Switcher Saturday: 2019-January-12

Happy SWSAT! 

Good morning Rich! Thanks for starting SWSAT.

This Atlas O model of New Haven Railroad EMD SW-1200 diesel-electric switcher 649 was announced in October 2002.

The first two pictures were taken on one of the truss bridges on my 12-by-8 layout completed in 2004. The third picture was taken on my nearly completed 10-by-5 layout which is the subject of an article now in print in OGR Run 304. I am building the New Haven control tower behind the engine from a kit by Forum sponsor TW Trainworx.

MELGAR

Post #2

Yesterday marked the 118th anniversary of a train accident at the Hoosac Railroad Tunnel in western Massachusetts which took the lives of my Great Grandfather (Orrin Kingsley, fireman) and his brother Archie (engineer).

I've managed to dig up a couple pictures of the engine, and the accident is well documented in a book titled "Hoot Toot and Whistle" by Bernard Carman.

The engine (BHT&W #10) was a Grant 2-8-0 Consolidation, and at the time the railroad was a narrow-gauge - so "close enough to critter" in my book - hence worthy of a SWSAT post.

Happy belated New Year everyone! The North Branch & Lamington Christmas Division has been put to rest for another year... but the mainline is always working. This morning, putting a new Lionel SW 7 through a shakedown. I'd love to see this in Strasburg paint.

This is a Legacy engine, with Bluetooth. Running in Bluetooth/Lionchief mode was interesting, and kind of fun. Still like Legacy, as you have finer control over the horn. The only thing I don't like is the generic 'cow horn' - I was hoping for a higher pitch horn like on the GP-9 from 1996.

A bonafied prototype "tinplate" locomotive :

Rusty

Still working hard after all these years!

Yay! SWSat is on!

We are off to a great start this AM. I am enjoying the posts so far. Here is my contribution this week of my current project a circa 1949 Thomas Industries B&O C16a in 2 rail O. The hooper is a model someone else scratchbuilt of the one Wagontop hopper B&O made. I want to find a matching wagontop caboose, boxcar and stock car to go with it. It is funny to start with the hard to find car. Apologies for my messy workbench. Planning to get some work indoors this weekend during the snow. 

@Rich  Murnane interesting story about your ancestors. The one train related Christmas gift I received was this book about the building of the Hoosac Tunnel from a friend who knows I like trains and history. I really have just started it and considering it clocks in over 600 pages I have a ways to go. 

Have a great weekend and stay safe. 

Happy Switcher Saturday To All.

A short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6AQqPp0z4k

Silver Lake posted:

 

 

@Rich  Murnane interesting story about your ancestors. The one train related Christmas gift I received was this book about the building of the Hoosac Tunnel from a friend who knows I like trains and history. I really have just started it and considering it clocks in over 600 pages I have a ways to go.

 

hey Andy @Silver Lake - check out page #453, you'll see a story of my great great grandfather, Francis Kingsley, who was Orrin and Archie's father.

Attached are a couple pictures that I took a number of years ago.  First is from South Charleston, OH off the bike path at  Southwest Landmark, and the second one is near Hamilton, OH(I believe it is ex-PRR).  I might have posted these before, I forget...

Murnane posted:

Silver Lake posted:

 

 

@Rich  Murnane interesting story about your ancestors. The one train related Christmas gift I received was this book about the building of the Hoosac Tunnel from a friend who knows I like trains and history. I really have just started it and considering it clocks in over 600 pages I have a ways to go.

 

hey Andy @Silver Lake - check out page #453, you'll see a story of my great great grandfather, Francis Kingsley, who was Orrin and Archie's father.

@Murnane Wow! Quite a story. It is amazing his sons were willing to follow their father in that line of work. 

I don’t have any Giant Powder but I do have some similar Hercules Powder. 

Happy SWSat!
Great stuff by everyone so far.

I finally got my FM H10-44 home and unpacked. It is a MTH model with Proto sounds. Looks like new and was packed with the original foam on the front and rear handrails and under the chassis. The previous owner even had a note in the box about when the battery was removed and the make and model.

Lots of info about them here

Here's the prototype that was owned by the PRR. They owned 55 of these units over the years.

I love the long rear hood on these, looks like they should be pulling a tender behind them.

Have a good weekend all. At least the snow is staying south of LI. Stay safe if you are in the path of the storm.

Bob

Murnane posted:

Post #2

Yesterday marked the 118th anniversary of a train accident at the Hoosac Railroad Tunnel in western Massachusetts which took the lives of my Great Grandfather (Orrin Kingsley, fireman) and his brother Archie (engineer).

That is a very interesting but somewhat sad post, Rich. Certainly a significant family history. I'm going to look for the books at the upcoming show in West Springfield, MA.

MELGAR

Happy SWSAT everyone!  Really nice photos guys!   Rich - I love it that you got your father's boxcab up and running .... very cool!

Here are some new fresh photos of my C&O  0-8-0 ( Lionel ) and a B&O SW9 doing some work in Patsburg.  I weathered all the freight cars ( except the Budweiser reffer ) in these photos, however not the locos ( perhaps one day ). There's one photo showing the stark contrast between the weathered junk gondola and the clean shine of the 0-8-0 ( not prototypical ). In another photo a N&W J class streaks by, in the opposite direction, pulling the Fast Mail.   It's always fun to come up with new scenic scenarios for the switching fleet. I hope everyone has a terrific weekend, and if you are in the path of the snow storm, stay safe!  

Rich that Boxcab looks great. Got one on my someday list.

Wabash 0-6-0 #526 Chicago 1948

#527 chicago 1938

#534 unknown date and place

Wreck train passing through town...

Tom

RSJB18 posted:

Happy SWSat!
Great stuff by everyone so far.

I finally got my FM H10-44 home and unpacked. It is a MTH model with Proto sounds. Looks like new and was packed with the original foam on the front and rear handrails and under the chassis. The previous owner even had a note in the box about when the battery was removed and the make and model.

Lots of info about them here

Here's the prototype that was owned by the PRR. They owned 55 of these units over the years.

I love the long rear hood on these, looks like they should be pulling a tender behind them.

Have a good weekend all. At least the snow is staying south of LI. Stay safe if you are in the path of the storm.

Bob

 

It is amazing how many engines are out there and for sale that were never run or only run a tiny bit. I encounter them all the time on Ebay, and often at a fraction of their original price. I have picked up some incredible bargains that way over the years  apparently, I am not the only one who buys an engine and then runs it once or twice, only to put it on the shelf .

I see you East Coasters are getting some wet weather of various kinds this weekend. Out here in SoCal, we have rain today with more storms lined up over the Pacific to move in during the upcoming week. This makes us very happy!

Stay dry and run your trains; that’s what I will be doing.

Happy Switcher Saturday everyone. Nice posts everyone.

Rich- Thanks for sharing your family's interesting history with us and Andy/Silverlake's book looks like a nice recap of the tunnel's history. 

My contribution is my "old" prewar Pennsy #228 alongside a Pennsy cabin car. 

Tom