SWItCHER SATURDAY 1/13/24 Edition

@Dave_C posted:

Joe, GREAT job weathering and detailing the RS3. The broom is a nice touch.

Thank you, Dave!

Welcome back Patrick! Was "itchin' for some switchin'" on SWSAT, but some PW coupler tabs that wouldn't work wouldn't let me "scratch that itch" 'til early today, so here's my SWSUN entry. My first BEEP in PRR pulling a color-coordinated PRR consist to complement @Sitka's GP9 entry above:

Happy SWSAT week, all!

@Steam Crazy posted:

Good morning, SwSat Nation!  This is a particularly good SwSat because I have a new switcher to show you!  Even better, it’s a Fairbanks Morse diesel, which I needed to fill a hole in my collection.

Southern Pacific FM Trainmaster no. 8951 was an unexpected gift from one of my oldest friends and train buddies, Dick.  This engine is “making the rounds”, because it was gifted to Dick by another best friend, Ed.  Both of them know it has a good home now!

8951 came without a box or instructions, so I don’t know much about it.  I do know it was “BLT 1-79, Lionel” and it’s equipped with two of Lionel’s sturdy Pullmor motors.  It isn’t equipped with a horn, which I find strange for a scale engine which probably wasn’t on the low end of Lionel’s lineup.  If any of you fans can provide more info about this model, I’d like to hear it.

A little oil and lube has this engine running well.  I didn’t realize what a “brute” it is until I placed it on my layout.  It looks capable of pulling anything you could couple to it!

Continuing my good fortune, I found a nice K-line SP bay window caboose at Trainz to complement the engine.  They make a nice looking pair.

John

That's a beautiful Train Master, John! I believe the worm wheels in these MPC-era TM's are delrin or nylon, so ensure the lube on them is adequate, especially if you are hauling longer trains. You'll have to pull the motors to check, but it's worth it.

@Strap Hanger posted:

I’m long past Critical Mass.  All shelf space is occupied and no room for more shelves.  My short term solution is to buy a portable double shelf rack for engines. That should enable me to continue to feed the beast for a bit.   However, I’m so addicted that I’m seriously considering tearing down the wall to the adjacent empty bedroom and expanding into there.  The only thing holding me back right now is this little thing known as the institution of marriage.  

As many have noticed, my 5 X 14 table setup is full. Waiting for a house with a basement back east...

@Mark Boyce posted:

Thank you, Pat, for starting us out.  Interesting discussion about whether one can have too many switchers. 

Surprisingly, I have been on a roll buying new-to-me switchers.  I purchased an old stock, new in box CSX MP-15.  Though I usually run DCS or Lionel in TMCC mode, this conventional switcher was well worth it to me at the very reasonable price.  Yes, the CSX paint scheme is new for the era of the rest of the equipment I have, but since we see them here in this region, I grabbed it up.  I posted the acquisition on my Blackwater Canyon Line thread earlier this week which brought in some discussion with most of the input from Bob @RSJB18 who we all know is well up on switchers.

It is interesting that the CSX MP-15 and a NS MP-15 were in a Conrail set, but since Conrail was split between the two I guess it makes sense.

I never saw this before, but Bob was quite familiar.

Here it is running in the Series position.

Here's the Conrail Shared Assets Operation (CSAO) version from my archive:

She was part of a set that was given to CSAO employees in the first year of CSAO's operation.

@Don McErlean posted:

Well I thought I might post a little Marx this morning.  This is what I call my "Allstate Tank Train" with the Marx 400 / Allstate slope back tender pulling a train full of ONLY Allstate tank cars, followed up with an Allstate caboose.  As many of you already know, "Allstate" was the private brand of Sears Roebuck Company and under it they sold Lionel, American Flyer, and Marx O & S gauge trains both pre and post war for decades.  The trains illustrated below are mostly from the period of the 1950's through the 1960's although some of the lightweight 4 wheel cars (blue tanker) extended nearly to the end of the original Marx line (1972).  

Best Wishes

Don

Best insurance money could buy at the time, too, Don! Too bad we lost Sears to Amazon & others.

@Bill Swatos posted:

Best insurance money could buy at the time, too, Don! Too bad we lost Sears to Amazon & others.

Our local Sears building was recently renovated and taken over by one of our local hospitals for an Ambulatory and Medical center. Several of my Dr's offices are in the building now. Real strange getting a physical where I used to by spark plugs and oil for my lawn mower.....

Train room with a house attached back east?????? Do tell Bill

Bob

@Bill Swatos posted:

Here's the Conrail Shared Assets Operation (CSAO) version from my archive:

She was part of a set that was given to CSAO employees in the first year of CSAO's operation.

Bill, thank you very much for the scoop!  Jim showed the set the CSX and Conrail engines came from, but I had no idea why K-Line made the set.

@RSJB18 posted:

Our local Sears building was recently renovated and taken over by one of our local hospitals for an Ambulatory and Medical center. Several of my Dr's offices are in the building now. Real strange getting a physical where I used to by spark plugs and oil for my lawn mower.....

Train room with a house attached back east?????? Do tell Bill

Bob

Our local Sears is a trampoline park and some other recreational facility, I forget now.  The only thing worth going to in the mall now is Rural King located in the other old department store location.  Too bad we don’t have enough modelers here to gain space for a model train setup like the group in nearby Indiana, Pennsylvania do in their mall at holiday time

Yes Guys, our local Sears is gone as well...taken over in our "Mall" by another large (but local) dept store selling ladies clothes!  Bill Swatos thanks for your comment , I agree in fact "Allstate" was one of the few insurance companies that would insure us NJ 17 year olds when I first got my license!

Deep cold here today in central Texas, unusual with temperatures going down to 8!!

Best Wishes

Don

@Don McErlean posted:

Yes Guys, our local Sears is gone as well...taken over in our "Mall" by another large (but local) dept store selling ladies clothes!  Bill Swatos thanks for your comment , I agree in fact "Allstate" was one of the few insurance companies that would insure us NJ 17 year olds when I first got my license!

Deep cold here today in central Texas, unusual with temperatures going down to 8!!

Best Wishes

Don

Bob is that the Sears in Hicksville?

Don, I know people from Texas don't like comparisons to Alaska,, but boy your weather is almost as crazy as Anchorage. You get 100+ down to 8, they get 95+ down to -60, yes that's a minus sign, if my memory serves correctly.

@Dave_C posted:

Joe, GREAT job weathering and detailing the RS3. The broom is a nice touch.

I agree.  Very nice work.  👌

It will be a switcher again someday soon!

I had a chemical or some such something or other dripped on this MPC era pennsy shell that spoiled the finish. I found some N & W decals in some of the old train boxes from my grandfather and decided to try a repaint to a short-lived N & W paint scheme. The longer "NORFOLK and WESTERN" that belongs on the motor cover/body got torn while I was trying to apply it. anyhow, if you have yellow/bronze N&W decals holler at me! Also gotta get myself some practice with tiny paint brushes to get a few yellow trim parts painted up.

@coach joe- Joe thanks for your comment.  I can tell you it feels like ALASKA here today!!  Thank goodness we don't ever see -60! although I did live in Dayton, Ohio in the 1970's when it got to a historic low of -30!  I got to work that morning, in my Ford Pinto, after letting the engine spin in neutral for nearly 20 minutes to heat up the transmission fluid so it shifted!!

Best Wishes

Don

@RSJB18 posted:

Our local Sears building was recently renovated and taken over by one of our local hospitals for an Ambulatory and Medical center. Several of my Dr's offices are in the building now. Real strange getting a physical where I used to by spark plugs and oil for my lawn mower.....

Train room with a house attached back east?????? Do tell Bill

Bob

Midwest, actually. We're "casting about" for something in Missouri, but nothing definite. We really do like the weather out here in Rancho Mirage, CA. They just don't build houses with basements out here.

Bill Swatos, I’ll pull the motors on my FM to check for grease.  Thanks for your advice!

John

Bill S, I have to tell you just how good your advice was.  I pulled the motors on my SP FM and found the worms and gears were bone dry!  Thanks again!

John

MTH BOSTON&MAINE SW1 switches the NEW ENGLAND COAL & COKE loading dock.

@Steam Crazy posted:

Bill S, I have to tell you just how good your advice was.  I pulled the motors on my SP FM and found the worms and gears were bone dry!  Thanks again!

John

I'm happy we made a "save" for you. Hope you enjoy many years of trouble-free operation now!