Happy SwSat everyone. Great photos so far. For my switcher pics, I’m going to go in a different direction. Here is an engine that has occupied a space on my shelf for over 10 years now.
It doesn’t have any fancy electronics, isn’t a pre/postwar prize, has a horn that sounds like a model t Ford, is loaded with scratches and numerous cracks. But it occupies a very special spot on my wall. You see, this little switcher was my oldest son's first train. When I re entered the hobby, I built him a little 4x8 floor layout so he could enjoy his own trains. Note to snowflakes of this generation - I had no problem letting a 5/6 year old, after proper instruction, independently operate a layout, with all the wires and electronics at his grasp. And operate he did - in a Gomez Adams like fashion! This little switcher regularly ran over his favorite Star Wars figures, banged into Elmo, crashed into cars, and flew off rails and into walls at ungodly speeds, occupying junior for countless hours of fun. Ironically, after restoring my computer’s hard drive this week (long story, blue screen of death issue), I found this video of a more genteel operating session in our family photo files. It’s from the year 2001 and junior is 6 years old (forgive the music, I had the radio playing when i recorded this with my phone as it played on the screen)-
Junior is now in his mid 20s, working 80 hours a week for a bag of coin at some investment bank in Manhattan with no time or room in his apartment for a layout, but one day, hopefully not too far off, he will build his nest and rejoin the hobby. Then this little guy and a bunch of rolling stock (as well as a beat up nyc Hudson) will be reunited. Until then, this little switcher sits and waits, removed only from the shelf for a once a year dusting, oiling, and occasional dab of lube. You’ve all heard of the circle of life, well this is the circle of a switcher!
