Switcher Saturday: 2016-Apr-09

Happy Switcher Saturday! Today's contribution is the story of one who escaped the scrapper's torch, Pennsylvania Railroad's B6sb #1670 steam switcher. The locomotive was built at Juniata in 1916, retired in 1957, loaned to Strasburg Railroad in 1969 then became one of indoor exhibits at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. 

The first photo shows the locomotive sitting in the weeds. I believe it's bell has been removed, so it was probably close to being scrapped around this time. 

Tom

PS- Rich, keep us posted on the shanty progress! 

Switching the cement block plant on the CBS railroad.  Cement and grain shipments are the 2 top money maker's on the CBS railroad.

Thanks for posting Tom, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is also on my to-do list (with "York" and a few other train related things).

Regarding the shanty, I'll keep you guys up-to-date, we'll see how it turns out, although I have a feeling I should enlist my helper (Sara, age 10) because her crafting skills are well beyond mine.

I'm reading the wikipedia page on B6's to learn the differences between B6's and the B6sb (and B6s, and B6sa), good stuff!   According to the page, B6sa #60 is on a siding in Hockessin, Delaware, along the Wilmington and Western Railroad - which is <2hrs from here so maybe I should try to get in the car one day and find it.

Keith, that layout looks like a ton of fun!

Great picture Steve!  Your tower is clearly better than my shanty will ever be!

An AtlasO PRR B28 moving cars in the yard. I really like the detail on this little guy.

Hi Ron, that's a great looking steamer for sure!

Since I'm all about learning today (for some reason), googled around to find out the difference between a B6 and a B28 and found the following from the book Perfecting the American Steam Locomotive.

" The B-6sa on the Wilmington & Western in Hockessin Delawareis easily seen. It's stored on a siding at where the tracks cross route 41 in "downtown" Hockessin (i.e., suburban Wilmington). It's parked behind 2 Reading MU's (in Septa paint). It can be seen easily without entering railroad property from the parking lot of an office/professional building complex off Yorklyn Road (the traffic light on route 41). I've no knowledge of steam restoration work, but to me this engine seems _at best_ a candidate for cosmetic-only restoration. It's pretty sad looking."-- Gary Weaver

(photo)

from prr.railfan.net

keep at it Rich, you'll make that shanty look respectable.

have a great Saturday guys.

Yay! Happy SW Sat!

Great pics so far guys!

I've made peace with my nearly neighbor Tom/MNCW in the matter of the last PRR 44 tonner vs the last PRR steamer.

Rich keep at it. I'm sure you can achieve what you want with that switch shelter. It looks like a fun project to improve modeling "know how". Also it is small enough to make more than once if you have to with out breaking the bank.

Keith Johnson I really like the cut down Geep based switcher you have there. Did I you make it yourself ? Can you say a bit more about it ?  I've been looking at similar CN SW1200RSm "Sweeps". 

This week because of a busy 6 day work week I got really nothing done on my Switching shelf layout so no pics of that today.

Instead I have some images of hump yard slugs that I have been looking at. These were made by railroads to increase traction effort of thier engines to shift longer and heavier trains. These engine lost thier cabs and engines but kept thier traction moters and were feathered to thier "Master" engines using the electrical power from them to increase traction effort. (They can turn thier wheels using power from the adjacent engine). The ones I've been looking at were rebuilds of I teresting older engines and I remember seeing when I was a kid because they looked so weird. 

First up the RF&P slugs they used in Potomac Yard. These were rebuilt Alco S2s and one actually is preserved at the Gold Coast RR Museum in Florida. Actually it is being used as parts source for thier other running S2.

(In my mind the ex RF&P SW1500 at the Morristown Erie could end up back with this Slug in a Potomac Yard preservation future. Oh well,  fantasy.)

Here is Slug C in Retirement in Florida.

Next up the MT-4 from Conrail. The MT-4 was rebuilt from Alco RS11s and the 6 axel MT -6 were rebuilt RSD-15s. Some of these are still around in NS and CSX paint. Two are privately held by Junita Terminal and Ohio Central. 

Last up is the Norfolk Western ex-Trainmaster slug program. My grandparents lived near Norfolk and Grand dad sometimes took me over to Lamberts Point for the Christmas open house once. I saw one of these monsters and went home and got a razor saw out to cut up my HO scale blue box Athearn Trainmaster to build one. It didn't turn out as great as my teenage mind thought it would.

 One I have....

and one I wish I had...

Rich,

Not sure where the author of Perfecting the American Steam Locomotive got his B6 info, but I'm not sure it is correct.  The B28 was a USRA design that had radial stay fireboxes, not the Belpaire fireboxes normally associated with the B-class.  Most of the 79 original B6 engines were upgraded with superheating and power reverse and became the B6s; this may be what the author is talking about.  The remaining 293 B6sa and B6sb came with those upgrades.  I believe the only superheated B-class steamers were the B6s, B6sa, B6sb and the B28.  The B6sa had a radial stay firebox and is sometimes confused with the B28 because of that.  A better way to distinguish the two is just count the domes; the B6sa had two and the B28 had three.

The vast majority of the remaining 20th century B-class steamers were the B8 (267 with Belpaire boxes) and B29 (136 with radial stay boxes).  None of these were ever superheated (some got power reverse) and nearly all were gone before WWII.

Wish I had pictures of each type.  I may start collecting them.

Working another Saturday, so here is my contribution.  I showed my original engine a few weeks ago at home, but here it is at work on display above my desk.  The plant I work at is in major outage mode so I thought it appropriate to bring in a work train.  I change the display about every other month.

I hope you enjoy,

John Z

Rich I'm not sure if you will remember but a few weeks back you challenged SWSAT-ers to find images of NYC 0-4-0s to match your Lionel bel par boilered 0-4-0.  I responded with the replica Dewitt Clinton NYC made in the 1930's. 

Well I found a couple more, technically 0-4-0T steam dummys. Used on the West side of midtown Manhattan around 10th and 11th aves from the village up to the high 30's.

This is a blurry action shot of NYC #6 pictured in 1900. It was an Alco built 1890 and retired 1913.

Next up is NYC 0-4-0T #11 in 1911. It was also an Alco and on the roster from 1888-1909. The guy on the horse riding in front of the Beer wagon is one of the so called "West side Cowboys" that by law rode in front of street trains in the era. This led to the construction of what has become the now popular Highline Park and those elevated tracks. I'm pretty  sure that the building on the corner of the left block is still there and is now Artichokes Pizza. The Artichoke slice there Is great but it should come with a free coronary.

So yeah some NYC 0-4-0s but they look nothing like normal steam engines or anything in 3 rail O scale.

Silver Lake, I purchased the engine hood at a train show from a junk box of other hoods and parts for $3.00.  The person who built it glued a Lionel SW cab to a Lionel GP long hood.  The person removed the battery box from the back of the SW cab.  I took it home with no plans to make anything from it.  The homemade hood fit onto a K=Line MP15 frame that I had. I built a fuel tank for it and painted it. Santa Fe did not have a switch engine with the number 1455 so I used that number.

Keith that's pretty great. I bet someone saw one of the CN SW1200rsm "Sweeps" and made thier own. These were made of a GP9 long hood and engine on a SW1200 frame and a new cab. Pretty neat job and close to what you have there. 

OK...the diesel guys have their Beeps and Sweeps......us steam guys have this...but what would you call it?

Dave,

 How about "Weaps," because if you are the engineer sitting on top of the boiler and a rod gets loose it could make for an unpleasant day as the rod spears itself into the cab? 

Tom

I thought of a name......can't put it here......but first you say it then you do it......

Steamer posted:

OK...the diesel guys have their Beeps and Sweeps......us steam guys have this...but what would you call it?

 

I'd call it a 3 legged snorting camel

Although from different eras, I also thought of the Kenny Loggins song from Top Gun, "Danger Zone." Hope you don't all have that tune rolling around in your head now like I do! 

Tom

Fabulous photos everyone!  Heres something from the Free State Junction Railway.  Have a most enjoyable weekend!!

Steamer posted:

OK...the diesel guys have their Beeps and Sweeps......us steam guys have this...but what would you call it?

Camelsayx

A B&O Alco S-2 at work.

Great week this week guys, sorry I haven't been chiming in throughout the day, I've been driving kids around from plays, play dates, parties, etc.  I feel like a chauffeur!  

CBS072 posted:

Silver Lake, I purchased the engine hood at a train show from a junk box of other hoods and parts for $3.00...

Keith,

  Terrific job on that in every aspect from your scrounging skills to your painting/lettering. 

Tom 

Silver Lake posted:

Yay! Happy SW Sat!

Great pics so far guys!

I've made peace with my nearly neighbor Tom/MNCW in the matter of the last PRR 44 tonner vs the last PRR steamer.

Yes, Silver Lake all is good. I suppose the world needed diesel locomotives at some point! 

Tom

Here's some photos of my Virginian Traimaster road switcher and a video of my Dockside working the Mountain Division pulling a military train. K

B&O Alco S2 #9183 at Cincinnati OH March 1975. Photographer: Ilkka Hovi

Saw this sexy lady this morning, had to stop the car and take a pic!

Maryland Transit Authority #804 GE 44-ton switcher

CBS072 posted:

Switching the cement block plant on the CBS railroad.  Cement and grain shipments are the 2 top money maker's on the CBS

Is your SF switcher based on that railroads "BEEP"?  (Balwin with EMD Geep guts!)