Switcher Saturday - 2/6/21

A quick post before a crazy day ahead.  
0-6-0 & 0-4-0 resting on the shelf track until needed for a push, shove or maybe a pull.

Happy  Switcher Saturday!

My new LC+2.0 0-6-0t pulling our “track cleaning” gondola around the figure8 loop.  I tear up the tracks every few weeks and try different configurations while I try to determine if I am ever going to have a “layout” or just an arrangement of loops and crossovers.

Yay! SWSat is on the rails again!

@jhz563 that Lego engine looks very nice. Fun stuff.

@D44 Isn’t that a great engine? I have always liked that body style since it came out in the early 2000’s. I have a first release Santa Fe and I recently got a BEDT too and could not be happier with that paint scheme  

This week I am going on my smaller end of switchers and I am posting my O scale 2rail LIRR A-1 Morris Park Shop Switcher. There were two of these and they lasted from 1927 to 1958. It is my only LIRR power. Due to a power shortage it has been pressed into shifting some boxcars.
It is scratch built by someone else in plastic around a metal drive truck. I noticed one window frame needs some attention.

Have a great weekend. I can’t wait to see what you guys post.

A Penn Central local with RS11 7608 (Lionel) on the point passes through the industrial area of town:

Have a great SWSAT and stay safe.

Tom

                                                                Tanks-a-lot...

Happy SWSAT

A confluence of switchers:

Happy SWSat!

Another great start!

The crew on Santa Fe 2174 0-6-0T (first gen) are assisting with a tender swap on another steamer. They are pulling the old tender for a more appropriate slope-back. The 4-4-2 is on the list for a repaint to Christmas colors one day when ever the shop foreman can find time to put it in the paint shop.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. More snow for the NE tomorrow WHOO HOO!

GO CHIEFS!

@Tom Densel posted:

A Penn Central local with RS11 7608 (Lionel) on the point passes through the industrial area of town:

Have a great SWSAT and stay safe.

Tom

Tom. Your White Worm stuff inspired me to buy some Lionel Standard O Rolling stock and a Lionel Traditional GP9  I’ve been wrestling with this idea for about a year now. Thanks

This week, I have been running Central Railroad of New Jersey #107 on my 10’-by-5’ layout. It is an Atlas O model of a USRA 0-6-0 steam engine with excellent steam sounds.

MELGAR

Happy SWSAT everyone. Has a busy week so no new SWSAT pics but enjoy these reruns. Have a great weekend and stay warm it’s going to get very chilly here in the Ozark Foothills next week.

Pulled out my Lionel NYC 0-8-0... my first scale anything I purchased...

Fendermain, nice footage, all the more enjoyable while on the spacesuit breaks!
yeah, more of that! I do have Monday off to sleep recover  then run some trains.

Hey guys, great stuff as always, have a great day.

TALES OF THE DOCKSIDER

This Saturday we find NYC shop switcher X-8688 assigned to switch a consist that isn’t just unusual in Worcester, MA, but anywhere in the USA!

She is pulling a SP de ME boxcar loaded with explosives (Peligro, Explosivos!) and a CNJ “blocking car”.  A blocking car is an empty boxcar spotted between cars loaded with explosives.  If there is a wreck, the blocking car will allow some “crush space”, reducing the possibility the loaded cars will make contact and explode.

This assignment is a tribute to the engine handling skills of engineer Joe Safetyvalvoni.  Joe in unsure if he’ll tell his wife about it, because he’s afraid she’ll worry about future hazardous assignments.  Something tells me we can all identify with that!

John

I picked up this RRRR Atlas switcher recently knowing full well that it was 2 rail and would not run on my layout...but I moved some wires around on the upper loop and hooked up a old HO transformer and it works !

Happy Switcher Saturday.

@Steam Crazy posted:

TALES OF THE DOCKSIDER

This Saturday we find NYC shop switcher X-8688 assigned to switch a consist that isn’t just unusual in Worcester, MA, but anywhere in the USA!

She is pulling a SP de ME boxcar loaded with explosives (Peligro, Explosivos!) and a CNJ “blocking car”.  A blocking car is an empty boxcar spotted between cars loaded with explosives.  If there is a wreck, the blocking car will allow some “crush space”, reducing the possibility the loaded cars will make contact and explode.

.......

John

A question. In this case, shouldn't the blocking car be between the locomotive and the explosives car to protect the engine and crew? Did they really operate like this in Worcester? I used to hang out there!

MELGAR

Melgar, you're right, the blocking car should be between the engine and the explosives car.  I have no idea if trains like this operated in Worcester, I just thought it would make an interesting story.  I also didn't know what a blocking car was until I looked it up.  I bought it because I thought it looked neat and it was on sale.

I have an Atlas 0-6-0 too.  I damaged the original tether (which couldn't be replaced) so I had it converted to PS3.  It runs fine now, but the MTH sound isn't as good as the original.

John

Steam Crazy,

I asked the question in jest - just kidding! The two cars look realistic and make a good combination with the 0-6-0T engine. Freight cars used to be ferried on barges from New Jersey to Brooklyn, and the switcher engines were too heavy to go onto the barges to pull the cars onto the shore, so a flat car was inserted. These were known as "reach cars" - similar to your blocking car. 0-6-0T switchers like your model were used on the Brooklyn waterfront, such as BEDT #15, which was offered in the current release of the Lionel 0-6-0Ts. That's the one I bought.

MELGAR

SWSat...Lionel Legacy Milwaukee Road B6sb...🚂😉

Hi SwSat folks.  Big News today on the Leonardtown and Savannah.  After waiting  well over 1 year for "Traintown" to deliver my 0-6-0 tank switcher, she has finally arrived.  Management on the L&S, cheap as usual, got her used from the PRR but she looks pretty good and has lots of life left in her boiler.  We took her out "light" this morning and she ran / smoked / and "chuffed" like a trooper.  Can't wait to try and hook up her LC 2.0 to see how that works.

Here she is, ready to hit the main line.  Picture does  not show it but she smokes really well!!

Here is a side view, you can see a bit of smoke in this picture.  She really runs well, love the sound, people in the cab, and the action on the drive rods.  All in All, very pleased with the purchase.

Happy SwSat everyone!  Now I have to go play before "someone" remembers this is Saturday and I am likely supposed to be doing something else.

Don

This brand new LC+2.0 BEDT 0-6-0 is literally one sweet little switcher because I run it with Lionel Premium Hot Chocolate Smoke fluid. LOL, Arnold

Arnold or Don, can you provide the measurement between the rollers on the LC+2.0 0-6-0T.  Thanks.

Notice how well centered the loco, three boxcars ( I think 40 footers) and two gondolas full of scrap metal are. In the center track.

Living dangerously on the layout however is evident!

@CAPPilot posted:

Arnold or Don, can you provide the measurement between the rollers on the LC+2.0 0-6-0T.  Thanks.

Ron;

It’s just under 3.5”...

Here's a pic of our MTH Weirton Steel switchers. These were a familiar site throughout Weirton Steel and the town of Weirton as they were moving coal, iron ore, limestone, tankers, torpedo cars, and coil cars around the plant.  But especially cool was seeing these switchers (same road #s) pushing a dozen slag cars to the dump area on the far side of town.  The sky exploded several times a night with a brilliant orange glow.  Those days are long gone now.

@TomSuperO your pictures aren't showing.

@Leroof I didn't realize you had a barge set up, very cool!  On of my former employers has a 44 tonner.  I have a link to some old pictures saved on my work computer. I will share the link on Monday.

Don’t know what happened to this post which I entered earlier today, but here is my new Lionel BN GP-38 switching also new-to-the-roster Great Northern Bulkhead  Flatcar and PS-1 Boxcar  on my pike today. Nice!

@Leroof posted:

Living dangerously on the layout however is evident!

Pierre. This lift bridge is fantastic.

I live only a few bocks from the Harlem River and walk over sometimes to see what remnants are left. The South Bronx is rapidly gentrifying and a lot of what was still around even a year ago mainly from neglect is quickly being wiped away.

Tom, your Penn Central local shot between two buildings is really cool and deserves a "Golden Spike" award for best 2/6/21 Switcher Saturday video!

Thanks for sharing.

Joe

JHZ563 Hi.

I took down my O scale two rail waterfront layout as I believed I was moving to France 2005?   With a change of plans I stayed here, everything O scale still methodically packed, stored.  At that point to simplify my life without any  free time, I  started rebuilding the 3 rail PW layout I am grateful to have now.
Actually the float bridge project and barge were my first attempts at scratch building. I did a lot of research into that project. It was a slow process, and was only 90% complete unweathered as pictured, when dismantled. I have several nautical and railmarine items just waiting for the layout rebuild (simplification) of the former waterfront layout.  It is a switching layout. It had two separate yards, one at the north end, one at the south end, and the 3 track barge (a switching layout in its self) is the third limb in the center. a curved turnout was reserved off site to provide the illusion of a road switcher delivering a job to the yards. Then road switcher would exit off site. The switcher assigned to float job would break down the rolling stock and transfer it to the float in prototypical order, Or unload the float and move it out to a yard for pick up and delivery. Anyway, it would take a good hour to do a float job. Never a dull moment.  Always vigilant not to dunk the train or loco! Lol.

when the waterfront layout resumes, I will post the progress.

also SWSAT will get some photos.

have a great Sunday everyone.

@Mike CT posted:

That summertime scene looks really good right now Mike!

Pierre the color of the float bridge clearly identifies the owner of the structure make no mistake about it.  Have you ever posted pictures of it before or do I remember pictures of it from our Westchester County luncheon that Arnold graciously arranged two years ago?

Hey Silverlake, thanks.

I will post some more photos. They are living in my Home PC.
I believe I shared passed around the float bridge photo album with forum members at the  luncheon after the Westchester Toy and train show a couple of years ago.

I used to walk along the south Bronx and the Harlem river looking for railmarine  history. There’s plenty of artifacts on the Hudson side still.

record photos of stuff before it disappears.

Pierre. I remember the pictures because I was at that infamous and oh so fun Westchester luncheon. i think i had mentioned seeing some similar pictures in article from some other rr mag. Your reply was that it was your article.

As far as my photo documentation, I need to be more organized with my pictures. I have a bunch but the scroll through sure gets tedious.

As an example of my disorder I just spent  a half hour looking for something and couldn’t find it so... First up this ex-SAL RSD3 that was known as the Tampa Tiger on the Adirondack RR. Last month it was moved from its old Utica home. My picture is from last summer.

This one is a funny stretch. This ancient Egyptian frieze is at the museum I work at. I pass it on the way to my shop every day. In my mind it looks like two switch engines. I am positive it is not. But it gives me a laugh.

Lets try this again

@Silver Lake posted:

This one is a funny stretch. This ancient Egyptian frieze is at the museum I work at. I pass it on the way to my shop every day. In my mind it looks like two switch engines. I am positive it is not. But it gives me a laugh.

Works for me!