SWITCHER SATURDAY March 30, 2024 Easter Edition

I'm not sure why a double moniker appears in my SwSat lead today????  

Good morning Patrick. Yes, there is a double heading on your post.

New York Central #9110 is an MTH Railking model (30-21010-1 with PS3) of a Fairbanks Morse H10-44 diesel switcher. The manufacturing quality and operation are flawless.

Fairbanks Morse planned to begin production of switcher locomotives in 1940 but the U.S. Government requisitioned the supply of its opposed-piston diesel engines for use in submarines during World War 2, so the first H10-44 was not produced until 1944. The locomotive had a distinctive high hood due to the extreme height of its engine design which had two pistons in each cylinder and two crankshafts – one below the cylinders and one above.

New York Central #9110, one of eleven NYC Class DES-14 locomotives, was built in 1950 and retired in 1967. Its 6-cylinder engine developed 1000 horsepower at 800 RPM. Starting tractive effort was 72,000 pounds with a continuous rating of 34,600 pounds at 8.3 miles-per-hour and a maximum speed of 60 miles-per-hour. 195 units were built between 1944 and 1950.

Photos and videos show the model on my 10’-by-5’ layout running at 23 scale miles-per-hour in conventional operation with freight cars and NYC caboose #19654, a Railking model (30-7721) delivered in 1998 for MSRP $39.95.

MELGAR

@trumpettrain posted:

I'm not sure a double moniker appears in my SwSat lead today????  

Like the old Double Mint Gum twins.....😀

Here's a Lionel / Williams / MTH pair of Minneapolis & St. Louis GP9 road switchers. The shells are salvaged from the 1978 Lionel service station set that I ran so much in my youth that the gears on the original pulmor finally gave out. Kept the shells and later swapped them onto a pair of Williams running gears with can motors. Then topped it all off with an MTH PS3 upgrade kit. Something old is new again and reclaims its spot on my favorite list from years ago. Enjoy!

Honey I shrunk the the kid.

@H1000 posted:

Here's a Lionel / Williams / MTH pair of Minneapolis & St. Louis GP9 road switchers. The shells are salvaged from the 1978 Lionel service station set that I ran so much in my youth that the gears on the original pulmor finally gave out. Kept the shells and later swapped them onto a pair of Williams running gears with can motors. Then topped it all off with an MTH PS3 upgrade kit. Something old is new again and reclaims its spot on my favorite list from years ago. Enjoy!

Nice job; those shells are happy.
Do you get full PS3, functionality?

@pennsyfan posted:

Nice job; those shells are happy.
Do you get full PS3, functionality?

I didn't add smoke because I didn't want to alter the shell too much. Otherwise yes full functional PS3 with a quillable horn (even though these only had a single note horn). This is an A-A set the leading engine is non-powered and tethered to the trailing unit but contains lighting with a massive speaker. The trailing unit has the motors, electronics, and lights.

The caboose was upgraded with two warm LED lights and two red LEDs for the class lights. It only has a single pickup roller so LEDs with an AC/DC buck converter driver worked out great for nice constant bright lights and no flickering.

Hi Patrick and all,

Using the Search feature, I checked, and it was apparently, roughly, 9 years ago, that the first Switcher Saturday began...the idea started by our friend, the genious (who planted the seed for this topic and saw the interest), Rich Murnane @Murnane .

Here was the very first post, started by Rich from February 2015:

https://ogrforum.com/...y-2015-feb-21?page=1

Thanks to all those who have hosted Switcher Saturday and all those who have posted over the years. Thanks to OGR for letting us continue our topic. Here is my post for today, one of my prewar Lionel #228 PRR B6 switchers.

Happy Easter!

Tom

Like Patrick, I have no switchers with any connection to Easter, except that in the video below, there is an MTH Premier NY Ontario & Western 44 ton center cab diesel switcher that has a yellow and gray livery. Those colors could be the colors of an Easter egg:

LOL, Arnold

A FACE ONLY A MOTHER COULD LOVE

Well, maybe a rail fan could, too!

John

Lionel

Happy Easter Switcher Saturday! Here is my GP38 called into switcher duty in order to transport newly converted work cars from the maintenance facility to Subway yard track number 4 -

I have ore cars filled with eggs & egg cars diving on the road.

Happy Switcher Saturday!

tnkMarx - Nice touch with the Easter Eggs!

Happy SWSat!

Seems that despite the best efforts of the MOW crew, the big bunny leaves a mess behind each year.

Have a Happy Easter!

Bob

@PRR8976 posted:

Hi Patrick and all,

Using the Search feature, I checked, and it was apparently, roughly, 9 years ago, that the first Switcher Saturday began...the idea started by our friend, the genious (who planted the seed for this topic and saw the interest), Rich Murnane @Murnane .

Here was the very first post, started by Rich from February 2015:

https://ogrforum.com/...y-2015-feb-21?page=1

Thanks to all those who have hosted Switcher Saturday and all those who have posted over the years. Thanks to OGR for letting us continue our topic. Here is my post for today, one of my prewar Lionel #228 PRR B6 switchers.

Tom

Thank you Tom ( @PRR8976 ) - and thank you to all who have kept SWSAT rolling all these years.

Here is the first SWSAT picture posted (not sure why it's not on the 1st SWSAT page Tom sent).

And Happy Easter to all.

Best...Rich

Morning SWIRTCHER SATURDAY fans Hope all have a good Easter Sunday. K-line Wabash Alco moving some freight.

@PRR8976 posted:

Hi Patrick and all,

Using the Search feature, I checked, and it was apparently, roughly, 9 years ago, that the first Switcher Saturday began...the idea started by our friend, the genious (who planted the seed for this topic and saw the interest), Rich Murnane @Murnane .

Here was the very first post, started by Rich from February 2015:

https://ogrforum.com/...y-2015-feb-21?page=1

Thanks to all those who have hosted Switcher Saturday and all those who have posted over the years. Thanks to OGR for letting us continue our topic. Here is my post for today, one of my prewar Lionel #228 PRR B6 switchers.

Tom

Tom - That's a fine looking postwar B6!!  

Thanks for posting the link to the very first post of Switcher Saturday as created by the thread's founder/creator Rich Murnane!!! Now passing the milepost of  9 years and still going!!!!  WOW that's quite amazing!!!  Next February, Milepost 10 years,  we will have to have one BIG SWITCHER SATURDAY party!!!!   I certainly don't know how that will look right now, however I suggest as the SwSat February 2025 birthday draws nearer, we all should kick around ideas for a unique celebration of SwSat.

It was great to see in the link to the original post,  there were several folks, yourself included, who have been posting regularly since the inception of SwSat.  Little did Rich know at the time that his genius wisdom that led him to plant "the seed"  be such a long running hit on the OGR Forum.  Thank you so much Rich Murnane!!!  AND thanks to John, Bob,  Mel ( and other regulars ) for stepping up to keep this thread running upon Rich's departure!

I haven't posted on this thread for a few weeks, but I did take some photographs and video this week that fit on SWSAT.  Patrick, thank you for starting us off.  Quite fitting for me that you picked Western Maryland BL-2 #81 for a start!  My video is of an old MTH Premier Protosound Western Maryland #83 that I upgraded to PS3!  @Steam Crazy John, your two BL-2s really look sharp.

Without further ado, here's mine plying the rails over the layout.  Some of you may have seen this on another thread this week, but for everyone else...

So here is another MTH that another modeler gutted the innards and repainted for Western Maryland.  I really don't know the back story.  This one was a throw-in on a deal a number of years ago.  The #7181 bugs me.  I wish he would have numbered it #81, but with a Speedletter repaint, I guess the prototype renumbered as well.

Happy Easter on this Switcher Saturday.

I am showing archival photos from my previous layout with my trusty Railking B&M RS-3 towing a Railking die cast B&M gondola.

Take care, Ray

@Mark Boyce posted:

I haven't posted on this thread for a few weeks, but I did take some photographs and video this week that fit on SWSAT.  Patrick, thank you for starting us off.  Quite fitting for me that you picked Western Maryland BL-2 #81 for a start!  My video is of an old MTH Premier Protosound Western Maryland #83 that I upgraded to PS3!  @Steam Crazy John, your two BL-2s really look sharp.

Without further ado, here's mine plying the rails over the layout.  Some of you may have seen this on another thread this week, but for everyone else...

So here is another MTH that another modeler gutted the innards and repainted for Western Maryland.  I really don't know the back story.  This one was a throw-in on a deal a number of years ago.  The #7181 bugs me.  I wish he would have numbered it #81, but with a Speedletter repaint, I guess the prototype renumbered as well.

Mark - fabulous video!!!  AND great looking BL2s too!!  Your layout looks terrific!!  

After the Chessie merger, WM BL2 number 81 was renumbered 7181 by Chessie and number 82 renumbered 7182.  After WM became part of Chessie,  as I'm sure you know, both WM BL2 locomotives stayed in their WM liveries working the Hagerstown yard until the end of their years.  Interesting to note;  the two BL2 locomotives purchased new from EMD by WM were among some of the first road switchers purchased by WM ... they worked their entire life on the WM and the remainder of WM's life ( as a sole entity ) too ... and even into the Chessie years in pretty much the same livery.  Once Chessie was in charge most all of the WM locos got the new Chessie paint job, however, 81,and 82 never received the cat's claw.  

I wish a meaningful “Happy Easter” to all my SwSat friends who celebrate. Peace to you all. And may peace come to our world.

@trumpettrain posted:

Mark - fabulous video!!!  AND great looking BL2s too!!  Your layout looks terrific!!  

After the Chessie merger, WM BL2 number 81 was renumbered 7181 by Chessie and number 82 renumbered 7182.  After WM became part of Chessie,  as I'm sure you know, both WM BL2 locomotives stayed in their WM liveries working the Hagerstown yard until the end of their years.  Interesting to note;  the two BL2 locomotives purchased new from EMD by WM were among some of the first road switchers purchased by WM ... they worked their entire life on the WM and the remainder of WM's life ( as a sole entity ) too ... and even into the Chessie years in pretty much the same livery.  Once Chessie was in charge most all of the WM locos got the new Chessie paint job, however, 81,and 82 never received the cat's claw.  

Pat, thank you for the information!  So, Chessie never repainted them, just renumbered them.  That makes sense.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Pat, thank you for the information!  So, Chessie never repainted them, just renumbered them.  That makes sense.

Correct.  The BL2 duo stayed in their original WM livery throughout their time under Chessie ownership.  My guess is that since both BL2s were relegated to the Hagerstown Yard, they would never be visible throughout the Chessie system.  Management probably wanted to save money so they decided not to give those locomotives the new paint job.  

MTH  PS2  Premier from the good people at Trainz .

Two Lionel RS-11s and an MTH GP-30 road switching…..

Have a great and safe week!

Peter

@Dave Warburton posted:

I wish a meaningful “Happy Easter” to all my SwSat friends who celebrate. Peace to you all. And may peace come to our world.

Amen

The Pennsy was a hard working railroad, so no Easter themed items today.

AtlasO B28 and boxcar.

Wow everyone, great pictures and great videos and super great scenery… I’ve been away for awhile as several of my close friends have gone to their eternal home. Now I had a chance to see the great work everyone is doing. Trumptrain, your layout and pictures are amazing and thanks for starting the parade of switchers off this fine last Saturday of March…Happy Railroading Everyone

@Murnane posted:

Thank you Tom ( @PRR8976 ) - and thank you to all who have kept SWSAT rolling all these years.

And Happy Easter to all.

Best...Rich

Happy Easter Rich. Still alive and well here on LI. (Can't wait to get off this sand-bar tho......)

Bob

@leapinlarry- Welcome back Larry. Sorry to hear about the circumstances. My condolences to you and yours.

@Dave Warburton- Amen to that. Happy Easter.

@leapinlarry I am sorry for your loss of several friends.  🙏  Great photographs as we have come to expect!

@leapinlarry posted:

Wow everyone, great pictures and great videos and super great scenery… I’ve been away for awhile as several of my close friends have gone to their eternal home. Now I had a chance to see the great work everyone is doing. Trumptrain, your layout and pictures are amazing and thanks for starting the parade of switchers off this fine last Saturday of March…Happy Railroading Everyone

Wish you the best Larry on the loss of your friends. God Speed! Mark

@leapinlarry posted:

Wow everyone, great pictures and great videos and super great scenery… I’ve been away for awhile as several of my close friends have gone to their eternal home. Now I had a chance to see the great work everyone is doing. Trumptrain, your layout and pictures are amazing and thanks for starting the parade of switchers off this fine last Saturday of March…Happy Railroading Everyone

Thank you for your kind words Larry!  Your photos look terrific as well!   I'm so sorry for your loss.  

Hey gang, sorry I am late.   Made it Strasburg today, grabbed a few pictures...

And then there's #89, star of today's show.   Honestly as a a 2-6-0 and relatively small it's about the size of Switcher by itself

Have a great week gang!

@leapinlarry- Just catching up after a working week ... Larry so sorry to hear about your friends.  Condolences and prayers for their passing.  Best Wishes...Don