisburg PA. But I would love to have it!

It’s a beautiful, clear and dry day here in MA, hope the rest of you SwSat guys are enjoying nice weather.  Today your Yardmaster filmed Central RR of NJ EMD GP7 no. 1524 with a local freight.  The train has been diverted to the Westbound track due to a track maintenance crew working on the Eastbound track.

I believe the prototype 1524 is preserved somewhere in NJ.  I did a quick search of NJ RR museums, but couldn’t find it.

John

Good evening from Finland. I am vacationing in Maine from July 21 to August 2. I will be visiting the Conway Scenic Railroad on Friday July 22nd and the next day the Wiscasset Waterville & Farmington Railroad. If possible, it would be great to meet you then.

Johan

JHZ, you had us all “green with envy” thinking you could enjoy a train running at dinner every night!  

John

Well hello SWSat fan's, thanks JHZ for getting us started today and for your views of the overhead RR in Oregon Dairy Resturant in Lancaster.  Although we have lived many places (courtesy of the USAF) my wife's family is from Lancaster and we have early census records of her long ago relatives as "cigar makers" and the children as "cigar rollers" all in Lancaster (1800's).  Liked the City Island Park RR as well - thanks for sharing.

Well today I have an old but hardworking member of the many early Lionel (MPC) "Columbia" families.  This #8040 2-4-2 was at the very low end of MPC's initial offerings in 1970-72, this example is from 1971 (shiny motor sides is dating factor).  She was offered in the lowest priced set in the line - so no premium actions here...she has no headlight, manual reverse, and plastic boiler.  My version has an NKP slope back tender but she was offered (via the tender) with several different RR's.

So here is the humble, but still working fine after 50+ years, Lionel (MPC) # 8040:

Here she is pulling her humble little train.

Well happy SwSat to all.  Best wishes, have a great weekend

Don

Greetings, everyone. I am busy thinning out my collection of Lionel both PW and Modern Era. I am finding  it more difficult to properly care for all of it (at 74) and planning on simplifying things  going forward while I still can do so. Living in Southern California, we have no basement, so my stuff is in a very small extra bedroom devoted entirely to trains but allowing for only a 4x8 foot layout. And with boxes stacked everywhere, I am increasingly afraid of tripping on them and falling.

I am doing the same with other things around the house for the same reason. Trying to eliminate clutter, etc.  Nevertheless, I will still have plenty of trains to keep me occupied, I can assure you!

As I methodically go through my collection, there are a lot of fond memories bubbling up. It is hard sometimes to decide what to keep and what to part with . You know how that goes  

in the weeks ahead, I will let you know when this stuff starts appearing on Ebay under my wife (Bonnie Warburton’s) name. We do have a few nice items up already with a lot more to come. We also always price stuff lower than anybody else with the same item at any given time ‘cause I’m not interested in making money but rather cleaning things out quickly and making others feel like they got a good deal.

As I said, though, I am keeping representative items from the different eras in the collection to keep me very happy.

Enjoy your weekend pursuits!  

@Dave Warburton, Dave, I hear what you are saying, downsizing is in my near future to, and at age 77 soon to be 78, it’s time to get serious about finding good new homes for much of my modest collection. After the LCCA National Convention in two weeks in Nashville, I’ll begin. I do plan to go to train meets, and utilize this OGR For Sale forum. But today, it’s Switcher Saturday, let’s have some fun. Happy Railroading Everyone.

Here's a Switcher Saturday Night Cinema flick shot several years ago .. Canton Railroad SW 1500 with two calfs and a long mixed freight train.

What a wonderful Switcher Saturday.  Thank you all for posting.

Every time you think a SwSat can't get better, it does!

John

My favorite weekly thread! 👍👍👍

Yay SWSat is on! And I’m super late! I’m traveling so take that as my excuse.
Nice posts everyone.
Here are my posts from South Korea. Some track side switchers and some at the train museum.
First an export ALCO from the war period.
  These are work train switchers note the crane on the roof.

A contemporary Road Switcher and some cars.

A narrow Gauge Japanese built Mike from Inchon and some US built Narrow Gauge cars from the same line.
All I have for this weekend.

@MELGAR  It came from a deceased clearance sale in the UK , found by a friend of mine in the UK who keeps an eye out for things like that for me . The back story ( all I have anyway) is it was from a retired engineer friend of the deceased way back in the day .

I did inquire as to whether he saw the tender there but that was the only piece of model railway in the whole sale . The son of the deceased related he remembered it running when he was a kid with such a tender, which was a tank on a flatwagon, with an indian rubber hose that connected the two ( a remnant of which can still be seen on the actual loco in the underneath shot . )

The figure of the trainman is actually an old Hornby piece which was a Shepherd leaning on the fence watching his dog round up the sheep , while puffing on his pipe .. it fits the loco so well in my opinion .

A remarkable toy indeed however

Fatman,

Thanks for the reply.

I suspected that the model had been made by an engineer - probably British... A long time ago, I worked as a design engineer on a project to build a low-emission automotive steam engine and we had a group of British steam engineers as consultants. They were very interesting to work with and they sure knew a lot about steam engines.

MELGAR