Switcher Saturday 6-11-22

Good morning jhz563 – and Happy SWSAT.

I’ve been running Long Island Rail Road #1553 on my 10’-by-5’ layout this week. It’s a model of an ALCO RS3 locomotive with 1600 horsepower built for the LIRR in September 1955. In my opinion, it’s not small but it is a “road-switcher.”

This model is K-Line K2439-1553 with TMCC offered in 2000 at an MSRP of $379.95. I don’t run it very often but it always seems to start easily and run smoothly – but not slowly. The sounds come on at 10-volts, at which it’s already running quite fast – 35 mph in the video. The engineer is apparently in a big hurry to deliver Schaefer Beer NJHR #21 back to the brewery in Brooklyn, NY and PSRX #1006 to Waldbaum’s, a chain of supermarkets that once had 32 stores on Long Island. Both refrigerator car models were made by Atlas O. The model of LIRR caboose #56 was made by MTH. The LIRR was my first railroad as a youngster. The double-decker passenger cars were my favorites.

MELGAR

Good morning SwSat aficionados!  Today we find Denver & Rio Grande GE 44 tonner no. 42 moving empty ore cars back to the mine in the wee hours of the morning.

John

Happy SWSat!

Interesting article about the fuel-cell switcher. I did some research on fuel cells years ago and the tech is cool. Couldn't exactly go to the corner gas station to fill up on hydrogen though. Nat gas is a ready alternative and it does produce the same results. We had an opportunity to participate in a demonstration project with residential fuel cells about 15 years ago from our local utility but we couldn't get zoning approval from the local Building Dept.

But this is SWSat so back to our regularly scheduled program.....

This week I present half of a switcher. I picked up this MTH S-2 shell for an upcoming project. I'm building a powered and dummy pair of S-2's. The NYC unit that I recently posted will be the powered, and this shell will go on a second chassis that I bought.

I bought the shell because it is a close match to the NYC all-black scheme, and by chance the logo has a red dot in the center, and the frame I'm using is red (former Rock Island). As a happy coincidence, the line is a northeastern fallen flag short line too!

The L&NE was incorporated in 1895, and ceased operations and was abandoned in1961. The RR operated between northeast PA, and northwest NY, hauling primarily anthracite coal and cement. They ran mostly ALCO power after the transition from steam, and owned 6 ALCO S-2's # 611-616. Unit # 611 still exists and has recently been purchased by the Railroad and Industrial Preservation Society for a planned restoration back to operating condition.

More of the history of the RR here.

Have a great weekend!

Bob

Good morning fellow switcher fans!  Thanks JHZ563 for notching out the throttle this morning and getting us rolling on the running track!   Great content from everyone so far!  I hope you all have a splendid and safe weekend!!

Today on the FSJR the company photographer I.C. Thrulenz has been out and about the property photographing switchers as they are the backbone of the railroad.

Here the venerable  GP 9 and its' inspiration the RS1 are side by side.  GP9 is a MTH RailKing scale Proto 2 and the RS 1 is a custom painted/decaled Atlas O with TMCC.

A powerful lineup - WM BL2, Patapsco ad Back Rivers VO1000, and a C&O 0-8-0 all ready for work.

MA &PA SW 1 pulls a short way freight and is stopped on a red signal.   Steam loco engineer, Rocco Spinelli  on the ground takes his hat off the diesel hogger, Max Lindorf.

The hardest working little guy on the railroad ... B&O Dockside 97

Number 97 waits for the final tractor to unloaded before it can pull the automobile boxcar to the yard.  

Happy Switcher Sat. Great stuff, everyone! Crazy work week for me. I didn’t get a chance to take some pics of the layout, so here are a few retreads from the past -

'

Happy Switcher Saturday.

Morning all have a great Switcher of a Saturday, #41 moving some ammo to the range, Great photos and layouts!

Some reefers were just dropped off by an express and need to be re-iced before being moved to their destinations outside of the town.  B6 "Ought 5" is moving them to the icing track.

B6 is K-Line with TMCC and upgraded to 4 chuffs/rev.  Most cars in this picture are Atlas with a couple Weavers.  The orange PFE in the center is the only car I have found with the 1942-45 paint scheme.  There are plenty of pre-1942 cars with the diagonal "Overland" strip and post 1945 cars with the dual logos on each side, but only this Weaver with this logo configuration. 

Well good morning everyone, here we are again at SwSat.  Thanks jhz for starting us off today and thanks for the pictures of the coal yard.  Safety lesson on hydrogen fuel cells...remember the "Hindenberg"!  In my early career as a "lab rat" I was privileged to work with Dr. Hans von Ohain, generally credited with developing the first operational aviation jet engine. He told me that in his first prototype he used hydrogen as part of his fuel because..."hydrogen will burn with anything!".  OK back to switchers... Melgar - loved the Long Island RS-3 .  Steam Crazy - great night shot of the 44 ton at work.  RSJB18 - cool idea for the L&NE switchers, please post when you get them going! Trumptrain, Strap hanger, Bar GP-7, & Sitka - all super scenes on your layouts...Strap hanger those illuminated "arrows" on the roadwork signs were really cool.

OK my contribution this morning is a Marx #588 NYC GE-70 ton 4 wheel switcher.  This one has the grey / black livery which is a little more scarce than the other color schemes (black & maroon).   She was made one year only, 1962. Shown here pulling a small local freight consisting of the Gulf orange 4 wheel tank car with black truck facades from 1974 and the #18326  tuscan NYC caboose which was long lived, offered from 1956-1974.

Have a great weekend everyone. Best wishes

Don

Good morning SWSAT fans!

Penn Central RS-11 7608 (Lionel) is busy assembling a train:

Tom

@Tom Densel posted:

Good morning SWSAT fans!

Penn Central RS-11 7608 (Lionel) is busy assembling a train:

Tom

Tom,

The video, model railroad, train and sounds are terrific. Absolutely realistic. The scene is perfect for Penn Central - especially that urban backdrop. Very nice modeling. I'm just trying to figure out whether it's Newark or Paterson, New Jersey!

MELGAR

Happy Switching! And have a wonderful weekend!

@MELGAR posted:

Tom,

The video, model railroad, train and sounds are terrific. Absolutely realistic. The scene is perfect for Penn Central - especially that urban backdrop. Very nice modeling. I'm just trying to figure out whether it's Newark or Paterson, New Jersey!

MELGAR

Thanks, Mel!

That means a lot coming from you.  I consider your modeling the standard that I hope to achieve someday.  BTW...I was shooting for Ft. Wayne, Indiana, but we can make it anywhere our imaginations take us

Tom

Tom,

If that's how Ft. Wayne looks, I'll have to visit ASAP...

MELGAR

Wow, there’s some unique and beautiful switchers pictured here today, and some beautiful layouts to. Happy Railroading Everyone

Hauling & dumping coal from the narrow to the standard gauge tracks on the Utacolzona RR.

Thanks for looking.   Dennis

Utacolzona Railroad in On30 (2020 - 2022) Update 6/11/22

@MELGAR posted:

...

Melgar - my Dad grew up on Long Island,  and he loved seeing the Dashing Dan on model equipment.   That's a sharp looking unit, and it reminded me of a happy Dad memory- Thanks for sharing!

Late addition, I got this in the mail today. MTH Chicago North Western.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

Late addition, I got this in the mail today. MTH Chicago North Western.

Great looking engine Dave. Enjoy!

Bob

A short rerun from January of this year .... my ( new at the time )  MTH RailKing Scale RS1 in Washington Terminal livery.  

Dave - neat looking new engine, have fun!

Don

@Dave Ripp, wow, that particular Chicago and Northwestern paint scheme is one of my favorites, Wow, I recently received my USS Steel Safety First SW1200 and love the colors on it also. These little switchers are so cool. Happy Railroading Everyone