Good morning fellow switcher fans! Bob thanks for notching out the throttle and getting us rolling today. I certainly hope JHZ563 is okay, he usually gets SWSAT rolling early in the morning. Btw - I love the shot of your Pennsy ( WbB ) 44 tonner! I have a WbB 44 tonner in Pennsy livery as well and I find it to be nicely detailed and a very reliable locomotive.
Great photos and videos everyone! MELGAR - got to love all those NH boxcars in various paint schemes! Nice video ANDY - your ON30 project looks very interesting and yes, all that matters is that we are having fun.... great photo from the bus too TOM DENSEL - nothing says switcher to me like a Fairbanks Morse ... nice photo STEAM CRAZY - in the early days of diesel power I'm sure many steam switchers were called upon to save the day as you have well depicted in your photo and backstory. Sorry if I missed anyone who may have posted while I was writing this post.
TODAY on the Free State Junction Railway ... the Patsburg Fire Dept was called to this scene earlier this week. Central Alarm received a call Wednesday afternoon from a railroad dispatcher requesting fire apparatus be dispatched to a locomotive fire on north east Patburg Ave. Two fire engines ( a mini pumper and pumper ) arrived on the scene in a matter of minutes. A new Western Maryland BL-2 locomotive was showing smoke from all over. Puffy Cranston, the locomotive engineer, had just activated the locomotives internal fire suppression system moments before the fire engines arrived.
That's Puffy leaning from the cab as he converses with firefighter fist class Lex Luther ( no relation to Lex Luther in the Superman movie .. this Lex is a good guy ).
Lex, having just climbed down from the loco's cab, has completed his inspection of the locomotive's engine compartment and has determined the fire is out. He's now back on the ground as Puffy leans out of the locomotive cab and says " I wish to heck that EMD would have thought to put side door panels on this darn locomotive for easier access to the prime mover! I don't know what the poor fellas in the locomotive shop are going to say when they see this engine." To which Lex replies " I guess the first thing that will happen will be a whole lot cussin?"
At the moment Bob Crawford, the Road Superintendent of Engines, is on the phone with Shorty Riley, the road's Chief Dispatcher. Bob is hot tempered saying " I thought these new fangled diesel locomotives didn't need a fireman and now we have 8 fireman servicing this one diesel locomotive!! Who the &@^# knew! Crawford tells Riley that he's counting his blessings that the Western Maryland only purchased two of these BL-2s and not a dozen like the road was first considering to do. Riley goes on to say that he hopes this fire is not an omen to which Crawford replies "I think BL-2 may be an abbreviation for 'bad luck times two'." Crawford goes on to tell Riley " Get Steam Crazy John on the wire and request an 0-8-0 or Dockside down here to tow this SOB back to the shop!" Such is another day on the railroad.