Switcher Saturday: 2019-February-02

Happy Switcher Saturday and Happy Groundhog Day.

So, will our switchers see their shadows today?  

My contribution is my latest Lionel prewar #228. 

Rich, thanks for getting us up early to start us off.

Tom 

MNCW posted:

Happy Switcher Saturday and Happy Groundhog Day.

So, will our switchers see their shadows today?  

My contribution is my latest Lionel prewar #228. 

 

Rich, thanks for getting us up early to start us off.

Tom 

Hey Tom, You're welcome!  That #228 looks like it's in great shape, I hope it runs good!  

I had no idea it was groundhog day, I would have done a PRR train instead!

I got it covered! No worries. 

Tom 

Yay! SWSat is “on”! 

We are off to a great start this AM. 

Rich that RF&P train is near and dear to my heart. Even Lionel has hopped on the wagon and is finally following that 70’s era one 9700 MPC series boxcar with a Berk in O and S and in the newest catalog some GP35s. Took them long enough.

Last Sunday I went up to the Westchester Toy and Train show and visited a bit with Tom P./MNCW. The show had fewer dealers and deals than The December run.

At the show I found a very low priced MPC switcher that was perfect to do something with I have been thinking about for awhile. So far Lionel has only offered the dynamic brake blister on three switchers. The Alaska NW2 as well as the MPC version of the same and the White Pass one from about 5 years ago. So the blister has only been offered in yellow and the more recent orange. I got an orange replacement part and have been waiting to do something with it. 

The color match is very close but not perfect. I have always liked how these really transform the appearance of the NW2. My first idea was to get a yellow blister and put it on a Yellow Kughn era Navy NW2. That one even had a calf unit offered.  A brake blister on a calf would look really neat I think. 

I also picked up another MPC piece. To this day it is the only Stars Wars piece Lionel has ever made. Extra SWSat points to whoever can name the piece.

So that’s my funny project this week. Hope you all are staying warm, have a great weekend. I can’t wait to see what you post. 

Happy Saturday Guys. 

Burlington # 515 unknown time and place

#562 in Kansas City

#565 in Lincoln Nebraska in 1957

Happy SWSat

If a switcher sees its shadow does that mean 6 more weeks of train time or an early Spring

Great start to another Saturday

Your friend has a nice layout Rich
Tom that 228 looks good
Andy- nice add to a trusty NW-2
Great 1:1 photos Dave!

A couple of repeats this week. Didn't have time to put a new post together. Thursday was the 3rd anniversary for my layout. Didn't do much in the past year except buy a lot of stuff.....Need to get back to scenery building this year.

A little B-6 action for the PRR fans.

Bob

Silver Lake posted:

Yay! SWSat is “on”! 

We are off to a great start this AM. 

Rich that RF&P train is near and dear to my heart. Even Lionel has hopped on the wagon and is finally following that 70’s era one 9700 MPC series boxcar with a Berk in O and S and in the newest catalog some GP35s. Took them long enough.

At the show I found a very low priced MPC switcher that was perfect to do something with I have been thinking about for awhile. So far Lionel has only offered the dynamic brake blister on three switchers. The Alaska NW2 as well as the MPC version of the same and the White Pass one from about 5 years ago. So the blister has only been offered in yellow and the more recent orange. I got an orange replacement part and have been waiting to do something with it. 

The color match is very close but not perfect. I have always liked how these really transform the appearance of the NW2. My first idea was to get a yellow blister and put it on a Yellow Kughn era Navy NW2. That one even had a calf unit offered.  A brake blister on a calf would look really neat I think. 

I also picked up another MPC piece. To this day it is the only Stars Wars piece Lionel has ever made. Extra SWSat points to whoever can name the piece.

So that’s my funny project this week. Hope you all are staying warm, have a great weekend. I can’t wait to see what you post. 

Yeah, there are a bunch of guys here that collect the RF&P stuff, Mike (from the video) ordered some recently from MTH and apparently they are just about ready for him to pick up.

I like your project work Andy, always fun to hear about, also glad you were able to see Tom.

Stay warm...Rich

@RSJB18 - that B6 looks good, I'll probably end up running mine tonight just because you're and Tom's pictures!

@Steamer - I really like that #515 picture, great find.

Have a good weekend guys...Rich

Beep, Beep, and more Beep action on the Seattle & Yakima RR.

Old pictures, Steamtown, Scranton, PA.  

Just got an email from forum sponsor "Mario's Trains" - a couple good deals on switchers if anyone's shopping...

Rich,those 0-8-0 switchers are are big and brawny and look like they mean business.  It looks like it's running well too.

Andy are you planning on 2 railing that MPC switcher?

Happy SWSAT & Groundhog Day!  No shadow here with the freezing fog.  With 0(felt like -30)on Wednesday, and 50's tomorrow, the weather is unpredictable!  I will stay in and hang out in the train room again!

A couple of empty B&O cars waiting to be loaded.

                                                All LIRR weekend here...………..

Great LIRR stuff @SIRT

Boston & Maine SW9 #1223 by Atlas O.

MELGAR

Happy Switcher Saturday everyone!!   Great stuff everyone!!  

Rich - thanks so much for getting us rolling off to a great start.  Btw- I forgot to mention (in responding to you in the TTT thread) how much I enjoyed seeing the photo taken of you and me back at the B&O Museum!  Thanks for that!  Great 0-8-0 NYC switcher you have too ... it seems to be doing a prototype speed for being out on the mainline too.  

This week I have some new photos of my MTH  B&O dockside.... at the loco service area ... and pushing a depressed center flat.   I glued a Gargraves wooden cross tie over the front pilot, creating a pilot beam,  to close the gap over the coupler.  I got that idea from Tom MNCW who installed a prototypical pilot beam on his dockside..... thanks Tom!  Have a wonderful weekend everyone and for those in the cold climates ... be safe and warm! 

Happy SWSAT!  Enjoy your weekend play with trains.

Some locals working the layout:

Tom

I don't have a new model to show you so today it will be a "pot pourri" of different little criters in a french museum of narrow gauge industrial railways. Maybe some ideas of models to reproduce...

Have a nice weekend,   Daniel

MELGAR posted:

Boston & Maine SW9 #1223 by Atlas O.

MELGAR

Mel

What a beautiful pic! And I like that  bridge 

lee drennen posted:

MELGAR posted:

Boston & Maine SW9 #1223 by Atlas O.

MELGAR

Mel

What a beautiful pic! And I like that  bridge 

Thank you, Lee. I appreciate it.

MELGAR

Happy Switcher Saturday To All.

A short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6AQqPp0z4k

Here are a pair of switcher photos from the Great Northeastern Railway, "The standard railroad of the basement". The first is a re-run from way back. It is the Coca-Cola company's switcher at the engine service area. The second photo is a PRR, 0-6-0 switcher on the siding at the Great Northeastern Railway's headquarters awaiting its next switching assignment in the yard.

Lion Chief+ B&O Switcher hauling some scrap loads.

Happy Switcher Saturday everyone its been a little while for me but I'm still in the love relationship with MA & PA.

My 0-6-0 #29 MA & PA with I believe was in use until 1955.

Mel, I'm another admirer of your trestle.  Is that a scratch build or a kit.

Johan, that's another nice example of a transfer caboose.  Is that another scratch build or a repaint?

Joe: OGR member Brother Love build that GBW -caboose, i only made a weathering work.

Johan

coach joe posted:

Mel, I'm another admirer of your trestle.  Is that a scratch build or a kit.

Thanks Joe,

Trestle was scratch-built from basswood as was the through-truss bridge in the background of the photo. A trestle is not difficult to do. In my opinion, either of these bridge types requires that the layout terrain be planned in advance to best present the bridge. I had considered offering to build bridges and structures to order but was too busy working on this layout. 

MELGAR

A couple new "Switchers" added to the roster - my cousin's husband sent me a box of dust/rust/goodies last night and I dug these two out, cleaned them up, and got them rolling before heading out this afternoon.

I normally wouldn't call the FA a switcher, but the plate on the bottom of the motor says something about "Lionel Switcher" so...   The USMC thing is hysterical, I need to get the firing mechanism working next so I can launch missiles at my kids and my dog.

And by the way, they both have Magna-Traction - which is actually kind of neat.

Rich,

You're gonna shoot your eye out, kid.

Here's my post. I was doing a size comparison on the MTH 44-tonner & Railking SD70ACe. It's a shoutout to Rich's RF&P friends.

Charlie

Great posts, everyone! Stay warm and dry and we’ll see you next Sat.

This is a very confused switcher me thinks.

Murnane posted:

 

A couple new "Switchers" added to the roster - my cousin's husband sent me a box of dust/rust/goodies last night and I dug these two out, cleaned them up, and got them rolling before heading out this afternoon.

I normally wouldn't call the FA a switcher, but the plate on the bottom of the motor says something about "Lionel Switcher" so...   The USMC thing is hysterical, I need to get the firing mechanism working next so I can launch missiles at my kids and my dog.

And by the way, they both have Magna-Traction - which is actually kind of neat.

 

Cool stuff Rich. Couple of post-war classics
They both look like they are in great shape.

Bob

RSJB18 posted:

Murnane posted:

 

 

A couple new "Switchers" added to the roster - my cousin's husband sent me a box of dust/rust/goodies last night and I dug these two out, cleaned them up, and got them rolling before heading out this afternoon.

I normally wouldn't call the FA a switcher, but the plate on the bottom of the motor says something about "Lionel Switcher" so...   The USMC thing is hysterical, I need to get the firing mechanism working next so I can launch missiles at my kids and my dog.

And by the way, they both have Magna-Traction - which is actually kind of neat.

 

Cool stuff Rich. Couple of post-war classics
They both look like they are in great shape.

Bob

Thanks Bob, they were really filthy so I took the shells off, cleaned them in the kitchen sink when my wife wasn't paying attention, and took the bases/frames/etc. out to the garage for a good cleaning.  I ended up using "CRC Quick Dry Electronic Cleaner" which seemed to do pretty good.  Once they were mostly clean, I found information online after Googling for "How to repair and maintain Lionel postwar locomotives" which helped me figure out what to do next to get them running, so took them down to the basement workbench for more detailed cleaning.  I of course almost lost one of the brushes on the floor of my basement when it went flying, took me about an hour to find it.  

Overall it was fun to get these things going again, there is a #50 gang car (without figures) that I got rolling too, will post pictures of that next week.  A quick look on daBay shows the gang cars are pretty inexpensive, and I see figures available so I'll likely buy them or just find some random figures to ride on that one.  I was really happy the USMC car had the one figure on it still.

The best part of all this was I took a couple videos of the USMC and the C&O running around my track, and sent them to the guy who gave me the trains.  He immediately called me back and was thrilled to tell me all about how he got them and how he's had them boxed up and he's been moving the box of trains from house-to-house, and storage-unit to house, etc... for 25 years - I didn't have the heart to tell him it's been more like 40+ years.

For all you other "Switcher Fans" - thanks for another great Switcher Saturday!

See you guys next week...Rich

That's a great article. Just downloaded it and saved for future reference.

Thanks