Switcher Saturday Mark II !!, 4/25/2020

Yay! It is another SWSat! Good Morning. SWSat is off to a great start. 

@jhz563 the middle unit in that group is a RS3m. These were from a program started by Penn Central and continued by Conrail that replaced Alco engines with engines from retiring E passenger units. With the two motors from one E they could report two RS3s. There are a few variations. Those built at the former NYC shops were called “Dewitt Geeps”. Part of the spotting features are the two exhaust stacks, two EMD fans grafted into the far end of the long hood and the built up area over the taller EMD engine. Also there was the sound. Cool picture though. I actually really like the RS3m they are definitely of the time they were made and can really show a time and place. If I can ever finish the one I am making from a Weaver conversion I will post it here. 

For my entry this AM  I have my little Steam Dummy (0-4-0ST) doing some station pilot moves and then a short MOW Ballast move. These steam dummies were made in places with horses supposedly these did not scare horses as much and there are side skirts as well for safety. You don’t want to get tangled in the rods when it is street running. The whole boiler is covered by the body and the cabin there in the back. In the front you can see the stack in the roof and the front of the smokebox sticks out the front. I don’t know where this particular Steam dummy prototype is from but mine came from Germany and the buffers don’t line up with those on my English stuff.  It has no markings or numbers anywhere. 

I just noticed that the turnout in the last picture is thrown against the train. Oops.

In the US many trolley companies had these. Also some bigger railroads had some for city street running. The New York Central has quite a few for their Westside street trackage. They even had some Dummy Shays up into the 1930’s. 

This week I worked a bit more on the layout shelf. I added a board to the side to make it wide enough for another siding. That accounts for the bare wood in some pictures. I worked some on the station and added some LED strip lighting. I’m very happy with the lighting. It is very low profile and neat. I especially like it in the evening when the rest of the room is darker. 

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

On my bike ride yesterday to South Charleston, I saw these 3 engines parked at the grain elevators.  No action this time of year, but it is good to see them sitting & waiting.  That was the first time I saw the engine closest to the elevators, the red/maroon/rust colored one.

Happy Switcher Saturday!

Now that's what I call weathered !    I've seen cleaner engines on the scrap line !

Happy SWSat...The quarantine edition week 7

Hope everyone is well and enjoying their trains.

Here's some Chessie power from the early days on my layout.

Steamtown, my layout.  Decent, out of the box model, IMO .  Posted: 4/25/2020 AM., Limited run, Lionel, from Mr. Muffin's Trains. 

Lionel GP-9 on the Seattle & Yakima RR.

          happy SWSat !!         from Napoleon Ohio...

          Marci's photos...

                              have a great weekend everyone !!!

Happy SWSAT!

A local agri-business has a grain operation, feed mill and fertilizer plant, all located within a compact campus.  There is quite a bit of activity at the business with farmers delivering grain with tractors and wagons as well as by truck.   Several years ago they acquired an Army surplus switcher to shuttle rail cars around the facility. The little switcher can only move a couple of cars at a time, which is perfect for the job it is employed.  I was able to catch it in operation and thought I would share these shots.

A worker closes the top on a hopper in preparation for moving the car.

He finishes just in time as the company switcher arrives to couple up to the car.

The crew begins to pull the hopper out of the siding.

They have to stop and wait as a six axle EMD blast past the elevator on the main line.

With the freight train now past, the crew sets the hopper on an adjacent siding as they prepare to retrieve another car.

The little switcher sneaks into the siding to couple up to the other hopper.

The crew crosses the main line with their short train as they head for the interchange track.

They set out the hoppers on the interchange track.

After setting out the hoppers, they pick up a boxcar full of feed and return to the facility.

The boxcar is spotted at the feed mill.

Workers waste no time in beginning the unloading process.  They surely have their work cut out for them.

With their chores done for the day, the crew parks the switcher beneath the shelter of the loading bay.

Stay safe, everyone!

Tom

Old, old pic, sorry

                                Former Santa Fe CF7 leased to NYS&W at Little Ferry, NJ Oct.86'

It's early morning in late 1949 and the yard's last remaining A5 is earning it's pay shifting a car off the interchange track to the classification yard.  It used to work the docks but that has been taken over by a SW-1.  However, the engineer does not miss the smell of the fish warehouses.

This is a K-Line A5 upgraded with cruise and 4-chuffs/rev.  And yes it does sound like a machine gun if I run it faster than normal shifter speed.

Happy SWSAT.  Be safe and stay well.

Today's 1/1 scale entry is the NS push/pull switching operation on the Kreamer, PA truncated ex-PRR branchline.   The rear engine pictured is heading northeast towards Selinsgrove, PA after climbing a grade out of the Middle Creek watershed.  My video attempt at the engines under load failed, rookie error I guess. I'll do better next time !   To the right - down the hill - the is Pawlings Station Rd grade crossing,  evidence of a station is long gone.  The train will soon cross the Susquehanna River ,about 50 miles upriver from Harrisburg,  where the train will rejoin the Harrisburg - Scranton line on the east side of the river. 

Great switcher-stuff all! 

Wow guys what great SWSat pictures.  jhz563 - I am also a " Jersey" guy, lived there from birth to age 25 and know Elizabethport, great picture of Conrail on the job.  Silver Lake - thanks for the data on the re-power of the RS3's knew that EMD used trade in parts (like trucks) from Alco PA's for re-use on GP's but did not know that they re-powered RS3 shells with EMD engines.  tnkMarx - Man, two of those switchers really need a paint job !  MikeCT really neat LV Alco.  BillT the Lionel GP is cool but who is that guy in the 3 wheeled car !.  TomDensel- see below, guess today is "Army Switcher Saturday"

In my world, the Leonardtown and Savannah is always short motive power but the War Dept is a huge shipping customer in '43 so we do whatever we can to win the war and bring the boys home.  The Army just got a (secret) shipment at the port and needed to move it to Hunter AAB in Savannah.  Although the L&S would normally move the load, this was an emergency shipment and not scheduled and the L&S is just short of power to get the job done.  No problem, after all there is a war on , so L&S Management has arranged a temporary track warrant to allow the Army to use its own switch engine (normally just used on Hunter) to move the box car up to Savannah.  Must be important as the MP's are following the shipment in their Jeep

Happy SWSat everyone!

Don McErlean

TALES OF THE DOCKSIDER

This Saturday it’s time to introduce you to the crew of plucky NYC shop switcher X-8688.  Seen in the photo, left to right (the man in the cab is unknown, the photographer didn’t see him):

Mario Safetyvalvoni, engineer. He is 64 years old and has 44 years of service with the B&A/NYC.  He has more than enough seniority to qualify to run one of the road’s famous Hudsons, but he likes the shop job so he can go home every night.  He’s a family man with 10 kids, 15 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.

Mario is a teetotaler who enjoys fishing on his time off.  He is known for constantly having a cigar in his mouth, though it is rarely lit, just chewed.  When asked about retirement, he usually replies “maybe next year”.

Vasik Semaphorowski, fireman.  He is 35 years old, but he only has 4 years of service due to a previous career as an astrophysicist.  Vasik tired of lab/office work, deciding he’d prefer a “hands on” job.  He is waiting for Mario to retire to take over as engineer.

Vasik appears to be a confirmed bachelor.  When asked why he doesn’t find a nice girl and settle down, he says “women are too much trouble”.  Perhaps marriage isn’t right for him, because he’s known to frequent the casino and local bars.

Mick O’Depot, brakeman, “the kid”.  Mick is 20 years old, with a year of service.  Despite his youth he is well liked by Mario and Vasik due to his work ethic and eagerness to learn.

Mick is single and rumored to have 3 or 4 girlfriends at a time.  If that’s not enough to keep him busy, he’s a motorcycle enthusiast.  Mick is a regular participant in hillclimbs.

Now you know the proud crew of X-8688!

john

               some CONRAIL at work...

Good afternoon fellow SWSAT fans!!  Great photos and information everyone!

I have a very busy day but just thought I'd take a quick break to checkout SWSAT. Hopefully I will get some posts up later this evening.  

Be well everyone and enjoy your trains!!  

Absolutely delightful entries this fine Saturday. Thanks to all who posted! We all appreciate the diversion from the daily news.  

Let’s stay on track, America.

Switchers at the coaling tower

I purchased this K-Line 6-22334 switcher set last week. Was NIB, but now is gently used. Lots of color. I'm liking it. 

Here is my entry for today.

Another set of photos that I did for an eBay listing, this time in 2011.  This was a Lionel RS-1 from a Minneapolis St. Louis RTR set that I purchased (the locomotive only).  It was with this locomotive that the then O Gauge Newbie (me) at the time learned about single and dual motor engines.  I inquired on this forum about why the locomotive wheels were slipping on the track and couldn't pull my small 7-8 consist of traditional sized freight cars.  End result > it was a low end RTR single motor loco that could basically only carry the amount of cars that came with the RTR set, so when I tried to pull my freight consist, the loco with the "powerful motor" (Lionel's words, not mine) couldn't move out of its own way. 

Needless to say, it was the last single motor diesel locomotive that I ever purchased

Good story Kevin

Kevin:  We have all suffered the same or similar problems.  Given these loco's look rather neat, I really like the one you pictured, and the motor is almost fully contained in the truck I wonder if you could just get another motor truck and fit it to the front.  These single motor jobs are not that expensive, it might be possible to find one cheap and K'ball the motor truck.

Don

I added  second powered truck to this RS-3. Went from a wheel spinner to stump puller

It's all about "Jolene" here in the Valley.

Happy SWSAT, everyone!

 Good evening fellow switcher fans!  Great stuff today everyone!   I'm late to the party with photos, however as they say, better late than never.  Have a fantastic weekend everyone.  Be well, have fun playing with your trains and keep washing those hands.  

Heres is a photo of my WbB replica of the Lionel postwar GE 44 tonner.  To me it looks like at least an 80 tonner 

Now here is the WbB scale 44 tonner which does look like a 44 tonner to me. 

Again the WbB 44 tonner.  Basically the flip side of the above photo. 

A SW 1 makes its way up the mainline early in the morning.  

My Pennsy Power Fleet bookended by switchers in both steam and diesel.  On the left WbB scale 44 tonner, and far right a Kline scale A5 0-4-0

Those K-line Porter sets are great.  I had no idea the Ford set was so colorful.  I have the KCC set with 3 green and 3 yellow ore jennies.

Finished my MTH PB&NE NW2 to go with the slug unit I kit bashed based on a NW2 chassis....

Tom

Happy Switcher Saturday.  Hope everyone is well.

@coach joe posted:

Those K-line Porter sets are great.  I had no idea the Ford set was so colorful.  I have the KCC set with 3 green and 3 yellow ore jennies.

@coach joe  K-line made two different Porter sets so beware. One is this nice bright Orange, yellow, black and blue set and the other is all black engine and all black cars. Interestingly both sets have the different color loads in different cars  Rust Iron ore, Black Coal and White rubber I guess.

Great posts this weekend everyone.

No wonder the set above didn't look familiar I gues I had seen the black set somewhere along the line.