Switcher Saturday 12-10-2022🎄

Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal was a waterfront railroad that handled freight cars floated on barges across New York harbor from New Jersey to Brooklyn and back. The railroad had 11 miles of track at its peak and used steam locomotives until 1963. It operated until 1983, when it was acquired by the New York Cross Harbor Railroad. Among many commodities, BEDT probably transported ingredients for making beer, delivered to the nearby Schaefer Brewing Company, a sponsor of Brooklyn Dodger baseball games on New York Channel 9.

Although my 10’-by-5’ model railroad doesn’t look like the Brooklyn waterfront, I do run Lionel’s LionChief LC+ 2.0 model of BEDT 0-6-0T switcher #15 with a Schaefer Beer refrigerator car and three other cars that might have arrived in Brooklyn on a barge from New Jersey. I also ran BEDT #15 with just the Schaefer Beer car this week. Somehow, one car and a bobber caboose seem to be the right size train for this locomotive.

I also spent some time scrutinizing Lionel’s excellent model of this 0-6-0T tank engine. Its notable features are the huge water tank surrounding the boiler, the large rectangular slide-valve housings above the cylinders, and the small coal bin behind the cab. No piston valves or superheat on this engine…

MELGAR

A simple sweet runner: Williams Jersey Central NW2 diesel switcher. It's also a very good, smooth conventional puller:

Arnold

Happy Switcher Sat everyone! More tinplate switchers under my tree for me this week. There’s just something about shiny tinplate under a Christmas tree, particularly red ones -

Happy SWSat!

Completely by accident (that's my story ), I picked up another new switcher that arrived this week. It's a MTH model of a EMD SW1 in Reading Railroad livery. This is my first piece of Reading equipment but it fits right in next to the PRR and NYC. This is a 3v PS2 model which I've serviced and installed a BCR2. I've been looking for a SW-1 to add to the roster for a while. They are compact machines which can navigate the tight curves of my layout with ease.

The EMD SW1 was the second type of EMD diesel switching locomotive to be ordered by the Reading.  The first three 600 horsepower locomotives were delivered in March, 1939.  Numbered #16 - 18 and assigned the Reading class OE-5, the SW1 went into service in the Philadelphia area.  The following year, SW1s #19 through #22 arrived, while the final two locomotives, #23 and #24 were delivered, bringing the total number of SW1s on the roster to 9.  These locomotives spent most of their service along the Philadelphia waterfront, where their smaller size allowed them to better negotiate the tight curves of the industrial and pier trackage.

More info and pix here

So our yardmaster put the new power right to work spotting an empty gondola on Team Track #1. The crew was none too happy to be pulling a PRR caboose and management is actively looking for proper
rolling stock.

Here's a video I shot the other day of the shakedown run.

Our Christmas tree will be going up this weekend and that means more trains! As John said, nothing better than a simple oval (well, almost simple) under the tree.

Have a great weekend,

Bob

TALES OF THE DOCKSIDER

SwSat fans, you asked for it, you got it!  NYC shop switcher X-8688 is back in action!  Today she’s hauling an unusual piece of railroad equipment, a test weight car (aka a scale test car).

Back in the day, railroads charged for bulk commodities by the pound, so loaded cars had to be weighed on a scale.  The known weight of a car was then subtracted from the total loaded weight; the difference was the weight that determined the amount the shipper was charged.

Railroads calibrated scales frequently to assure shippers they would be charged properly.  Test weight cars were manufactured  to a precise weight for calibrating the scales.  Cars like the one pictured weighed about 39,000 pounds.

No, your Yardmaster cannot explain how a PRR car ended up on B&A rails in Worcester, MA, but you know there have been some strange sightings in the area recently!

John

Good morning SWSAT crew!

Another one from the archives.  The Kill Tower operator performs a visual inspection as Penn Central SW8 8623 (Lionel) leads a short train across the diamond:

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Tom

@Steam Crazy posted:

TALES OF THE DOCKSIDER

NYC shop switcher X-8688 is back in action!  Today she’s hauling an unusual piece of railroad equipment, a test weight car (aka a scale test car).

No, your Yardmaster cannot explain how a PRR car ended up on B&A rails in Worcester, MA, but you know there have been some strange sightings in the area recently!

John

Your yardmaster needs to pay closer attention to what he permits into his yard.

The car was routed from Philadelphia, PA (Race Street Yard) to Secaucus, NJ on the PRR, over to Weehawken, NJ on the Central RR of New Jersey, up the west side of the Hudson River on the New York Central to Albany, NY, and then onto the Boston & Albany direct to Worcester.

I think the PRR just wanted to get rid of that slug...

MELGAR

@MELGAR posted:

Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal was a waterfront railroad that handled freight cars floated on barges across New York harbor from New Jersey to Brooklyn and back. The railroad had 11 miles of track at its peak and used steam locomotives until 1963. It operated until 1983, when it was acquired by the New York Cross Harbor Railroad. Among many commodities, BEDT probably transported ingredients for making beer, delivered to the nearby Schaefer Brewing Company, a sponsor of Brooklyn Dodger baseball games on New York Channel 9.

MELGAR

Mel - hope you don’t mind me downsizing your post. Superb background info as usual.

Just wanted to show a picture of the current loco(s) in use on the nynjrr. Photo from nynjr.com

Mel, that's a long haul, I just hope the slug was pulled at the end of the train per the warning on the car!

John

Yay! SWSat is on!

I like everyone’s posts so far. I’m recovering from a bad flu infection despite having had the flu shot in September.

This week I have probably my most unusual 0-8-0 but it might not qualify as a switcher because these were for the time heavy freight drag engines. This is my Winan’s Camel. Ross Winan built between 200 and 300 engines to this design from 1848 to 1861 from his locomotive works near the Mt Claire Shops in Baltimore.

My model is a 2 rail O scale engine and a model of a Philadelphia and Reading Camel built in 1855 called the “Susquehanna”. The P&R Camels regularly pulled 100 small coal cars from the mines to Philadelphia.

I made a video of this train on my YouTube channel if you want to see more of it running on the NYSME layout.

https://www.youtube.com/@este_Pandy_Projects

So a heavy slow Switcher for the 1850’s. Not something that you see posted here often.

Happy Switcher Saturday. A few switching work photos from Maine.

Have a great Saturday all, Pennsy switcher moving some civil war reenactors.  God Bless our Military!

@Tom Densel posted:

Good morning SWSAT crew!

Another one from the archives.  The Kill Tower operator performs a visual inspection as Penn Central SW8 8623 (Lionel) leads a short train across the diamond:

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Tom

Gorgeous video, trains and especially the switch tower, Tom.

It's a chilly and invigorating winter morning along the tracks in beautiful New England.

Suddenly, you hear a rumble, then the ground begins to shake and you see the spectacular sight of a Boston & Maine switcher hauling oil tankers through a quaint New England town:

Arnold

Arnold, your last video B & M hauling tankers is there. Note video is not working, at least on this end! Not sure why.

All good now! Great footage thx.

@Leroof posted:

Arnold, your last video B & M hauling tankers is there. Note video is not working, at least on this end! Not sure why.

Try the video now, Pierre, it just worked for me. Arnold

Great photo's everyone.  Melgar, RSJB18, and Steam Crazy thanks for the short histories on some of the prototype railroads and their specialized cars.  Silver Lake...ok that is the weirdest locomotive I have ever seen.  A two level coal car and an extra stack going down...marvelous!  

Today I have the Marx, #1998 RI Alco S3 switcher from 1962.  Shown here pulling a couple of Marx box cars.

Best wishes for this great Saturday.  Happy Holidays

Don

@Silver Lake posted:

This is my Winan’s Camel. Ross Winan built between 200 and 300 engines to this design from 1848 to 1861 from his locomotive works near the Mt Claire Shops in Baltimore.

So a heavy slow Switcher for the 1850’s. Not something that you see posted here often.

Andy,

Hope you're feeling better from the flu.

I would be interested in understanding the operation of the "double-smokestack" design. My guess is that air may be drawn into the bottom of the forward stack to mix with and cool the hot exhaust in the rear stack. That might also increase the draft through the boiler and the rate of heat transfer into the boiler water. The chamber at the top of the stacks may be for suppression and cooling of embers exhausting into the air and creating a fire hazard. Another interesting feature is the length of the rod that operates the slide-valve above the cylinder. It looks like that rod is driven by linkage way back at the rear of the locomotive. A unique locomotive and model. Very nice.

MELGAR

And now, ladies and gentlemen (mostly gentlemen), for another appearance on this Fabulous Forum, please see my #1 all time switcher, the star of the Fields of Dreams along The Put layout.

It's none other than the great MTH PS3 Long Island B6 steamer and MTH NY Central passenger cars circling the Popsicle Stick Yankee Stadium (how do you like that for an introduction LOL):

Seriously folks, if you like switchers, you want to get this B6 baby, or one like it, especially if you have sharp curves on your layout like I do. It is so much fun to run; it smokes, sounds and looks great, especially when running on DCS, with terrific flawless electrocouplers. It's great for performing switching operations.  Guess one reason I love it is because I have a switching layout and often do switching during operating sessions. Arnold

Do these Baby TrainMasters count as switchers......or, were they specifically made as road units? I suspect MU ing them does put them in a "road configuration"......but, what about singly?

Peter

Have a great and safe weekend, folks.....

Peter

@Putnam Division posted:

Do these Baby TrainMasters count as switchers......or, were they specifically made as road units? I suspect MU ing them does put them in a "road configuration"......but, what about singly?

Peter

Have a great and safe weekend, folks.....

Peter

I, for one, say they count as switchers. Perhaps they would be considered heavy duty main line switchers.

Also, I believe this thread has, for a long time, had a very inclusive definition of switcher. Of course, something like a Big Boy would not be regarded as a switcher.

There may be gray areas.

Good evening fellow switcher fans!   Wonderful posts by everyone!  Today it's all about whimsey and this whimsical Williams 44 tonner ( modeled after the Lionel postwar 44 tonner ) which did duty on my under the tree layout in 2018.  Have a wonderful week everyone!!

Season’s Greetings everyone!  I have my Lionel Hallmark Toymaker Santa 0-8-0 on the tracks for some switcher duty.  Have a great weekend!

A little late playing with the trains. But I did get a sundown switching session in after work today. Have a great weekend everyone.  PS ( I have been hunting for one of these weaver mechanical reefer in the FGE Solid Gold SCL road name since I started the hobby as an adult. Finally found one! Super stoked!)

@Putnam Division posted:

Do these Baby TrainMasters count as switchers......or, were they specifically made as road units? I suspect MU ing them does put them in a "road configuration"......but, what about singly?

Peter

Have a great and safe weekend, folks.....

Peter

Peter,

Your models represent Fairbanks-Morse H-16-44 locomotives with 4-wheel trucks, an 8-cylinder opposed-piston engine, and 1600 horsepower. Fairbanks-Morse H-24-66 "Trainmaster" locomotives had 6-wheel trucks and a 12-cylinder opposed-piston engine with 2400 horsepower. The reference I consulted - "Diesel-Locomotives: The First 50 Years" by Louis A. Marre, lists both types as road-switchers.

I can understand the 1600 horsepower H-16-44 being listed as a road-switcher based on its having the same power and number of axles as the widely-used ALCo RS-3 road-switcher. The H-24-66 with 2400 horsepower and 3-axle trucks is harder to justify, but it is apparently also considered as a road-switcher - probably because that's how it was designated by the manufacturer.

I now expect to see someone posting a "Trainmaster" model on Switcher Saturday next week. But not I...

After all, the discussion is begun every Saturday with:

"In this weekly thread we celebrate the smaller locomotives that do the big work of railroading."

MELGAR

@Putnam Division posted:

Do these Baby TrainMasters count as switchers......or, were they specifically made as road units? I suspect MU ing them does put them in a "road configuration"......but, what about singly?

Peter

Have a great and safe weekend, folks.....

Peter

Well, Peter, as Trainmaster of your RR, I guess you can assign your train masters to any job you want!!! Mea Maxima Culpa… just couldn’t resist

@Putnam Division posted:

Do these Baby TrainMasters count as switchers......or, were they specifically made as road units? I suspect MU ing them does put them in a "road configuration"......but, what about singly?

Peter

Have a great and safe weekend, folks.....

Peter

These locomotives in the picture ARE NOT "Baby Trainmasters". A baby Trainmaster is the Tennessee Valley Authority [TVA] FM locomotive.

https://www.tvrail.com/2021/08...rare-tva-locomotive/

A baby trainmaster is like a real trainmaster but shorter in length.

the locomotives in your photo are H-16-44 road switchers, too short to be a "Baby Trainmaster"

@trumpettrain posted:

Good evening fellow switcher fans!   Wonderful posts by everyone!  Today it's all about whimsey and this whimsical Williams 44 tonner ( modeled after the Lionel postwar 44 tonner ) which did duty on my under the tree layout in 2018.  Have a wonderful week everyone!!

I like the Caddy lead sled. Reminds me of CadZZilla...

I am making a proclamation to extend Switcher Saturday 8 1/2 more hours so I can include the photo of a Lionel, MPC era switcher in Coca-Cola Company livery being serviced in the Great Northeastern Railway's engine service facility.

@Randy Harrison posted:

I am making a proclamation to extend Switcher Saturday 8 1/2 more hours so I can include the photo of a Lionel, MPC era switcher in Coca-Cola Company livery being serviced in the Great Northeastern Railway's engine service facility.

Switchers run 7 days a week so adding a Sunday post to SWSat is just fine.

Nice photo of a MPC classic too.

@prrhorseshoecurve posted:

These locomotives in the picture ARE NOT "Baby Trainmasters". A baby Trainmaster is the Tennessee Valley Authority [TVA] FM locomotive.

https://www.tvrail.com/2021/08...rare-tva-locomotive/

A baby trainmaster is like a real trainmaster but shorter in length.

the locomotives in your photo are H-16-44 road switchers, too short to be a "Baby Trainmaster"

I think I should get a little slack for quoting Lionel.......I guess they were speaking "spiritually" rather than "literally".....

Peter

Here's a link to the Lionel description......

https://www.lionel.com/product...diesel-7001-6-18385/

Peter

@Putnam Division posted:

I think I should get a little slack for quoting Lionel.......I guess they were speaking "spiritually" rather than "literally".....

Peter

How about "metaphorically."

Songwriter Arnoldo

@Putnam Division posted:

Here's a link to the Lionel description......

https://www.lionel.com/product...diesel-7001-6-18385/

Peter

Gorgeous, would love the Legacy version that runs on 031.

Come on, Lionel, make one!

Here is one of my MTH  RK Rs3 switcher where I added an interior.

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Gorgeous, would love the Legacy version that runs on 031.

Come on, Lionel, make one!

I have the TMCC/RS version, cab number 7000......a year or two later, Lionel came out with a conventional version (7001) and a dummy (7002).....I then ordered the dummy.

Peter

GE44 tonner.    Edit/Add 12/12/22/AM:  These (Rich Yoder), conventional, 3 rail models, could be converted to TMCC, a fair amount of work.  Note the antenna wire coil.  All metal models, tend to be a difficult TMCC conversion, IMO. Some modelers have added window glass.   This model also has electro-couplers.   No traction tires, moving multiple cars, at one time, is limited. I was also able to add LED headlights powered off the TMCC board. 

Unbeknownst to me, about 5 years ago, MTH & NJHR did a custom run of the NYNJ locos, all 3 numbers, each with a different sound set. Pardon my lousy photos.