Switcher Saturday: 2016-Mar-12

Yay! SW Sat is on!

Nice comparison pictures Rich. That K-line mold is really nice but there is something so timeless about the Lionel mold.

This week I am posting images of yet another rebuild program the UP SW10.

These were started in 1979 and the rebuild program went on to the mid 1980's. UP rebuilt thier older Switchers using parts from retired GP9s and rebuilding the engines from 645 to 567 units. They were made from SW7s, SW9s and TR5s dating from 1939-53 and were rated at 1200 HP. They have a distinctive hump at the far end of the long hood and look a bit like the end of a GP9 was grafted on to a Switcher. Of the 75 total units rebuilt 40 units were sold off to other Railroads after UP retired the class in 1998.

One unit is still on the UP roster the #96 and it is considered part of the Historic collection and switches the Challenger and Centennial at the steam shop in Cheyenne. 

Wow, those first two posts have a lot of switchers.  Hard to follow that but here goes!

I love those SW10s!  Wish someone would make a few of those in O!  

Silver Lake posted:

This week I am posting images of yet another rebuild program the UP SW10.

These were started in 1979 and the rebuild program went on to the mid 1980's. UP rebuilt thier older Switchers using parts from retired GP9s . . . Of the 75 total units rebuilt 40 units were sold off to other Railroads after UP retired the class in 1998.

One unit is still on the UP roster the #96 and it is considered part of the Historic collection and switches the Challenger and Centennial at the steam shop in Cheyenne. 

This was a good project, in my opinion.  They eliminated the higher-maintenance front cooling system by using off-the-shelf parts that could be changed out quickly.

I like both of those Rich. have a great Saturday.

Great pictures so far guys!

Andy, I've never seen that SW10 before, very cool.  I agree with Mike, it'd be great to see one of those in O.

Mike, when are those guys going to finish that construction?

CNJ Bob,  those poor switchers look they they've been run "through the mill"!

Steamer Dave, great pictures as always!  I wonder where that #2079 is from?

On a separate note, I found the following picture this week on the NY Public Library picture archive, wondering what sort of critter we have here as the picture isn't so great.

http://digitalcollections.nypl...d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Murnane posted:

On a separate note, I found the following picture this week on the NY Public Library picture archive, wondering what sort of critter we have here as the picture isn't so great.

http://digitalcollections.nypl...d9-e040-e00a18064a99

 

 

This is a New York Elevated Steam Forney. These were the power for the Elevated trains until the coming of electrification. A lot of them were displaced around 1910 and went on to further lives in Logging, road building, industry and construction.  Chicago had very similar engines with a similar fate.

One Chicago engine is preserved at the Forney Museum in Colorado and Three ex NY EL engines are rusting away abandoned on the tundra of Alaska after abandonment following a railroad construction project.

These are engines I would absolutly LOVE to have done in O scale. There are a pair of them in a nice diorama that used to be in the railroad hall at the Smithsonian in DC that has been brought to the NYC Transit Miseum in Brooklyn. I have always loved this model and remember it fondly having grown up in DC. 

Thanks Andy, A+ for you today!

Here's another I came across on the NYPL archive, I think someone recently posted something about steamers like this one, they look like boxcabs but you can tell it has a boiler because the front looks like it protrudes a little bit.

http://digitalcollections.nypl...d9-e040-e00a18064a99

View from the back of that thing?

A few from my 2 Rail HiRail mockup:

Rich. 

For the Cornelius Vanderbilt Memorial Brown-nosing extra credit score. That is a NYCentral Shay. Built with a Dummy cab it worked 10th Ave until the Highline came and had a "Westside Cowboy" escort. 

A little clue is the offset boiler to make room for the big Pistons on that side. 

That's awesome Andy, do you think that second picture was the tender for that thing?

Jonathan, great pictures, I just followed those two groups on FB, thanks for sharing.

Rich

Yeah. I think it is running tender first. It was probably easier to see out that side anyway. 

man, that thing looks very "Frankenstein"!

Murnane posted:

Great pictures so far guys!

Andy, I've never seen that SW10 before, very cool.  I agree with Mike, it'd be great to see one of those in O.

Mike, when are those guys going to finish that construction?

CNJ Bob,  those poor switchers look they they've been run "through the mill"!

Steamer Dave, great pictures as always!  I wonder where that #2079 is from?

 

On a separate note, I found the following picture this week on the NY Public Library picture archive, wondering what sort of critter we have here as the picture isn't so great.

http://digitalcollections.nypl...d9-e040-e00a18064a99

 

 

That is a Forney locomotive. Those lovely little devils, someone made one out of a Marx plastic wedge tender and a William Crooks engine; think it was Steve Eastman who had it.

O-6-0 saddle tank switching some candy cars from Tallinn Estonia.

Hi all,

 Happy "Switcher Saturday" everyone. I am a little late for the party because I had to work this morning...

 Rich mentioned not having a real #1656. Here is mine from a few years ago on my last layout. The rods had a slight coating of rust, resulting in a nickname of  "Rusty." It was/is a good runner. Check out those hand-painted clouds! 

Tom

I got my new LC+ BN NW2 out of the box this week, and put it to work dragging my TMCC signal test train around. Plan is to give this baby a real workout this afternoon.

A few more Birmingham Southerns

Date: 10/17/2006	Location: Fairfield, AL   Map	Views: 592	Collection Of:   Neil Stutzman
Locomotives: BS 260(MP15DC) BS 304(Yard Slug) BS 353(SW1500) BS 371(MP15DC)			Author:  Neil Stutzman

ate: 6/9/2008	Location: Birmingham, AL   Map	Views: 177	Collection Of:   Michael E. Hoskins
Locomotives: BS 371(MP15DC)			Author:  Michael E. Hoskins

Murnane posted:

the K-Line is super detailed, but doesn't like my itsy-bitsy-tiny layout tight curves like the Lionel 0-4-0s do.

Rich (Murnane) I'm curious... does the K-Line loco bind on O-27 because of a longer wheelbase?  Extra drag from the traction tires?

Which "modern" locos have you found that run well on O-27?  Thanks!

Hello Switcher Saturday Friends!  Great photos and information as always!!

I was sitting on the bank next to the main line in Patsburg and happened to snap these photos of a B&O SW 9 switcher and crew working the daily switch job. ( the B&O caboose is a Williams brass which I scored at the Timonium show last month ).  I also snapped a photo of a Baltimore and Annapolis switch job with their caboose as well. ( this one has been up on SwSwat before )

Murnane posted:

Great pictures so far guys!

Mike, when are those guys going to finish that construction?

 

 

 

It's New Jersey....all municipal work has been put on hold until Gov. Christie sees what kind of Cabinet position he'll get in the Trump Administration!  

Murnane posted:

Thanks Andy, A+ for you today!

Here's another I came across on the NYPL archive, I think someone recently posted something about steamers like this one, they look like boxcabs but you can tell it has a boiler because the front looks like it protrudes a little bit.

http://digitalcollections.nypl...d9-e040-e00a18064a99

 

View from the back of that thing?

Rich,

  What you have there is geared steam locomotive (probably a Shay, like those at Cass, WV), normally used on logging railroads, seen here covered by shrouding to not scare the horses. 

Tom 

"Steamer Dave, great pictures as always!  I wonder where that #2079 is from?"

Rich that is Louisville and Nashville #2079, 7/11/47 in Evansville,Indiana. I really need to add the info with the pics, but there are times I'm lucky to do the pics.

 

Ted Sowirka posted:

Murnane posted:

the K-Line is super detailed, but doesn't like my itsy-bitsy-tiny layout tight curves like the Lionel 0-4-0s do.

Rich (Murnane) I'm curious... does the K-Line loco bind on O-27 because of a longer wheelbase?  Extra drag from the traction tires?

Which "modern" locos have you found that run well on O-27?  Thanks!

I haven't 100% figured out why the K-Line A5 doesn't like my small layout's tight curves, I think it might have to do with the connection bar between the engine and the tender being a little long.  There are two holes on that bar, if you try to use the tight one it just can't curve enough (behaves like a longer engine, longer wheelbase, not enough pivot left-to-right) but I'm not certain why it doesn't like the longer one, for some reason I think it'd be better (give it more pivot space because the tender wouldn't bump into the engine), but haven't spent any time on it to figure out.

I can tell you that my Lionel conventional 0-4-0s (1615/1656 style) work awesome on my O27 (and sometimes tighter) curves.  They also behave quite nicely with my automatic tubular switches on my workbench layout, which is a continuos "dogbone" type of layout, looks like this as it has two switches ->   O_____O .   I now have three of these (NYC #1665, C&O #39, and Angela Trotta Thomas #1991).

Other engines on the roster which work great on my O27 (and tighter) curves and tubular switches:
- Lionel PRR #8977 B6 (6-18000) 
- Lionel "James" steamer from Thomas the Tank Engine, I call this a switcher but I guess it's not really, no front coupler, 
- Lionel PRR #561 0-8-0 steamer from a RTR set
- Lionel Postwar #246 2-4-2 Scout steamer

Engines which work great on my O27 (and tighter) curves but sometimes have issues tripping my automatic switches:
- dockside switchers (both MTH and Lionel)
- K-Line Plymouth
- K-Line MP15 (somewhat older engine I recently picked up for cheap at a show)

Other engines (some not switchers) in the roster which do not like O27 (or slightly smaller) curves:
- RMT Bang which has very long couplers which don't quite have enough movement left-to-right which cause me issues, that was a surprise since the engine is small I thought it'd be a "tight curve no brainer", but it's not.
- Atlas SW900
- MTH LCT 262E: does not like O27
- MTH/RailKing Berkshire (obviously, this thing is huge)
- Williams by Bachmann GP30

Here's a link to a good forum thread which discusses some "old school" 027 friendly engines:
https://ogrforum.com/t...-locomotives-for-027

Note:  when I say "tighter than O27", my workbench dogbone layout has tubular O27 track that I've cut down a little bit to fit my workbench, so the curve ends up being more like O25.5.  But.... I do have a couple other small layouts with "real" O27 curves (here and here).

What a great Switcher Saturday we had this week, thanks to everyone who stopped by for a visit and a special thanks to those of you who shared your pictures and stories.

See you next week!

Great images this week as usual guys.

Hey Rich. I just looked at some of the links you posted.

I really like the really like the small wood boxed in layout it looks like fun for the kids.  Your hollow door layout inspired me to pull mine out and see how much is involved in fixing it up again after time stuffed behind the Boiler in my old place. 

It is a bit worse for wear with no buildings or real scenery. The door was an odd size 22 inches by 6 feet. I was able to squeeze in a loop and a dog bone out of K-line Superstreets track as a trolley layout. So everything is under O-27. The layout mostly was running Atlas Industrial Rail Trollies I had modified to run tighter than O-27 by removing some limiting screws.

I  made it as part of a micro layout contest people used to do here occasionally on the forum. Articles for at least two issues of OGR came directly from these. It has been at least 2 years since we have done one maybe it is time to revisit the idea. I found the whole thing very motivating and a fun way to get something done. 

Maybe a switch layout with three switches under a certain size would be a fun excersise. 

I never knew the NYC even had a Shay locos!! I can't believe what I find out on this forum.  Thanks for the great posts guys.

PRR BB1's

Almost forgot about these.

Might as well throw this one in too.

Ron

mike.caruso posted:

Wow, those first two posts have a lot of switchers.  Hard to follow that but here goes!

I love those SW10s!  Wish someone would make a few of those in O!  

Mike.....always love pictures of your layout!

Peter

Since there were some pictures of the elevated Forney's posted, I thought I would add another one.  I too would love to see this made in O gauge.  I would probably buy a couple.

Dennis

nice looking little switcher. that stack reminds me of the truckers I see around my work that have the mile high stacks on their trucks...then forget how tall they are when they back into a building to load.

Putnam Division posted:

mike.caruso posted:

Wow, those first two posts have a lot of switchers.  Hard to follow that but here goes!

I love those SW10s!  Wish someone would make a few of those in O!  

Mike.....always love pictures of your layout!

Peter

Thanks Peter!    It's small but at least it's something.  

CNJ 3676 posted:

trumptrain posted:

I also snapped a photo of a Baltimore and Annapolis switch job with their caboose as well. 

Patrick:

I like your model of the Baltimore & Annapolis 87. Here's a shot of the real thing from the Don's Depot website:

Bob

Thanks Bob for the photo of the proto number 87!     MTH did a great job on the model reproduction!  IMHO   Its hard to find one of these models.  I've only seen one listed on the Bay in the last eight years.  I bought mine several years ago at The Great Scale Train Show in Timonium Maryland.   I'm keeping my eye out looking for one for Rich.