Switcher Saturday: 2016-Nov-05

Hi Rich, Thanks for posting another week for us to play.

I mentioned I had a picture on my desk from when I visited Amtrak's Rensselaer Shop to photograph their last 2 FL9's. So here is the photo that I took as I left with my patient co-workers as we were leaving for a conference in Queensbury, NY. Sorry, the quality is not the greatest, since it is a picture of a picture (and I'm in it!), but there is an Amtrak diesel switcher there lined up with other switchers.

My other contribution is a rather clean looking Pennsylvania Railroad #9201 B6 switcher that is on a line of its own. The headlight is covered (and it looks like the smoke stack, too) so it could be "stored serviceable," instead of the "dead line" which would often have headlights, whistles and builder's plates removed. It was built in 1906 by Juniata, renumbered as #9982 in 1948 and gone by 1951.So, it is possible, with its original numbering, this photo may be the late 1940's when post WWII traffic was much slower, causing units to be sidelined.

Tom

Another post!
Last week while we were in Western Maryland for a kids lacrosse tournament we made an early morning pit stop in Hagerstown MD at the Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum.  We were too early to get into the museum but we were still able to take a look at Western Maryland #132 Baldwin VO-1000!

There is a CTX yard right next to this place and man do they have some power ready to roll....

There's also a little switcher sitting way off to the side, looks like the little critter needs some attention, too bad I couldn't get closer for a look!

YAY! SWSat is on!

Rich your yard is looking great!  I really like how that S curve was eliminated. I hope you are happy. 

This week a quick one from me I have to build some holiday windows at work. So I am posting some images of some newer subway switchers these came from Wabtec in 2012 and are classed R152 by the MTA. There are 28 engines in the class. They have nice big windows in the cab end because of the offset doorway and so have an assymetrical "face".

Rich,

Your yard is looking good. You almost have as much power and track as CSX!

Tom 

 Local  freight has arrived at the steel mill  and the local switcher for the steelmill  is ready to start  switching.

drops

one gondola

 One hoper car 

 Dump car 

 One tank car 

 Pick up 

 One box car 

 Two hoppers cars  

One  gondola 

    Second picture is when it Finishes it work 

Lower Montour trail. Chance shot on a bike ride several years ago.

For this weekend I have some pictures of former Rdg 2102!

Okay , not exactly.  This is a former Rdg co engine that eventually ended up with PPL in Montana and now is at Brunner Island power plant in PA . It is set up for remote control operation so I took some extrz pics of the coupler pin pulling set up.

Enjoy, Happy Switcher Saturday 

your layout is getting there Rich. Have a great weekend guys.

how about some Pennsy Power?

#42 at Chicago in 1948

#94 in Northumberland in '65

#218 Canton.Ohio '37

#338 Hoboken '30

Wonderful photos and information as always guys!!

Rich your yard looks really terrific !!  I think of yards as playgrounds for switchers.  Your yard has got me thinking about building a possible yard on my layout.  Having a yard certainly adds to the operational element of model railroading for sure!!

Great to be back in action here for Switcher Saturday.  I was rehearsing. performing and teaching in Princeton NJ last weekend and had no time to check in with SWSAT ... however SWSAT was in my thoughts

Here's some pics from the Free State Junction Railway.  I dug into my archives and found some pics of my B&O Docksider performing is duties.  Sorry if these photos have appeared on SWSAT before.  Have a great weekend everyone!!!!

Silver Lake posted:

This week a quick one from me . . . I am posting some images of some newer subway switchers these came from Wabtec in 2012 and are classed R152 by the MTA. There are 28 engines in the class. They have nice big windows in the cab end because of the offset doorway and so have an assymetrical "face".

Thanks, Silver Lake.  Most of us would never see these engines, and I, for one, didn't even know they existed.  I think Ben Fioriello would look good in the window of one of these.

Great pictures and comments so far all, thanks for making this so much fun each week!

Steamer posted:

your layout is getting there Rich. Have a great weekend guys.

how about some Pennsy Power?

#42 at Chicago in 1948

#94 in Northumberland in '65

#218 Canton.Ohio '37

#338 Hoboken '30

 

Great photos, thanks for sharing.  When I see railroad operations from those days, I often have to stop and think about the amount of manual labor that went into tasks as mundane as switching operations.  Here you have a steam locomotive, that is no different, except for size and purpose, than their bigger and faster brothers and sisters.  Yet, all of the functions are the same.  Come to think of it, I doubt, though I can't say for sure, that these switchers had an Archimedes screw.  

The sheer number of jobs that were around back then is sometimes sobering to think about.  They say that when you know better, you do better.  I would love to go back in time, even for just a few days, to witness a time before modern ways of life.

My contribution today.  I'm always excited to see the GT in town as they don't come around often.  

GT #7203 Battle Creek 1932

     #7491 Detroit '32

Steamer posted:

how about some Pennsy Power?

#218 Canton.Ohio '37

 

Dave, Great pictures, all taken with the then socially acceptable "rods down"...especially this one of Pennsy B8 #218 which is probably seen in the early morning sun, lighting up its drivers. I think I mentioned recently about rerailing frogs...one can be seen hanging on the tender side between the trucks. #218 was built by Juniata in 1906 and scrapped in June 1946. 

Tom 

Bonus material of GT4911 switching at the Lakeside Yard.  

good eye Tom.