Switcher Saturday 9-17-22

Good morning jhz563 and thanks for starting SWSAT.

Have you ever had a ride on that nice blue SW1500? I think I've seen a model of an engine with that paint scheme listed on the website of Forum sponsor Public Delivery Track. Am I correct in thinking that you have that model?

The Milwaukee Road, New Haven Railroad and New York Central Railroad, among others, had electrified yards and electric switchers. However, I know of only two types of modern scale-detailed O gauge models of electric switchers. One of them, Lionel 6-84507, is a diecast Legacy model of New York Central & Hudson River Railroad S-2 electric motor #3207, released in 2017 with MSRP $799.99 and listed for operation on O-36 curved track. I would like to see more scale-sized O gauge models of small electric switchers, especially a steeplecab type.

Steam locomotives were banned in New York City as of 1908 after an accident in the Park Avenue Tunnel in 1902. Electric operations began in 1907 on the New York Central’s Hudson River Line between Grand Central Terminal and Harmon, NY (about 31 miles), and on the Harlem Line between GCT and North White Plains. The S motors were assigned to short local commuter trains and empty equipment movements between Grand Central and the coach yards at Mott Haven in the Bronx (about 6.5 miles) for 60 years. Their final assignment was switching in the underground yards of Grand Central Terminal. The last one was retired in 1981 after 75 years in service. They were built by Alco and General Electric, had a maximum speed of 60 miles-per-hour, tractive effort of 37,000 pounds, 2,200 horsepower for starting, and 1,695 horsepower for continuous operation.

The swinging bell feature on Lionel’s S-2 model can be seen in the second video, in which it is pulling MTH Premier models of New York Central lightning-stripe heavyweight passenger car #1994 and observation car Seneca Valley at a scale speed of 17 miles-per-hour.

MELGAR

It’s almost Fall & the grain elevator in West Liberty will get busy.  I rode through there on Thursday and saw 2 trackmobiles resting before the harvest season begins.

Happy Switcher Saturday!

Happy SWSat!

@jhz563- pretty cool. It's nice to have a train layout at work to play with. Even if it's at a distance.

@MELGAR - I can't believe one of those S2's was still in use into the 80's. I'd love to see what's hiding in the depths of GCT one day. I'll bet it would be the best train museum in the world. I always remember going past Sunnyside Yards as a kid and marveling at all the trains lined up. I don't recall ever seeing anything but diesel switchers though.

Some repeats from the archives for me this week. I'm doing a small scenery project that required clearing the front of the layout and yard so the mains are full of parked trains at the moment.

Keeping it in a New York State of Mind- K-line's Plymouth # 80 spotting a couple of cabooses (cabeese ).

And the diesel version of the S2 by ALCO, also a K-line model. These are great little engines. I've wired the motors in series to slow them down below "ludicrous speed"

The Pacemaker caboose has a EOT beacon. Not sure if it's period correct but a neat feature none the less.

Have a great weekend!

Bob

Rock Island BL-2

It’s a fine Day for another Switcher Saturday.  Our 44 tonner continues to move freight around my pike -

Is it finally SwSat?  I’m so addicted I was looking for JHZ’s post yesterday morning! No kidding!

Your Yardmaster decided to keep the Williams switcher theme going today.  D&RGW GE 44 tonner no. 42 is seen dragging a cut of empty ore cars back to the mine.  Trailing the consist is one of my favorite cabooses, a “bobber”.  They are cute, but were not popular with crews in the day due to a hard ride.

Mel, enjoyed your history lesson, as usual.  I would also like to have a steeplecab. Are any manufacturers listening?  I think a steeplecab model would be a hit.

John

@RSJB18 posted:

Happy SWSat!

@jhz563- pretty cool. It's nice to have a train layout at work to play with. Even if it's at a distance.

@MELGAR - I can't believe one of those S2's was still in use into the 80's. I'd love to see what's hiding in the depths of GCT on day. I'll bet it would be the best train museum in the world. I always remember going past Sunnyside Yards as a kid and marveling at all the trains lined up. I don't recall ever seeing anything but diesel switchers though.

Some repeats from the archives for me this week. I'm doing a small scenery project that required clearing the front of the layout and yard so the mains are full of parked trains at the moment.

Keeping it in a New York State of Mind.

Have a great weekend!

Bob

Bob,

I seem to recall seeing a picture of an S-2 online that was stored somewhere upstate near Albany.

I'm also interested to know that you used to pass by Sunnyside Yards as a kid. My family lived about a mile from the yard in the 1950s and my father used to take me to watch the trains from the overpass above the yard. Our other pastime was watching airplanes at LaGuardia Airport...

MELGAR

Yay SWSat is on track!

Great posts so far this week. @MELGAR I love that S2 Motor and have one that patiently waits for me to 2 rail it. I believe Lionel also made a model of the S1. The one and only real S1 motor is supposedly going to be transported from long time outdoor storage to the Danbury Railroad Museum sometime this year. This is the engine near Albany. Not the relatively more common S2 but the class of one S1. Glad to hear it has a more secure future.

@jhz563 If you really want to know Grand Central Terminal you should try to attend one of the Railway Enthusiasts monthly meetings. They have a club room in the station on one of the upper floors. You have to walk through one of the window walkways to get to it. Really fun experience. The monthly meetings are usually a prototype lecture and slideshow.

As far as NYC motors in O scale besides the Lionel S and MTH P motor I have an R2 motor and a NYC Tri Power currently in kit forms in 2 rail O scale so more options are out there to look for.

This week my post is a new to me Japanese Railways C11 2-6-4T or “Shijuichi” in 2 rail O made by KTM.  I set it on a shakedown run on the New York Society of Model Engineers layout. I was surprised to find that it had never been run and I had to fully lubricate it before I could run it. I have some cars to run with it but they are currently waiting for a paint job.

The C11 was a small engine designed for rural short lines and switching. They were used for both passenger and freight. First made in the 1930’s they were produced in groups through the mid 1950’s and in service through the end of steam. There are several still extant in preservation and some still operable.

Have a great weekend everyone. I can’t wait to see what you post.

Mel, after watching trains and planes, all you needed to do was watch cars to make it a perfect day!  Are there any train guys that don’t like planes and cars, too?

John

@MELGAR posted:

Bob,

I seem to recall seeing a picture of an S-2 online that was stored somewhere upstate near Albany.

I'm also interested to know that you used to pass by Sunnyside Yards as a kid. My family lived about a mile from the yard in the 1950s and my father used to take me to watch the trains from the overpass above the yard. Our other pastime was watching airplanes at LaGuardia Airport...

MELGAR

I grew up in Baldwin Mel. We used to go into the city frequently and the train rides were always the highlight of the trip. Didn't get up on that overpass to watch, but the ride past was always fun. With the addition of the new tracks for the East-side Access, you can't see too much of the east end of the yard anymore.

Bob

A little 44 ton on the layout this morning. 

A 1948 vintage 0-6-0  Lionel steam switcher in NYO&W livery hustles two empty hoppers back to Scranton.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9bqGjEFnjDY5D7RY8

Good morning SWSAT crew.

I found an old video of my Trackmobile switching some hoppers.  They must have good seatbelts in those things!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Tom

JHZ tell the crew the SW1200 needs a bath.  That paint scheme deserves to bee seen.

Mel, I've always liked those S1s and S2s.  For some unexplainable reason I thought they required larger radius curves so I pursued purchasing one.  I may have to check the secondary market and see what they're going for.

Bob I've got two of those K-Line S2s and two of the MP15s.  I wired one in series when I converted an SP into USAF.  I'm not I haven't run it since I tested it after re-assembly but I remember thinking the top end was too slow.  I've got that toy train mentality not scale.

Tom Densel, nice trackmobile.  I'm surprised they don't turn up on this topic more often.

Andy that's a sweet switcher.  Even sweeter hint about the Railroad Enthusiasts meetings.  When I lived in the City most of my train/subway trips took me through Penn Sta not GCT.  I believe I've only been in GCT 2 or 3 times and always wanted to go explore it but never got around to it.  Seems like there's a lot of interesting spaces there.

A nomenclature factoid:

EMD did not use a hyphen to denote model until the "dash" series. Prior to the "dash" series: GP7, GP9, GP18, etc. Once the "dash" series came into being, then they used a hyphen: GP38-2, GP40-2, etc.

Alco, on the other hand, DID used a hyphen to denote several of their models: RS-2, RS-3, RS-11, etc.

The above is just a "FWIW".

Carry on!

Andre

@Steam Crazy posted:

Is it finally SwSat?  I’m so addicted I was looking for JHZ’s post yesterday morning! No kidding!

Mel, enjoyed your history lesson, as usual.  I would also like to have a steeplecab. Are any manufacturers listening?  I think a steeplecab model would be a hit.

John

John,

SWSAT is a big favorite with me too. But maybe you need to get yourself a better calendar... I do think a steeplecab model would be a good seller - at least to the SWSAT crowd.

@Silver Lake posted:

Yay SWSat is on track!

Great posts so far this week. @MELGAR I love that S2 Motor and have one that patiently waits for me to 2 rail it. I believe Lionel also made a model of the S1. The one and only real S1 motor is supposedly going to be transported from long time outdoor storage to the Danbury Railroad Museum sometime this year. This is the engine near Albany. Not the relatively more common S2 but the class of one S1. Glad to hear it has a more secure future.

Silver Lake,

Glad to hear that the S1 will be going to the Danbury Museum - and your Japanese Japanese Railways "Shijuichi" C11 2-6-4T is very nice. How about a video sometime?

@Steam Crazy posted:

Mel, after watching trains and planes, all you needed to do was watch cars to make it a perfect day!  Are there any train guys that don’t like planes and cars, too?

John

John,

We watched the cars too. My dad also used to take me to auto races on Long Island and in CT. I've been a train, airplane and auto enthusiast since I was a youngster - and models of each too. Was a pilot and flight instructor many years ago. Then an aeronautical engineer. Now just retired...

@RSJB18 posted:

I grew up in Baldwin Mel. We used to go into the city frequently and the train rides were always the highlight of the trip. Didn't get up on that overpass to watch, but the ride past was always fun. With the addition of the new tracks for the East-side Access, you can't see too much of the east end of the yard anymore.

Bob

Bob,

East Meadow for me... I still enjoy riding through Sunnyside Yard on Amtrak but haven't been there lately.

@coach joe posted:

Mel, I've always liked those S1s and S2s.  For some unexplainable reason I thought they required larger radius curves... I may have to check the secondary market and see what they're going for.

Joe,

The S-2 has 4 sets of driving wheels, so it's like a small 2-8-2 steam engine. To me, the model sounds like a trolley car.

Also interesting posts from Dave Ripp, Tom Densel, Strap Hanger, tnkMarx, t8afao, Bill Park, laming and jhz563.

Thanks gentlemen. Everyone have a good weekend.

MELGAR

Railking PS2 D&H RS-3 (thanks for the hyphen, Andre!)

Greetings from The Golden State, my fellow switcher fans.
I haven’t had anything of much interest to post lately, but this week is a bonanza:

First up is the Western Pacific #26 Consolidation fresh out of the Lionel Shops. This beauty is taking on water this morning and running light awaiting some switching duties in my yard to test her out before she assumes her regular work on our local WP branch line.
She is a beauty, ain’t she?
BTW, in the background you can see the two WP 6464 cars built for the TCA’s Annual Convention in Burbank, CA, in 2021. A handsome pair and great souvenir from the convention.

Coming up next for your viewing pleasure will be a visitor from the D&RGW. Later.

Took this at the Rome X USAF Griffiss Air Force base once the home of B-52 Bombers, Had the picture of the builder's plate most have deleted, Have a good Switcher of a Saturday, God Speed!

@MELGAR posted:

Good morning jhz563 and thanks for starting SWSAT.

Have you ever had a ride on that nice blue SW1500? I think I've seen a model of an engine with that paint scheme listed on the website of Forum sponsor Public Delivery Track. Am I correct in thinking that you have that model?

The Milwaukee Road, New Haven Railroad and New York Central Railroad, among others, had electrified yards and electric switchers. However, I know of only two types of modern scale-detailed O gauge models of electric switchers. One of them, Lionel 6-84507, is a diecast Legacy model of New York Central & Hudson River Railroad S-2 electric motor #3207, released in 2017 with MSRP $799.99 and listed for operation on O-36 curved track. I would like to see more scale-sized O gauge models of small electric switchers, especially a steeplecab type.

Steam locomotives were banned in New York City as of 1908 after an accident in the Park Avenue Tunnel in 1902. Electric operations began in 1907 on the New York Central’s Hudson River Line between Grand Central Terminal and Harmon, NY (about 31 miles), and on the Harlem Line between GCT and North White Plains. The S motors were assigned to short local commuter trains and empty equipment movements between Grand Central and the coach yards at Mott Haven in the Bronx (about 6.5 miles) for 60 years. Their final assignment was switching in the underground yards of Grand Central Terminal. The last one was retired in 1981 after 75 years in service. They were built by Alco and General Electric, had a maximum speed of 60 miles-per-hour, tractive effort of 37,000 pounds, 2,200 horsepower for starting, and 1,695 horsepower for continuous operation.

The swinging bell feature on Lionel’s S-2 model can be seen in the second video, in which it is pulling MTH Premier models of New York Central lightning-stripe heavyweight passenger car #1994 and observation car Seneca Valley at a scale speed of 17 miles-per-hour.

MELGAR

Yes, you are correct on the Lionel offerings. The  other one was a model of the Pennsylvania BB-1 box cab electrics . These were issued in the mid 2000s, I believe?  

As promised earlier, here is another recent addition to my WP Yard: a new Rio Grande SW1200 just shopped out by Lionel. Business is booming here on the coast, so extra help brought in from the Rockies is much appreciated!

@Dave Warburton posted:

Yes, you are correct on the Lionel offerings. The  other one was a model of the Pennsylvania BB-1 box cab electrics . These were issued in the mid 2000s, I believe?  

Dave,

You're correct. I forgot about the MTH PRR DD-1 and BB-1 electric motors. I even have a Long Island DD1 that might make a good subject for a future SWSAT.

MELGAR

Hello fellow switcher fans!!  Late to the party today,   You guys all have some great looking posts chocked full of wonderful pics, information, and videos.   Thanks JHZ563 for getting us rolling this morning

Today I have chosen some pics of the venerable Dockside switcher., BL2, Plymouth, and SW9.  Have a superb weekend everyone!

Brakeman Tater Scuggins rides the rear step as number 97 makes a back up move ... slowly but surely!

WM BL2 number 81 brings a train through Todds Junctions.

WM BL2 number 81 is on a passenger assignment at the point of a fall excursion train.

Plymouth, SW9, a GP9, and a Docksider all waiting their next assignment.

Let's salute the great State of Pennsylvania (I even love the sound of the name of that State and I'm a lifelong New Yorker - LOL) with this MTH Proto 3 Pennsylvania Railroad RS-1 switcher hauling freight through town:

Arnold

This video provides a better view of that Pennsy switcher:

Arnold

Here's the little NYC 0-6-0 Dockside I talked about last week chasing her tail on my coffee table pike. I likely wouldn't get away with this if I had any turnouts...

@jhz563 posted:

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's edition of Switcher Saturday.

In this thread we pay homage to the often smaller yet mighty machines that do big work of railroading.   From sorting cars in the yard,  to local delivery and pickup, to moving other loco's about in the shop, and then often giving tourists a ride on the weekend, Switcher locomotives are the nimble multi purpose machines that get the job done.

Switcher Saturday is always open to all scales and gauges😀.  The only things we really ask are that everyone have fun and follow the Ogr tos regarding pictures.

The past few Saturdays a number of folks have commented on trying throughout the week to figure out a good picture for this thread and I am no exception.   Sometimes though,  things fall right into your lap.

This week at work the SW1500 was brought into the main plant for some general pm and winter prep.  Add a few clouds in the sky and you have some new pictures of the same equipment,  just with great backgrounds.

I took these shots over a few days.  Mind you I have nothing to do with this locomotive or it's use, so on Monday I had no idea it was coming into the main plant.  (Hopefully it leaves on time because I need that crane bay soon!)

So everyone please share your photos and videos.

Have a great weekend everyone. .

Love the SW1500 photos! Your plant looks interesting, too! I think I see a butane sphere. What do you manufacture there? I worked for awhile at GE Plastics' Mt. Vernon plant making polycarbonate, poly(butylene terephthalate) and Ultem poly(etherimide). Now the Saudi's own it.

Bill

@Bill Swatos posted:

Love the SW1500 photos! Your plant looks interesting, too! I think I see a butane sphere. What do you manufacture there? I worked for awhile at GE Plastics' Mt. Vernon plant making polycarbonate, poly(butylene terephthalate) and Ultem poly(etherimide). Now the Saudi's own it.

Bill

Thanks Bill.   The BRT (Big Round thing) is actually ash storage.   The main plant is a coal fired power plant that can also burn natural gas, and usually does.

There is another company onsite that collects the ash for beneficial use.  The separate out leftover carbon for one application,  and sell the now really clean ash for concrete construction.   They even truck in ash from other plants to that facility.   The trackmobile I featured not too long ago is leased by the ash separation company.

@MELGAR posted:

Dave,

You're correct. I forgot about the MTH PRR DD-1 and BB-1 electric motors. I even have a Long Island DD1 that might make a good subject for a future SWSAT.

MELGAR

I wonder if any manufacturer ever produced the "GG-1/2" that Amtrak used in Wilmington DE? Or kitbashed one? Check it out here:

https://www.railpictures.net/v...=100067&nseq=208

@jhz563 posted:

Thanks Bill.   The BRT (Big Round thing) is actually ash storage.   The main plant is a coal fired power plant that can also burn natural gas, and usually does.

There is another company onsite that collects the ash for beneficial use.  The separate out leftover carbon for one application,  and sell the now really clean ash for concrete construction.   They even truck in ash from other plants to that facility.   The trackmobile I featured not too long ago is leased by the ash separation company.

Very interesting, as Arte Johnson's "Wolfgang" would say. When I worked in the Paducah, KY area in the 2000's, I toured the (then EEI) Joppa, IL power plant, built between 1953 and 1955, with our church's Boy Scout troop. Fascinating how they pulverized and fed the coal and used draft to maintain a "fireball" of just the right size and position in the "boiler" of each of the six 183 MW units. They would catch the SO2 emissions with calcium hydroxide and sell the gypsum slurry. Unfortunately, they got sloppy with emissions, especially particulates, so their new owner, Vistra, just closed her down a couple of weeks ago. I guess it wasn't feasible to convert to NG.

@Bill Swatos posted:

I wonder if any manufacturer ever produced the "GG-1/2" that Amtrak used in Wilmington DE? Or kitbashed one? Check it out here:

https://www.railpictures.net/v...=100067&nseq=208

Must say I thought of it.  Got back into O-gauge in the mid 70's.  Then in the 90's to O-scale three rail.  Was proud when buying a Williams scale GG1.  Later bough three MTH GG1's representing significant Motors (red 4876, FOGG green five-stripe  4935, and the "Feathers 4829).  It was then started collected images of the 1/2 GG1 to bash my Williams scale GG1 to a 1/2 GG1 but could not bring myself to destroy that great Williams model.

Ron

Here is one for switcher Saturday.

Sorry for the quality of the picture.  It is a picture of a 29 year old 3X5.

Back in the early 90's, The Saturday gang at the B&O museum want out and cleared piles of debris and replaced a piece of rail to reconnect a piece of street trackage on S Catherine St. downtown.

After a few gauge rods were added on the sharp curve entering the street, We took the 633 ( SW900, 1955) up to EOT at Wilkens Ave.  Probably the first time in 20 years. 

The 633 had just recently been backdated and repainted.

I always loved the mood of this photo. 

Harold.

Stopped by Essex Steam Train & Riverboat for some pics!

Well I am LATE!  Saturday (which included a train show!!) just went by too fast.  Great photo's everyone.  For those who follow Front End Friday, you saw pictures of my new Lionel Amtrak Industrial Switcher...I had hoped to get some videos for SwSat but just couldn't make it.  So here are a few more pictures of her in operation and I will try for video's next week

Here she is exiting the "mountains" with her express car, ready to attach it to the Amtrak express waiting on the main.

Here she is again trying to get that express car attached to the waiting Amtrak passenger train.

A close up of this hard working little gal.

.

Well no excuse for being late, best wishes to all

Don

@HSD68 posted:

Here is one for switcher Saturday.

Sorry for the quality of the picture.  It is a picture of a 29 year old 3X5.

Back in the early 90's, The Saturday gang at the B&O museum want out and cleared piles of debris and replaced a piece of rail to reconnect a piece of street trackage on S Catherine St. downtown.

After a few gauge rods were added on the sharp curve entering the street, We took the 633 ( SW900, 1955) up to EOT at Wilkens Ave.  Probably the first time in 20 years.

The 633 had just recently been backdated and repainted.

I always loved the mood of this photo.

Harold.

Quality? Nothing to apologize for. It reminds me of scenes of the CSS&SB going down the street in Michigan City, IN. It doesn't do that anymore...

@HSD68 posted:

Here is one for switcher Saturday.

Sorry for the quality of the picture.  It is a picture of a 29 year old 3X5.

Back in the early 90's, The Saturday gang at the B&O museum want out and cleared piles of debris and replaced a piece of rail to reconnect a piece of street trackage on S Catherine St. downtown.

After a few gauge rods were added on the sharp curve entering the street, We took the 633 ( SW900, 1955) up to EOT at Wilkens Ave.  Probably the first time in 20 years.

The 633 had just recently been backdated and repainted.

I always loved the mood of this photo.

Harold.

Harold - thanks so much for posting the wonderful photo of B&O 633 running on the street in Baltimore City!  I love that you have a first hand story to go with the photo too!  Do you know where/what street  your photo was taken?  

Here is 633  today as it stands in the front yard tracks of the B&O Museum.  

@PRRronbh posted:

Must say I thought of it.  Got back into O-gauge in the mid 70's.  Then in the 90's to O-scale three rail.  Was proud when buying a Williams scale GG1.  Later bough three MTH GG1's representing significant Motors (red 4876, FOGG green five-stripe  4935, and the "Feathers 4829).  It was then started collected images of the 1/2 GG1 to bash my Williams scale GG1 to a 1/2 GG1 but could not bring myself to destroy that great Williams model.

Ron

I think lots of folks have had the same thought,  but lacked the willpower to follow through.   I gave a thought to hacking a traditional size k-line or mth GG-1,  but just couldn't bring myself to do it!

@jhz563 posted:

@jhz563

Is the SW1500 a PP&L engine??? The graphics on the side of the cab look like something PP&L used to use, but I don’t see any name on the body.