Switcher Saturday 07-16-22

Good morning, SWSAT crew!

I have a busy weekend on tap, so I pulled one from the archives this week.

Penn Central GP9 7180 (Atlas O) runs lite with a transfer caboose in tow:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Tom

Oh and does this count ?  lol

Marx 1998 Santa Fe switcher I brought back from the dead! For a Marx it's a pretty stout motor!

Happy Switcher Sat all!  Here are a few picks of my RS3 from a run session on Thursday (all other engines run were non-switchers). It was one of those perfect sessions, where everything ran flawlessly for hours and I didn’t even need to change a traction tire - even my old, reliable Lionel F3 nyc 20th century limited that was sitting on the shelf for years. Fun times!

                                                            SAL ready #2252

Carmeuse limestone in Upper Michigan has 2 switchers but currently use only 1.  It takes a load of limestone from the quarry to the dock every 50 minutes & runs 24 hours a day.

I snapped a few pics of info & HO engines while talking to a facility supervisor.

Happy SWSat!

Lot's of great pix and videos this week. @Strap Hanger- great views of your layout!

Cruising through my layout photos sometimes I find pix I forgot I took.

The bump and go trolley is from Lionel.

Have a great weekend.

Bob

Boston & Maine ALCO S-4 #1274 is an MTH Premier model (20-21401-1) with PS3 in the McGinnis Blue Bird paint scheme that was delivered in 2021 at an MSRP of $479.95. It has become one of my favorite diesel switchers because it runs well and has realistic ALCO engine sounds including a noticeable rough idle. Recently, I ran it at the head of a wreck train.

In 2001, I bought a Railking model (30-7947) of B&M #3364 – an early 20^th Century Bucyrus-Erie crane car (and tender) with 160 ton lifting capacity, also in the Blue Bird paint scheme. These two cars have remained in the lower yard beneath the bridges on my 12’-by-8’ layout and have probably been run just once – many years ago. The crane has a long boom that overhangs on curves. The boom clearances are adequate on my O-72 outer loop but they are tighter on the O-54 intermediate loop shown in the videos. Crane cars were limited to 25 mph with the boom facing forward and 35 mph with the boom facing aft. A B&M caboose in Blue Bird colors completes the consist.

B&M #1174 was built by ALCO at Schenectady, New York in 1950 as an S-3 switcher with 660 horsepower. It was damaged in a roundhouse fire at Springfield, MA, rebuilt by ALCO as S-4 switcher #1274 with 1000 horsepower, and returned to the B&M in the Blue Bird color scheme in 1957.

MELGAR

NYC Alco RS1 nos. 8106 and 8109 wait “in the hole”, while PRR’s Broadway Limited, powered by 4-4-2 E6 Atlantic no. 1600, passes on the main.  The locomotives and passenger cars are MTH models.

John

I posted this on another thread but I’ll post it here as well. I recently got a very nice Lionel 41 switcher, but was disappointed that it didn’t have any lights. After cleaning up the motor, etc. I added a warm white LED in front and a flashing red LED at the tail, and this is the result.

Lionel RS-3 stopping by the sawmill, Have a good Switcher Saturday.

Good morning fellow switcher fans!  JHZ563 thanks for notching out the throttle once again on an early Saturday morning!    Thanks to everyone who's posted your wonderful photos, videos, and information!  As always, I learn lots from all of you!!

Free State Junction Railway company photographer I.C. Thrulenz has been documenting switcher activity on the FSJR throughout the week.   Here are some of his pics.   I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend!!

Here we see a Pennsy A5 on the far track as a long freight trundles by on the westbound main.

An almost all switcher meeting.  Wouldn't you know that Pennsy PA 1 would have to crash the party!

The "Great Switcher Locomotive Race" between an A5 and an  0-8-0.  Rest assured that  no over land speed records will be broken.   Actually I.C. caught these locomotives sitting idle waiting for their next assignment.

B&O SW9 and GP9 bring a freight through Todds Junction.

Sometimes switchers toil in the seediest parts of town.  Such is the case with this B&O SW9.

I.C. snapped this photo of Canton RR SW1500, on far track, and B&O SW9 approaching on the near track.  

Great photo's and video's everyone !  Thanks jhz for getting this SwSat going so early.  Neat Arcade and Attica pics @Tom Densel- The PC moves again and I like that transfer caboose @Fatman- a "ballon stack" tank switcher - Wow what a unique piece that is! @Donnie Kennedy- Love those Marx 1998 type switchers, his imaginative method of making an 8 wheel switcher out of a 4 wheel motor is really neat @Strap Hanger- super pictures of your layout, loved it. @SIRT - realism for sure, great work @tnkMarx- Carmeuse limestone, really neat pictures of their switchers in action @RSJB18- who doesn't just love the Lionel "bump and go" trolleys @MELGAR - I love your history stories as background to your posts.  Thanks they are always interesting @Steam Crazy - Whoa!  The NYC pulling over for the PRR!! @texgeekboy- Welcome, don't recall you posting before but the Lionel type 41 is always neat, nice job on the lights as well @Sitka- NYC and the sawmill neat picture.  @trumpettrain-Patrick your photos are always great, the meeting of the switchers is super.  

So I am kind of late this morning but I thought that I would bring out some photo's of my Williams Union Pacific GE 70 Ton switcher.  I have 2 of these switchers and I love them, they pull well and they go around the tight curves on my layout.

Here she is pulling a series of box cars out of the industrial section and the Port of Savannah towards the yard at Small Town

A side view of her.  I know, what is the UP doing in Georgia???  Who knows, I have not thought of a rationale explanation of that yet, but Im sure I will think of something

Here she is negotiating the tight loop around Small Town headed towards the yard.

A short video showing her in action.

Well hope your weekend goes well.  Best Wishes

Don

Wow, time is really flying, Switcher Saturdays are one of my favorite threads, and @Don McErlean that’s a beautiful 70 toner, UP Yellow is a great color scheme, neat video and beautiful layout, the preWar station is very nice to,  @Trumtrain, very neat scenes, great documentary as always, nice diesels. Happy Railroading Everyone

Saturday video:  B&O GP 9 on the point of a mail train and Canton RR SW 1500 w/calf on point of a freight.

Larry - thank you for your comment on my UP 70 ton switcher.  Those little guys pull well and work just great on my very tight clearance and small radius curves.  Your switcher collection is great as well.  The "Safety First" CSX and the other one where I can't read the RR are neat.  But I will admit, as a Ford guy, my favorite is the orange "Ford" switcher with the yellow frame.  NEAT!!  @trumptrain - Patrick, neat video loved the "cow and calf".

Best Wishes Don

CNW moving cars.

LeapinLarry and Don McErlean - Thanks so much for your kind words!

@Dave Ripp, I love the Chicago and North Western switcher and that paint scheme and if you look at the new 2022 volume 2 catalog, there’s a beautiful Lionel Legacy SD70 C&NW diesel that’s got your name on it, just kidding. Happy Railroading Everyone

My wife and I took the "Firefly Express" on the Allentown and Auburn Railroad this evening. We were pulled by a 1937 EMC SW diesel engine as seen below. It was a nice little trip out into the country side in Kutztown, PA. This engine was previously Maryland and Pennsylvania 83.

Charlie

A nice SWSAT again.  Thank you all for posting.