the complex front stripes decal application photo did not load. Neither did the LEDs art form.
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So, not the whole story but some photo highlights..
Now I need to get back to switching layout matters….starting over again.
Finally found time to view todays switcher action.
As usual big thanks to all who contributed. Big Wow too!
Some nice photos Pierre. Have you considered submitting an article to OGR?
Thanks for the kind words.
Bob
@Leroof hands down wins #SwSat this weekend! What a great looking project. And I love being able to turn the lights on for display!
I did make it to Strasburg today. Not too many pictures, but definitely had a good time. Met up with a coworker and his family, enjoyed a nice ride, and hit Hershey Farms for nice late lunch.
This unit looks a switcher from the woods and was new to me.
From another website:
"It was built for Sugar Pine Lumber Company in 1924, then sold to The Pacific Lumber Company in 1935 after Sugar Pine Lumber Company went out of business, then was bought by the Wawa & Concordville in 1966 and moved east to Pennsylvania. That obscure tourist line only ran for 2 years, and then a private owner bought it and moved it to the Wilmington & Western bought it during the era where the W&W was trying to become "the other Steamtown". It was returned to operation in 1987 and ran until 1990, then got involved in a dispute between the owner and the W&W. Eventually it was bought by the Timber Heritage Association and was moved to Strasburg for restoration. It's a rainy day project, Strasburg picks away at it when they have free time."
I cannot vouch for the accuracy of this description but it sure sounds good.
Have a great weekend everyone 😀
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@jhz563 posted:@Leroof hands down wins #SwSat this weekend! What a great looking project. And I love being able to turn the lights on for display!
I did make it to Strasburg today. Not too many pictures, but definitely had a good time. Met up with a coworker and his family, enjoyed a nice ride, and hit Hershey Farms for nice late lunch.
Love this photo.
@Dallas Joseph posted:WOW. Really some great looking scenes
SOOoo EARLY
on SWITCHER SATURDAY morning
Be safe at RR crossings where switchers roll through ........here comes one now............
Enjoy the weekend and God speed all.
Very well done Dallas!! Got to love the Ma & Pa!
@trumpettrain posted:Very well done Dallas!! Got to love the Ma & Pa!
Thank you very much Venerable CEO and Guru of " The Free State Junction Railway ". 
Good evening fellow switcher fans! Wonderful content everyone!! Thanks JHZ563 for getting us rolling today! I hope everyone has a terrific weekend!!
Today it's about the A5 battling the elements.
Here we are high on the Mountain Division of the Free State Junction Railway. The A5 is assigned to MOW duty plowing out sidings. A flanger plow is on the main as the A5 clears a siding. 
It's a cold day with the wind blowing, brakeman Vinny Lombardo is wishing he'd taken that job in the FSJR office that his brother -in-law offered him several months ago. 
Flanger plow is taking care of business. Not far behind the plow train is the A5 which is plowing all sidings. 
The temperature hovers around zero and the wind chill makes is feel like minus 20 degrees. The A5 plows another siding as the flanger plow takes care of the main. 
About 10 minutes after this photo was snapped, the A5 will appear. 
And sure enough here is the A5 ten minutes later. The flanger has cleared the way taking care of the heavy work allowing the A5 to take care of the lite work. 
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Someone called ?
LOL! 
Well being the tinplate weirdo guy , very little of my stuff constitutes actual "Switchers" per se , but as 99% of them rely on a kids imagination I guess any could be ???
What about a little Technofix Shunting outfit ?
This ran on a pressed tinplate track which allowed the loco to uncouple , head off , reverse, then recouple and take off again 
@Fatman posted:Someone called ?
LOL!
What about a little Technofix Shunting outfit ?
This ran on a pressed tinplate track which allowed the loco to uncouple , head off , reverse, then recouple and take off again
No problem with couplers not working on this engine.
Very cool video of this " switcher " in operation. Love it.
JHZ563 ! OK WOW! What I actual win is being able to share my project with Everyone at Our favorite Saturday activity!
Btw, the mini switches under skirts of the loco are easy to reach and slide on to illuminate the LEDs.
Bob, I have not considered that (yet) but thanks. There is a story attached to the each part of project. It was too long winded to include in this thread. Way too many chapters! Lol. I wanted to post the stories for Mel and others but, photos tell the process for now.
Fatman, little Technofix Shunting outfit is a switcher for all ages! Great video.
trumptrain:
That's pretty cool!
Is the snow temporary, or is it part of your permanent scenery?
What material did you use for the snow? If temporary, how difficult is the clean up?
Andre
@trumpettrain posted:
What a gorgeous piece of art Patrick.
Don't know how this scene could be outdone on a layout. Wow.
Patrick, yes that office job is looking pretty good right now. Like Andre I was wondering what material(s) 're using for snow. Specifically the clumpier stuff that looks like it just rolled off the front of the pilot.
@Dallas Joseph posted:What a gorgeous piece of art Patrick.
Don't know how this scene could be outdone on a layout. Wow.
Wow! Thanks you so much Dallas!
Andre and Coach Joe,
Thanks for your kind words!!
I actually built three separate snow dioramas on my layout for the purpose of honoring a late July request from Allan Miller to write a Christmas story, with accompanying photos, for the current issue of O Gauge Railroading Magazine Nov/Dec Run 327. ( My story is titled: The Snow Storm that Almost Stranded Santa ) I first created a story line which then led to the creation of 3 separate dioramas to support my story line. As my entire layout is set in the fall season, I thought creating 3 different sections ( dioramas ) of snow scenes on my existing layout ( rather than building separate modules ) would fit the bill ... and it did. I'm very happy with the way it turned out!
SNOW: For snow I used Fusion Fibre ( a scenery product ) and Woodland Scenics snow. For the clump effect, I used Fusion Fibre with a dusting of WS snow to soften the clump effect just a bit. Note that I used Fusion Fibre straight out to the bag. This product is great for creating land forms which requires a mixing and coloring process as directed on the bag. For my snow scenes ... I did not follow the process printed on the bag. I just applied, by hand , the Fusion fibre material ( which is already clumpy and white ) straight onto the diorama. I also applied Fusion Fibre with a sprinkling of WS snow to the pilot of the A5 locomotive to give it the plowing thru deep snow effect.
CLeAN UP: I worked on this project in August. Since the project's completion, my work schedule has been so busy that I've not had time ( or mental mojo ) to clean up the dioramas ... two of which are blocking main lines. I've promised myself to clear at least one of them today since this is my first day off in a couple of months. I'll get back to ya regarding the clean up process ... however ... I've already moved my shop vac into the train room ... before bringing the vac into action I will first salvage as much of the WS snow as possible as it is rather expensive ( I used 2.5 containers to create the dioramas ). As to how all this shakes out and the time it will take ... I'll get back to ya on that! 
Happy Switcher Saturday on Sunday!
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@Dallas Joseph - thank you for your compliment, it really makes me feel good that you enjoy the pictures and the trains. @Strap Hanger - thank you for your compliments, running these old guys is not as simple as it might sound. They are clockwork of course but the inexpensive ones had no speed regulation hence they travel FAST! The original line of track was 2 ft (24") diameter and the outer rails were banked. I unfortunately do not have those tracks and using my flat layout often results in trains on the floor 
. But I will see what I can do. Thanks again for your comments.
@Leroof - Marvelous work and great detail on the locomotive. Thanks for posting
Best wishes to all
Don
Sorry I'm late...the "Switch" from daylight savings time must've caught up with me.....
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I forgot to add Patrick that I saw and admired the great snow photos that you took and the snow scenes you created for the "O Gauge Railroading Magazine...they are terrific. Super modeling and composition of the scene just marvelous. Thank you !
Best Wishes
Don
Dallas and Trump train, really cool stories and winters stuff!
mud dog max, bluebirds in action! Nice.
Hi all,
No story today, just a New Haven switcher waiting in the yard (coffee and donut break?). The V-1000 is a Weaver TMCC unit, with Scalecoat II paint over Rustoleum primer. Decals are Champ.
The second photo shows the switch crew ready to pick up a cut of cars in the Hartford classification yard.
Don
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@Leroof posted:Dallas and Trump train, really cool stories and winters stuff!
mud dog max, bluebirds in action! Nice.
Thank you very much Leroof!
Don! One of my favorite switchers NH VO 1000!
great yard it’s working in too, Its going to be a busy day switching!
thanks for the pics.
@Don McErlean posted:I forgot to add Patrick that I saw and admired the great snow photos that you took and the snow scenes you created for the "O Gauge Railroading Magazine...they are terrific. Super modeling and composition of the scene just marvelous. Thank you !
Best Wishes
Don
Don - thank you so much!!! I'm absolutely thrilled you liked my snow photos in the OGR Magazine and here on the SWSAT!!
@Don Sierakowski 111617 posted:
Now THAT looks like a fun yard area to switch! Well done!
You even have the Engineer's view oriented for better visibility while switching for the hand signal era!
Andre
