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Happy Switcher Saturday everyone! I am happily pitch-hitting for our friend Rich Murnane, aka Super Dad, who is taking care of family duties. 

This is the creed I think we should follow (for at least today): 

We are a bunch of humble, switcher-loving, do-gooders who love all things switcher-related. So, if you have a switcher, have a picture of a switcher or smell like a switcher, post your switcher pictures, here!  We are also very deep and humble! In fact we are so humble, we should have a side-topic about how humble we are!  

Tom's humble meter smaller better

I thought I would provide an update for some of my prewar switcher fleet...see the first picture below. 

As I mentioned recently, I have a few Lionel #228 prewar switchers. Here are three of the four. My "Old reliable" #228 is to the left, my just returned (from Harry Henning's train shop) is in the middle and my most recently purchased #228 is on the right, with it's postwar couplers. The repaired loco (middle) now runs very well and very quietly...thank you Harry & Tom Henning

The newly purchased #228, the one to the right, ran very well, albeit noisy. Last Sunday, I used the slightest bit of Red "N" Tacky grease (first time ever using it) on the gears and a couple of drops of Labelle Oil on the armature shaft...boy, is she super nice and quiet now, too! I am officially a Red "N" Tacky convert. 

Before my friend, Dave/Steamer chimes in about my #228 "problem," I need to again point out in my defense that I only have 0.026666666666667% of the 15,000 that Lionel was estimated to have produced for the production run of #228's. This percent has not changed since last week! That's my story and I'm sticking to it! 

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Using my newest #228 for the rest of the shots...I really like how this panning shot came out (note that the peg holes on the peg board look like dashes instead of dots/circles), and I caught the rods in the "socially acceptable" rods-down position.

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Not bad for a locomotive 77-80 years old! 

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Let's see those switchers!  

Tom

 

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Last edited by PRR8976
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

MNCW posted:
Mike CT posted:

Mike CT, I like your layout, but especially like your elevated section. Can you provide some details on how that was built, what you used and maybe a close-up of the railing section? 

Tom 

At the time, Bridge Solutions, no longer in business.  I believe the New Jersey Highrail group. has access to a similar product. 

Quick search this morning.  Try this link.     Click on the underlined phrase. 

Last edited by Mike CT

Happy O'SWSat and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Thanks for getting us started this week Tom. Hope Rich is having fun and dreaming of switchers.

Anyone for some Humble Pie

Personally I think you are holding out on us when it comes to 228's. You probably have a vault somewhere with the other 14,096 hidden away.

Mike CT- I agree with Tom, that is a beautiful trestle.

Melgar- Very nice 44T's. Still on the hunt for a true scale model. I have a WbB NH 44T but it's based on the old Lionel frame so its way too big. I call it a center cab.

2018-01-13 07.58.49

Bill T- Sharp H10-44

Brain- What can I say, you always find great photos to post. Think my wife would mind if I started a small- scale layout in the yard? Might take the pressure off my O gauge obsession

Lew- Very nice switchers.

Lee D- Roadside switcher wash. Now that's something you don't see everyday.

So this week I'm rolling out my new to me Railking Western Maryland RS-3. Been on a WM kick lately and decided to pull the trigger on a RS-3 to add to the fleet. It's a beautiful looking loco and runs nice. Here she is on her maiden run (long hood forward of course) with some friends on hand to watch.

Everyone have a great weekend and don't eat too much corned beef and cabbage tomorrow.

Bob

2019-03-16 07.56.342019-03-16 07.56.432019-03-16 07.58.112019-03-16 07.58.242019-03-16 07.58.54

Can't forget the proto-type

WilliamsportFAHelpers

 

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Last edited by RSJB18

Yay! SWSat rolls on!

I’m so humble I demure to say just how humble I am. I know Rich Murnane is a humblingly great father but I also know that he wants to get his favorite seat at McSorley’s for the festivities tomorrow. 

My verdant switcher entries this week are all unpinchable. These are all from the last few shelf layouts along with some roster shots and the NYSME layout which is open and public running again this weekend.

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Have a great weekend everyone I can’t wait to see what you post along with the gold switchers you find at the end of the rainbow 🌈.

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Last edited by Silver Lake

Not sure but after Tom's opening post I may need to get my snow shovel...but we don't have any snow at the moment...........

Humbly, I present New Haven #2339... in August of 1947, this is a good looking Tank engine, lots of details to look at.

 

New Haven #2530 Boston MA - 06/07/33

I have never seen anything like what is on the rear of the locomotive.

 

0-8-0 #3409 - Boston MA - 06/07/33

 

Have a great Day Guys!

 

Steamer posted:

 

New Haven #2530 Boston MA - 06/07/33

I have never seen anything like what is on the rear of the locomotive.

 

 

Dave, I've seen that picture before. I believe it is probably a home-made (made by the roundhouse crew) coal bin,made to maximize capacity within the upper and side clearances. If you notice it angles in around the rear facing windows so as not to hinder the loco crew's vision. Maybe they could also turn it on its end and you then have a shop vac? 

Tom 

Last edited by PRR8976
RSJB18 posted:

Happy O'SWSat and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

Brain- What can I say, you always find great photos to post. Think my wife would mind if I started a small- scale layout in the yard? Might take the pressure off my O gauge obsession


2019-03-16 07.56.43

 

 

     

                                  well,  it almost that time of year Bob...

      get the same kind of engines you already have,   maybe she won't even notice...

         

                                               time to get started...

 

 

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Last edited by briansilvermustang

For the budget conscious modelers out there, I submit for consideration some of the overlooked MPC/Fundimensions products. The 8300 steam switcher, brought out starting in 1974, was a nice introduction to the low end product line. Unfortunately it only had a manually operated reverse via a switch lever in the cab.

I swapped out the motor chassis with one from a 4-4-2 steamer with a DC can motor: That's an advantage of large, long production runs of multiple products sharing similar parts.

Since I have the option of running my layout on DC current, I didn't worry about trying to cram a circuit board reverse into the loco itself or making a tether wire so the board could be in the tender. Instead this allowed me to add self-adhesive weights to the engine itself, making it a very respectable puller for such a small loco.

For a low end starter product, there is a respectable amount of molded in detail to the shell, some of which I could highlight. The design of these locos doesn't allow for a typical Lionel puffer smoke unit, never mind a fan drive one.

And the Seuthe smoke units are not reliable for any length of time. As a side note, Model Power made one very similar to the Seuthe type, but I have gotten much more use out of the Model Power ones. Still, for a loco with a plastic shell, the heat from the Model Power or Seuthe one would probably damage the smoke stack. So I use the batting material from a typical bedroom pillow, which looks better than using cotton.

I added a mini bulb socket into the decorative non-functional headlight, so that I could change the light bulb without having to pull apart the engine. So you might notice a rubber washer over part of the light bulb, since the T1-3/4 socket takes up the entire fixture space.

On my layout, I have a modern-produced air whistle unit mounted inside an SP caboose shell, which serves as a yard office. I also have a MRC Sound Station, so I can have some sound effects if I wish.

2-4-0 MPC era steam switcher

 

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Good morning fellow SWSAT lovers!!  Tom - thanks so much for being at the throttle this morning and pinch hitting for Rich!   I really like your pre-war switching fleet!  I have only one pre-war engine and sadly it's not a switcher and its in need of repair too.  You sold me on Red n Tacky with your testimonial! Btw- your humble meter is outstanding! LOL! Yes, we switcher lovers are a humble lot   

Great photos and information everyone!   As I've said many times; I learn so much each Saturday from all the contributors on this thread.

Last Saturday evening the muse struck me while running trains.  Next thing I knew, I was weathering my K line 0-4-0.  Here are some before and after shots of the locomotive and tender.   I used Testors Dullcote, pastels, and flat black spray paint.  I was sure to include spilled coal around the coal bunker, tender deck, and tender gangway ( I guess that's what you call the area where the fireman would have shovel access to the coal pile? )  I got this idea from Howard Zane who is a master modeler living in Columbia, Md.  His HO layout is nothing short of amazing!!  Several videos have been made of his layout. IMG_8965IMG_8967IMG_9080IMG_9073IMG_9075IMG_9185IMG_9186IMG_9087IMG_9118IMG_8998IMG_9137IMG_9116IMG_9122IMG_9074IMG_9125IMG_9063  

Have a wonderful weekend and St. Paddy's Day!!  

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brianel_k-lineguy posted:

For the budget conscious modelers out there, I submit for consideration some of the overlooked MPC/Fundimensions products. The 8300 steam switcher, brought out starting in 1974, was a nice introduction to the low end product line. Unfortunately it only had a manually operated reverse via a switch lever in the cab.

 

.

2-4-0 MPC era steam switcher

 

I had one of these locos.  (It might still be packed away under the layout somewhere)  I always liked the looks of this unit.  I would use it on the point of a passenger train.  It could only pull a few cars, but it did the job I wanted it to do.  I replaced the original tender (the one with the wheel-chuff) with a slope-back tender.  It was one of my favorites.

Tom

pennsy484 posted:

Jeff,

Thanks to Ron for pointing out your video which led me to see several of your other nice videos. I couldn't tell how large your layout was, though? 

Glad to see you you belong to the PRR Technical & Historical Society. I've had a couple of articles (3 I think) come out over the last few years in The Keystone. There is another 1 or 2 in their pipeline still coming. 

Tom

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