Switcher Saturday 8-6-22

@Dave Warburton posted:

Good to know, Don, thanks!  I recently purchased a Williams 70-Tonner in SP livery and like it very much. Very sharp looking and quite solid. Conventional power, of course, but with horn. Train World is blowing them out right now at $159, if anyone is interested. I recommend them.

@Don McErlean posted:

Since we started talking about them...here is my Southern GE 44 ton by Williams.  You can see what I mean by tight radii and very low clearances to the side.  These little guys really work well for me.

Here is #1951 leased to the Leonardtown and Savannah from "big brother" Southern moving some freight into Small Town.  The crew just might stop off at McDonald's for Lunch except they have every street in town blocked by the train!!

Here you can see the traffic jam created by this train moving through town.

Another quick stop at the freight station just outside town at the edge of the yard.  Seems the maintenance crew is more interested in working on the "necessary" than in moving some LCL freight over to the train.

Best wishes everyone.  jhz - looks like you and the family had a great vacation...well done, they will have memories that last forever.

Don

I also own a Williams by Bachman Pennsy 44 tonner which I bought at  York from Train World for $150, as one of their blowout deals.   It's a fine conventional runner and I've had no issues with it, as I've owned it for several years now.   It's great for running with a string of  freight cars and, as a conventional controlled loco, I can get it to run at a convincing speed ( as a prototypical 44 tonner might  do  on an industrial running track or rural main )

IMHO - due to conventional control and other mechanical factors built into this locomotive ... this is not an engine to use for yard switching or industrial spur switching ... it's "creep" factor" ( my term for how slow an engine will run evenly ) is not slow enough .. plus it has no remote control couplers.

All in all this WbB 44 tonner is a great little locomotive for the price.

Although I have no Williams 44 tonners, I have a couple of other conventional Williams diesels that are great pullers and runners.

I agree with Patrick 100% about conventional engines verses speed control engines as yard  switchers.

Picking up and dropping off train cars in sidings is one of my favorite things to do on my switching layout. I love using either the DCS handheld remote for my PS2 and PS3 switchers, or a dedicated handheld remote or the Universal Remote for my LC+ and Legacy switchers, for slow, smooth switching operations using both front and rear electrocouplers.

On my layout, which is far from museum quality with far less than perfect trackwork, those switching operations can not be done as well using a conventional locomotive.

Since MELGAR and others are discussing the P&W, I thought I'd include this video I shot this past fall when in Worchester, MA visiting a friend.   The gorgeous Worchester passenger station is barely visible in the background.

Patrick,

A most interesting video. Thanks for posting. As you can see, the Providence & Worcester has moved up to larger GE diesels in the 3900 and 4000 series of road numbers.

Worcester was a city with heavy industry and Worcester Union Station was served by several major railroads including the New Haven, Boston & Albany and Boston & Maine - three railroads that I model.

MELGAR