Switcher Saturday 5/13/2023

I returned home very early on Saturday morning and couldn't resist having a look at the Forum. To my surprise, Switcher Saturday is already up and running, so thanks jhz563 for the early start. I may be able to sleep a little later on the real Saturday morning.

The MTH Railking model of New York Central SW1500 diesel switcher #9654 (30-2217-1, MSRP $249.95) was delivered with 5-volt PS2 in March 2001. Mine has a BCR and has been running on my layouts for more than 20 years. Although this model is scale-sized, the rear motor and flywheel protrude visibly into the upper cab, and there is no engineer. I don’t know whether this has been improved on PS3 versions but I still think it’s a good-looking model of an SW1500.

EMD built 808 SW1500s between June 1966 to January 1974. They were powered by a V12-645 diesel engine with 1,500 horsepower.

In the videos, NYC #9654 is running between 14 and 17 scale miles-per-hour on my 10’-by-5’ layout. Its consist includes New York area cars - two New York Central boxcars, a Central Railroad of New Jersey boxcar, and NYC caboose #19654.

MELGAR

Oh Looky another thread I can post my new find in ( LOL ! )

I wont bore you with details you can find them here ( in the" soul of tinplate"... banished to the boondocks thread )

https://ogrforum.com/...7#175145951880889257

But I reckon this fellow counts here too !

John Van Riemsdijk (UK late 40's early 50's) ... 00 Gauge 0-6-0 Peckett Saddle Tank Controlled Clockwork locomotive

Good morning switcher lovers.

Take a close look at what this LC+2.0 BEDT steam switcher is pulling:

I'm excited because this afternoon I'm seeing the newly released documentary movie about Yogi Berra's life: It Ain't Over. Arnold

New York Central Alco S2 Switcher 8504 helps with a commuter run.....

Have a great and safe weekend, folks!

Peter

Good morning, SwSat fans!  Today your Yardmaster has been inspired by our esteemed SwSat colleague, Arnold; he’s featuring a switcher that is conventional, but neither smooth nor quiet.

American Flyer B6 0-6-0 switcher no. 429, built around 1938, is seen hauling a string of plug door reefers from a cold storage warehouse in Worcester, MA.  Your Yardmaster received it as a gilt when  was a boy and made some modifications that would probably make a purist cringe today.  His father helped him solder a Lionel coupler on the tender coupler shaft and he painted over American Flyer on the tender side and applied NYC decals.  Later, figuring “the damage was done”, he added a “real” coal load.  He’s not sure if the red trim on the windows is original or added because he thought it would look good.

None of this detracts from the pleasure of owning and running this switcher today!

John

@Steam Crazy posted:

Good morning, SwSat fans!  Today your Yardmaster has been inspired by our esteemed SwSat colleague, Arnold; he’s featuring a switcher that is conventional, but neither smooth nor quiet.

American Flyer B6 0-6-0 switcher no. 429, built around 1938, is seen hauling a string of plug door reefers from a cold storage warehouse in Worcester, MA.  Your Yardmaster received it as a gilt when  was a boy and made some modifications that would probably make a purist cringe today.  His father helped him solder a Lionel coupler on the tender coupler shaft and he painted over American Flyer on the tender side and applied NYC decals.  Later, figuring “the damage was done”, he added a “real” coal load.  He’s not sure if the red trim on the windows is original or added because he thought it would look good.

None of this detracts from the pleasure of owning and running this switcher today!

John

Gorgeous trains and layout, John.

Nice stuff everyone!  Here is my RS3 running under the El -

@Steam Crazy posted:

Good morning, SwSat fans!  Today your Yardmaster has been inspired by our esteemed SwSat colleague, Arnold; he’s featuring a switcher that is conventional, but neither smooth nor quiet.

American Flyer B6 0-6-0 switcher no. 429, built around 1938, is seen hauling a string of plug door reefers from a cold storage warehouse in Worcester, MA.  Your Yardmaster received it as a gilt when  was a boy and made some modifications that would probably make a purist cringe today.  His father helped him solder a Lionel coupler on the tender coupler shaft and he painted over American Flyer on the tender side and applied NYC decals.  Later, figuring “the damage was done”, he added a “real” coal load.  He’s not sure if the red trim on the windows is original or added because he thought it would look good.

None of this detracts from the pleasure of owning and running this switcher today!

John

Not bad for being 80+………how far off am I?
Peter

It's a beautiful day to see a ballgame, and this Boston and Maine diesel switcher is hauling a beer drag for those thirty fans at Fenway Park:

I can hear the deep voice of James Earl Jones say in the Field of Dreams movie at Fenway: I'll take a dog and a beer.

One of these days, I'm gonna see a game at Fenway and say the same thing. Now, if only I had that same deep voice. LOL, Arnold

Happy SWSat!

Off to another great start this week. I see John wanted to sleep in this morning, no worries, we are up and running.

I was flipping through my email last Saturday and Scott's email for free shipping from Trainz for the Kentucky Derby popped up. Not one to shy away from a deal...... I started flipping through the pages of O Modern steam, and then diesel engines. After striking out on the steamers, I found a beauty hiding several pages in on the diesels.
I'm always going to jump on any LIRR power, make it an ALCO RS-1 and I can't pull out the credit card fast enough.

So here's my new Atlas O LIRR RS-1 w/ TMCC, and fan-smoke. This is my first Atlas engine and I am very impressed. The detailing is excellent including brake chains on both trucks. When I opened the box it appears that the engine had never been run. I found a review in CTT magazine dating to 2006, so I assume that it's been sitting around for a while. The battery plug was still wrapped in plastic as were the battery, and Cab-1 diesel template for the remote.

The LIRR owned many RS1's and they could be found in various paint schemes over the years. The Atlas model is done in the "Worlds Fair" scheme, in honor of the 1963 Worlds Fair held in Flushing Meadows.
Here's more info.

Luckily my MTH model is # 462..... (I checked it before purchasing the Atlas) This is the factory paint scheme.

And a short video of the start up and shutdown sequences.

Have a great weekend!

Bob

Good morning fellow  switcher fans!  You all have some great pics, info, and videos up already this morning!!  Thanks JHZ563 for getting us rolling today   Today's offering is from the archives .... a Western Maryland BL2 rounding the bend at Todds Junction.    Have a terrific weekend everyone!! 

@Steam Crazy what stood out for me was the accurate clickety-clack sounds when the freight cars rolled on by - like you were there! Really nice looking layout, BTW

George

Not sure what the difference is between track side Thursday, front end Friday, weekend photo fun, switcher Saturday and Sunday show case?

@SIRT posted:

Not sure what the difference is between track side Thursday, front end Friday, weekend photo fun, switcher Saturday and Sunday show case?

The day of the week? It's all just fun!!

George

Good morning SWSAT crew!

Penn Central RS-11 7608 (Lionel) is busy switching a factory this morning:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Tom

@SIRT posted:

These actually didn't have radios yet when delivered during the 60's.

And I rarely ever use them. I find them to be too cringe inducing.......

The grape vines are leafing out and looking mighty pretty here in Wine Country. My switcher is out of the picture because it lost a traction tire and I can’t find the original box for a spare. Years ago, a local newspaper columnist interviewed retired Northwestern Pacific employees and wrote of a lost and found. It seems a reefer on a lonely siding was forgotten about. When found, the load of butter had melted. A beautiful weekend here in the shadow of the Mayacamas. I do hope that all of you enjoy yours too.

Peter, not far off at all, my 0-6-0 is about 85.  I’m 9 years younger, it runs better than I do!

John

@RSJB18 posted:

And I rarely ever use them. I find them to be too cringe inducing.......

Agreed!

George

Arnold, thanks for the compliment!  I admire your trains and layout too!

John

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Good morning switcher lovers.

Take a close look at what this LC+2.0 BEDT steam switcher is pulling:

I'm excited because this afternoon I'm seeing the newly released documentary movie about Yogi Berra's life: It Ain't Over. Arnold

“Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” Yogi Berra quote.

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

It's a beautiful day to see a ballgame, and this Boston and Maine diesel switcher is hauling a beer drag for those thirty fans at Fenway Park:

I can hear the deep voice of James Earl Jones say in the Field of Dreams movie at Fenway: I'll take a dog and a beer.

One of these days, I'm gonna see a game at Fenway and say the same thing. Now, if only I had that same deep voice. LOL, Arnold

Hi Arnold - love that Black Label car on the end.  My dad nearly always had some in the fridge

@RSJB18 posted:

And I rarely ever use them. I find them to be too cringe inducing.......

But the Pennsy had the Trainphone (induction phone system) back to the late 30's perfected early 40's>

Ron

Wow folks what great pictures and video's.  I must admit @Steam Crazy since I am very partial to the "old" stuff I loved seeing that pre-war American Flyer 0 gauge 0-6-0 running this morning.  OBTW in my reference book on pre-war flyer this engine had a "4321 decal" below the cab window in 1938 but was stamped "429" in 1939 and 1940.  She was nearly the last of her kind as after the merger between W.O. Coleman and A.C. Gilbert in 1938 Flyer began to move 3/16" scale and train production shifted from Chicago to New Haven.  It's just super you have her running.

Well today is the day that I can reveal my "new" MP-15 by Kline.  The MP-15 was introduced by EMD in 1973 the "MP" standing for multi-purpose and was an attempt to pull back market share as the market was moving to road switchers.  She replaced the SW 1500 in the catalog using the same 1500 hp power plant but her frame was 3 feet longer to accommodate the Bloomberg road trucks. EMD made about 650 of the "MP-15" variant locomotives split between "AC" and "DC" versions with about 43 "T" or turbocharged versions.  

So here is my new switcher:

I am really pleased with her performance.  I put a little lube on the drive gears and then powered her up.  In my view it was amazing, Kline really made some nice products.  She took off smooth as silk and pulled her 4 car train around my mostly flat layout at just over 5 volts on my ZW.  No hesitations, no speed ups or slow downs, just steady motion.  She is dual motored and given how little voltage it took for her to pull this little train I am confident she could pull much more.

Well for the very modest price I paid for this gal ($50 NIB) I couldn't be happier with her performance.

Best Wishes

Don

@Tom Densel posted:

Good morning SWSAT crew!

Penn Central RS-11 7608 (Lionel) is busy switching a factory this morning:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Tom

I love that brake squeal.  My son has the same sound on his Lionel FA's.  I want to try and export the sound to use on my RailPro engines but can't figure out how to mute the engine noises and still get the brakes to squeal.

@Don McErlean posted:

Well today is the day that I can reveal my "new" MP-15 by Kline.

Best Wishes

Don

You made my heart stop when I saw how close the rear bumper on your MP-15 came to scraping the paint off your Amtrak unit! Nice looking switcher, and seems to be very smooth!

George

@GeoPeg- Thank you for your comment.  Yes, I don't have a lot of extra space especially in the inner yard lines so I have to be careful in where I place trains for videos.  That Amtrak F59PH is about the largest engine I have as a single unit.  Thanks again for taking the time to comment and good luck trying to figure out how to separate the sounds.

Best Wishes

Don

@Steam Crazy - That 0-6-0 is a really nice engine. The running is outstanding and I like the boxcars.

@Tom Densel - Terrific video, railroad and switching action in a small space. I also like the Penn Central equipment.

@Don McErlean - A very nice switcher. The video also shows an interesting collection of trains on the adjacent shelves.

MELGAR

Don, thanks for letting me know about the years my engine was produced.  Now I know I'm only 7-8 years younger!

John

Best to all on “National Train Day!” Great photos and comments, as usual. I always look forward to our Saturday morning get-together. And Happy Mother’s Day, too!

@MELGAR and @Steam Crazy- Thank you both for your very nice comments.  Best wishes

Don

Happy Switcher Saturday everyone.

Loading coal at the On30 Utacolzona "Never Mine."

Thanks for looking.       Dennis.

Utacolzona Railroad in On30 (built 2020 - 2022) Last Update 5/13/23

RK NYC SW9 3v PS2

Lionel NYC RS-3 moving some freight Have a good Saturday

Hey gang, I gotta work early tomorrow.   I need someone else to start a new thread in the morning.

@jhz563,

John,

I will start SWSAT on 05-20-2023. Please reply if that's OK.

MELGAR