Switcher Saturday: 2019-April-06

OK. Your photo there reminded me I have such an steam locomotive. Here it is in-place, having moved a coal hopper into place to make a delivery...

FrankM, Moon Township, USA

great pictures @Moonson Frank, I love your layout!

Yay!  SWSat has returned to form! Welcome back Rich! That guy hosting last week could not even figure out how to post an image in the topic post. 

We had a great week last week with really great posts thank you so much for the chance to pull the lead trick. I am sure this week will outshine it like we do almost every week. 

Last week I helped at my clubs train meet so I do apologize for not returning over the course of the day. I spent a good amount of time serving hotdogs and not on the trade floor to avoid temptation. The Joint NYSME/METCA show in East Rutherford NJ was great and as usual something did latch on and follow me home. 

I have had a plan to make a RS3M for years. I finally found the perfect candidate and I will not even have to paint most of it. 

I have always been very interested in the prototype of these. This was a project started in Penn Central days and carried into Conrail to extend the life of these RS 3s. As you see these look mostly like the RS3 that they started as but have been modified by adding EMD engines from retired passenger E7s and E8s.  Since the Es had two engines in each body they could repower two RS3s with each E unit. These were referred to as “Dewitt Geeps” because many of the modifications were done there. There was a lot of variety and experimentation. Externally most modifications were on the top of the long hood. The EMD engine needed new intake fans at the end and because the EMD engine was taller it needed a boxed out higher section over the engine itself. Also there were new exhaust stacks added. Finally the cab windows over the hoods were blocked out.

 The 9933 started as a 1955 NYC RS3 was modified in 1977 and continued in its new form until retired in 1986. So the modifications allowed another 9 years of service.

So I found this 2 rail Weaver at the show that was already in Conrail paint and in fact  as you can see has the road number of an RS3M already so I just need to do the work and fill paint. 

Later in the week I was back at the club and ran my Dapol 2 rail O scale A1 Terrier 0-6-0T for awhile. Here it is comparing notes with another club members familiar tank engine.

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

Happy Switcher Saturday everyone! Rats...Spring may be here in the Northeast which sadly means outdoor yard work may soon be near... 

Rich, thanks for starting us up again.

Here is my most recently acquired #228. 

Tom 

Murnane posted:

Guess what day it is?

It's Switcher Saturday!!!!

And of course, switchers did work the hump:

Rusty

Andy/SILVERLAKE, I always had a fondness for the RS3m's. It was really one of the first freight locomotives that I was able to watch in service in nearby Mt. Vernon, NY. Good luck with your project.

I found this online...Here is weirdest looking RS3m that I ever saw...check out the non existent short hood, seen in Harrisburg, Pa.:

Oh, yes, that was the famous "PECR CENTRA" Railroad! 

Tom

Happy SWSAT!  Yes Spring is a bitter sweet time for model railroading but here’s one more thought of winter I took this pic of my bosses Switcher on one cold Feb. day this year. Enjoy your weekend 

Tom, how many 228's do you own? 

Btw, spring may be here but there is freshly deposited snow here this morning in mid coast Maine! I guess my yard work clean up is delayed once again, lol.  this surprised snow has snuck up on us three times this month! 

thanks for the contrail RS 9950 short hood pecacentra missing hood photo, interestingly odd!

Leroof

Brand spanking new MTH SP&S RS-3 from Pats Trains.

Happy SWSat!

You scared me for a minute Rich. Thought it was Wednesday and I'm on the couch when I should be at work

Andy- Looks like a nice project made easier when you find the right model to start with. Sounds like Conrail's engineers were a creative bunch.

Tom- One day you are going to surprise us with your 228 sitting on your new layout .

Rusty- can't hump without switchers.

Lee- does your boss give cab rides?

This week the B&O / C&O and Chessie are busy moving freight around town. Running my MPC GP-20 for the first time in a while. Love the slow speed growl! Who needs PS-3 sounds?????

Have a great weekend everyone.

Bob

Here is a new addition to my HO collection.  Big Brother can teach him the ropes in the yard...

Rich, waiting patiently for the A-5 videos. What a cool loco!

Bill T posted:

Brand spanking new MTH SP&S RS-3 from Pats Trains.

Saw this when you posted on Buy anything cool......

It's a beautiful engine Bill. Enjoy

Bob, nice video and photos, what cool equipment on a wonderful layout! 

Quite motivating me to go into my cold basement and warm up the ZW!

leroof

A couple of random shots around the layout:

Tom

Good morning fellow SWSAT friends!!  Great photos everyone  Rich - love that A5!  My A5 has been running on my layout since I purchased it back in early February.  It is becoming one of my favorites.   

 I've been doing some further weathering work on my Docksider and will show photos when it's complete.  I really do enjoy the process of weathering work.  I'll be purchasing a Shay in York next Friday.  It may become a candidate for weathering.   

As I've been out of town performing and teaching in NC, ( hence no photo contribution to SWSAT last week ) I've not had any time for trains.  Today's photos are some reruns showing my C&O 0-8-0 and B&O SW 9.  I'm contemplating weathering the O - 8 - 0.  Time will tell.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone and if you are going to York .... ENJOY!! 

Leroof posted:

Rich, waiting patiently for the A-5 videos. What a cool loco!

I got distracted, thanks for the reminder!!!!  

MTH posted a nice video of their MP15's this week...

Click on the triangle to access a Photobucket video of the two switchers/Pennsy shifters. 

Murnane posted:

Leroof posted:

Rich, waiting patiently for the A-5 videos. What a cool loco!

I got distracted, thanks for the reminder!!!!  

 

Rich can you talk a bit about this track work? I see 4 rails. 

What is going on with the track here? Does your club run American Flyer on this layout as well? I like how the track pulls away at the turnout. 

Leroof posted:

Bob, nice video and photos, what cool equipment on a wonderful layout! 

Quite motivating me to go into my cold basement and warm up the ZW!

leroof

Thank you! It's my little bit of happiness on a 4X8 sheet of plywood.

Put on a sweat shirt and go run your trains.

Leroof posted:

Tom, how many 228's do you own? 

Leroof

I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me! 

I have assured Dave/Steamer that I (probably) do not own more than 0.026666666666667% of the production of Lionel's 15,000 #228's. 

Tom

Here's my 1615 moving a Lionel 821 to the yard

Alton and Southern #35

A&S #14 0-10-0

and a messily 0-8-0 #12

Speaking of hump day...from 1:56 to 3:12 there is some good hump yard activity

Tom 

Silver Lake posted:

Murnane posted:

Leroof posted:

Rich, waiting patiently for the A-5 videos. What a cool loco!

I got distracted, thanks for the reminder!!!!  

 

 

Rich can you talk a bit about this track work? I see 4 rails. 

What is going on with the track here? Does your club run American Flyer on this layout as well? I like how the track pulls away at the turnout. 

Your right Andy, that outside "upper" track is both O and S, apparently one of the founding members had tons of American Flyer trains and I think he paid for that track himself or something, I've heard different accounts of the story and he's no longer with us (passed a couple years ago) so I honestly haven't seen anyone running flyer stuff up there since joining.  That outer line runs to small yard type of section, which gives the feeling of being abandoned of course.

I also like that tubular inner track because it has no switches, which makes running my old tinplate stuff easier, it's also nice because it's fairly reliable and I never derail with anything up there, so if I just want to run something in loops that inner tubular track will be my "go to" track.

The layout has two really nice lower tracks (Gargraves track and Ross switches), with a yard, crossover, and big curves, so I usually run "up top" with my switchers allowing the guys with big trains can run down below (unless I'm there by myself).  An example of this would be this week my buddy Mike brought his new MTH E-8's (RF&P) with passenger cars, though not switcher related these things are incredible, video here (thought you might like them, being an RF&P fan).  Speaking of RF&P, my buddy said the historical meeting last week was great, I know you are still a member, I'll likely join soon too:

My MTH Premier New York Central USRA 0-4-0 and 0-6-0 locomotives are the steam engine switchers that I run most often. They would be sufficient for me even if they were the only locomotives that I own. They mostly pull short freights and a caboose on my layouts and I sometimes run them double-headed.

MELGAR

I like that idea Rich. I like the track work. It is almost like a gauntlet track running side by side in a compressed space. 

Those RF&P engines look great. Someday I will finish one of my RF&P projects. As for now I am collecting enough Fruit Growers Express cars to run a respectable train from the Alexandria FGE shops.

I guess when you join the historical society they will change it to the Rich(Murnane), Fredericksburg and Patchogue. 

Happy Switcher Saturday. Some MEC S2 #301 pics.

Silver Lake posted:

I always thought the PC shop crews turned out the most sanitary looking of all the EMD into RS-2/3 repower efforts, including EMD's efforts (GP hood onto an RS platform).

Those boys at the PC shops were good.

Here's one of the efforts of the PC Shops in its after-life:

I think I shot the above picture of Fort Smith Railroad #7802 in the very early 1990's at Fort Smith, AR. My understanding is that some referred to this engine as "Christine", however that may have been started by the railfan circles?

Andre

 My NYC Beep and custom caboose.  Note painting the Beep’s “chrome” handrails really improves the appearance of the engine.  The caboose is made from a postwar Lionel flatcar and work caboose cabin.

Switching the scrapyard this morning:

Huh. I need to find a lot more scrap. And a flatbed Ford full of junk.

Lew

Brian, that is quite an interesting machine.

http://www.vaiacar.com/p/en/ra...-locomotive-340.html

Lew

MNCW posted:

Leroof posted:

Tom, how many 228's do you own? 

Leroof

I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me! 

I have assured Dave/Steamer that I (probably) do not own more than 0.026666666666667% of the production of Lionel's 15,000 #228's. 

Tom

Sounds like 00000100 in binary... (Sorry)

MELGAR

Steamtown   May, 2018

Steve

Bill T posted:

Brand spanking new MTH SP&S RS-3 from Pats Trains.

You had to go and put this picture up didn’t you? So  I had to go ahead and order one right away. The catalog photo didn’t do this loco justice at all. Gheesh.

Thanks a lot. Just saying...  

Bob, i did just that, an my post war switchers. It's  a bit warmer now, there was new snow on the ground and cars this a.m., now sunshine and 47 degrees! 

Rich, gotta love that footage of A-5! Awesome.

BAR  GP7 #63, great photos of MEC.  your MEC 301 with the string of state of Maine potatoe 40 footers is spectacular!

 My next scale project (shelved for a few years now but begging to revive) is MEC #11. The pine green 44 Toner. I have had the  custom decals made for it. Here's a proto photo to share on switcher saturday.

Leroof posted:

Bob, i did just that, an my post war switchers. It's  a bit warmer now, there was new snow on the ground and cars this a.m., now sunshine and 47 degrees! 

Rich, gotta love that footage of A-5! Awesome.

BAR  GP7 #63, great photos of MEC.  your MEC 301 with the string of state of Maine potatoe 40 footers is spectacular!

 My next scale project (shelved for a few years now but begging to revive) is MEC #11. The pine green 44 Toner. I have had the  custom decals made for it. Here's a proto photo to share on switcher saturday.

LEROOF. Thank you very much. BAR, MEC and B&M O-scale items are very hard to find. I just finished one of mine Weawer Models MEC -caboose and still a one to go. 44 tonner looking great, i hope you post pics when ready. 

Johan