Switcher Saturday 10-1-22

MTH PS2 NY Central GP9 hauling Williams NY Central passenger cars to Yankee Stadium:

There will be many trains like this taking Yankee fans who want to see Aaron Judge hit #62. Arnold

@Arnold D. Cribari

That's a nice ball field Arnold. I'd love to see more details. Could you take some pictures and post them?

@Wood posted:

@Arnold D. Cribari

That's a nice ball field Arnold. I'd love to see more details. Could you take some pictures and post them?

Delighted to do that, Wood, but will do so on a different thread. In fact, you can see them by searching for and visiting the thread: Baseball and Trains (the one I started in December 2017). Arnold

Rock Island BL-2 x 2.

New York Central Lines A5 0-4-0 steam switcher #901 is an MTH Premier model (20-3281-1) with PS2 that was advertised in the 2007 Volume 1 catalog at an MSRP of $599.95. Mine also has a BCR.

I could not find pictures or data for a New York Central 0-4-0 switcher similar to the MTH model. Its builder’s plate reads “Juniata Shops.” Eventually, I realized that this is an MTH Pennsylvania Railroad A5 model from which the Belpaire firebox has been removed and replaced by a standard radial-stay firebox. A PRR Belpaire firebox on a New York Central engine might not have been well-received by New York Central fans. I give MTH credit for doing the job properly rather than just painting New York Central on the tender. Although the model is not prototypical, it is nicely detailed and runs smoothly.

Pennsylvania Railroad A5s were built between 1916 and 1924, years after mainline railroads such as the New York Central were no longer buying 0-4-0s. PRR A5s were used on the streets and sharply curved industrial sidings of Philadelphia where larger locomotives could not go. By contrast with 0-4-0s of other railroads, the PRR engines were modern – with piston valves, superheaters and, in later years, power reverse. The engine weight was 131,750 pounds, and they produced 30,190 pounds of tractive force with 185 psi steam pressure and 50-inch driving wheels.

The videos show the model running at 21 scale miles-per-hour and creeping along at 6 scale miles-per-hour - under conventional control.

MELGAR

Good morning SwSat fans!  The Faithful will remember I mentioned the EMD GP7 replaced the EMD BL2 in last week’s post.  That is the segue I needed to show you my GP7 collection today.

MEC no. 562 is a Lionel model and B&M 1555 and CNJ no. 1524 were built by MTH.  The MTH engines have both been converted to PS3, but for different reasons.

B&M 1555 was a circa 1999 PS1 model that ran well for about 15 years until the day came it refused to move.  CNJ 1524 was a nice running 3 volt PS2 engine until I pinched a wire replacing the shell after changing a cab light.  It eventually shorted and killed the board.

Those who pay attention to detail may notice a couple of flaws.  B&M 1555 did not have dynamic brakes and Lionel should have painted MEC 562 in a more orange/yellow hue.  This doesn’t bother me because they are both fine looking and running models.  I appreciate fine detail, but I think absolute fidelity to prototype trains limits your choices and spoils the fun of collecting what you like.  Just one man’s opinion.

John

Happy Switcher Sat, everyone!  It was a crazy  week down here with the hurricane so I don’t have any new pics  but here is some archived video of my GP 20 pulling out military freight from the yard heading for action -

Prayers out to all those on the west coast of Florida and up in the Carolinas that ultimately took a direct hit from Ian

Is there a size limitation for an O Gauge switcher?

The reason I ask is that I have several large engines with front and back electrocouplers that are great for switching duties on my layout. One of them is a huge FM Trainmaster.

Could such a large locomotive with front and back electrocouplers be categorized as a switcher?

Yay! SWSat is on!  

Nice start this week. I like the fall and New England theme has returned. @MELGAR I know the feeling of disappointment when things are not what you think they are. The NYC/Pennsy A5 does look very nice. @Steamcrazy /John that is a very nice collection of New England roadswitchers you have going there.

This week I was playing with making some black and white pictures look older. Here is a Illinois Central 2-4-4F forney from Gem in 2 rail o scale.

Once I get it it running how I like it I’ll get it to the paint shop.

Slightly off topic but yesterday I found myself downtown and a certain famous fire house has its Halloween decoration up.

There are no trains in the shot but the IRT subway runs under the street between the firehouse and that tan building. I did not check if the Ecto-One was home.

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

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Is there a size limitation for an O Gauge switcher?

The reason I ask is that I have several large engines with front and back electrocouplers that are great for switching duties on my layout. One of them is a huge FM Trainmaster.

Could such a large locomotive with front and back electrocouplers be categorized as a switcher?

A Fairbanks-Morse Trainmaster was a large, heavy, powerful road locomotive that would not generally have been used for switching. Smaller, less powerful road-switcher locomotives such as the ALCo RS-3, S-2 and Electro-Motive Division GP7, GP9 were more efficient for switching but also had sufficient power to be used on the railroad and outside the yards. I often post pictures of road-switcher models on Switcher Saturday but think that they really don't qualify as switchers. I would say that the best definition of a "switcher" is a locomotive used primarily for switching operations in a yard. Perhaps O gauge switchers are another matter.

MELGAR

Happy SWSat!

Prayers to all in Ian's path. My daughter's boy friend is in Fort Meyers, no flooding but two trees came down and did some minor damage. They are luckier than most.

So back to the trains. I just picked up a neat little critter that hopefully arrives by next Saturday. Stay tuned for pix and the back story.

Nothing new going on this week. It's a rain out here as Ian finally wanders north and out of our lives. Maybe I can get down to the layout and get it back in running condition.

Going through the archives I found a short video of a couple of steamers doing their thing.

I'm trying google photos for the first time to share videos over the 100MB forum limit. Click on the link below to view. Hope it works. Haven't figured out how to embed directly yet.

Here's my K-line A5 and a MTH 0-4-0 tank shuttling some cars around the layout.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/UBtDCe8DThhU84D68

Bob

The new Lionel Trackmobile. Lionel 1656 the best Post War small switcher Lionel ever made.

Working the scrapyard. Have a great weekend everyone!

Pennsylvania U36 moving some empty Hoppers, Have a good Saturday, buy a Vet a Beer.

@MELGAR posted:

A Fairbanks-Morse Trainmaster was a large, heavy, powerful road locomotive that would not generally have been used for switching. Smaller, less powerful road-switcher locomotives such as the ALCo RS-3, S-2 and Electro-Motive Division GP7, GP9 were more efficient for switching but also had sufficient power to be used on the railroad and outside the yards. I often post pictures of road-switcher models on Switcher Saturday but think that they really don't qualify as switchers. I would say that the best definition of a "switcher" is a locomotive used primarily for switching operations in a yard. Perhaps O gauge switchers are another matter.

MELGAR

So Switcher Saturday is open to switchers of all scales and gauges.   What classifies as a Switcher is somewhat debatable. 

As described above switchers are generally smaller machines either captive to a yard or industrial area.  Road switchers can do much of the same work being lighter and capable of tighter curves then mainline engines but also more powerful and carrying more fuel then a dedicated Switcher. So a road switcher would work the local deliveries and often be the main power on a branch line.

In some cases large power road units are pressed in switching services.   A classic example is the Amtrak auto train.   Amtrak uses Dash 8 locomotives to switch the auto carriers.   No one would normally consider a locomotive as big as a dash 8 a switcher, but that's what how they are used.

I wouldn't consider a FM trainmaster a switcher, but FM made several units that clearly are switchers.   

Worst one to classify in my opinion is the PRR transfer diesel. It is a center cab unit, it's meant to be a heavy duty switcher, but is as long as E8!

Usually Switcher Saturday centers around relatively small locomotives and road switchers.   I hope this helps foster discussion.  Cheers everybody!

Thanks for the input on what constitutes a switcher.

Good morning SWSAT crew!

Late start this morning   Penn Central GP9 7180 (Atlas O) is in charge of a high and wide load today:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Tom

@jhz563 posted:

So Switcher Saturday is open to switchers of all scales and gauges.   What classifies as a Switcher is somewhat debatable.

In some cases large power road units are pressed in switching services.   A classic example is the Amtrak auto train.   Amtrak uses Dash 8 locomotives to switch the auto carriers.   No one would normally consider a locomotive as big as a dash 8 a switcher, but that's what how they are used.

Cheers everybody!

In case anyone was wondering.....

@jhz563 posted:

So Switcher Saturday is open to switchers of all scales and gauges.   What classifies as a Switcher is somewhat debatable.

As described above switchers are generally smaller machines either captive to a yard or industrial area.  Road switchers can do much of the same work being lighter and capable of tighter curves then mainline engines but also more powerful and carrying more fuel then a dedicated Switcher. So a road switcher would work the local deliveries and often be the main power on a branch line.

In some cases large power road units are pressed in switching services.   A classic example is the Amtrak auto train.   Amtrak uses Dash 8 locomotives to switch the auto carriers.   No one would normally consider a locomotive as big as a dash 8 a switcher, but that's what how they are used.

I wouldn't consider a FM trainmaster a switcher, but FM made several units that clearly are switchers.   

Worst one to classify in my opinion is the PRR transfer diesel. It is a center cab unit, it's meant to be a heavy duty switcher, but is as long as E8!

Usually Switcher Saturday centers around relatively small locomotives and road switchers.   I hope this helps foster discussion.  Cheers everybody!

You beat me to it.

The PRR used their 2500 HP transfer engines to shuttle long consist of car from one yard to another at longer distances.

This image is a feeling of relative sizes.  My diesel& electric  switcher roster.

Ron