ho scale switchers

[west willow and laurel]

I'm mainly an N scaler but am starting to build an HO switching layout as a side project based on Charleston, South Carolina. My question is, what recomendations do modelers have for a switcher. The railroad will be an industrial short line connecting with the CSX main yard.

[dstarr]

The first thing that comes to mind is the GE 44 tonner.  It's appropriate, it's very small, a virtue on a small layout, and Bachmann makes one at a decent price.  Should be easy to find.  I have the old one with 8 wheel pickup and two motors.  I'm told the current production with a single motor is a good runner too.

Then there is the EMD switcher,  from Athearn and Proto and probably others.  There are various designations of this machine depending upon engine horsepower, but the exterior doesn't change much whether the engine is 750 hp 1000 hp or 1200 hp. 

Proto makes Alco S-1, s-2 and s-3 switchers, worthy machines no doubt but I cannot remember ever seeing the prototypes at work in the great outdoors, so they don't catch my fancy. 

Or you could use a road switcher as a switcher.  That's the EMD GP's  from GP7 to GP40.  Or the Alco roadswitchers.  Many many makers.

Or you could find a steamer if you like steam.  A switcher would be an 0-4-0 or and 0-6-0 for a smallish industrial short line.  0-8-0's were built but they were big machines, bigger  than a short line is likely to use.   Tank engines were used in tight quarters, but their fuel capacity and hence range was limited compared to a locomotive with a tender.   Used to be Mantua made both wheel arrangements in both tank and tender versions, and there are plenty of used ones around the train show circuit for very reasonable prices.  Mantua went out of business for a while and is being revived.  They may have put the  0-6-0 and 0-4-0 back in production, but you need to check their website.  Bowser used to make a nice 0-4-0 Pennsy style switcher with a slopeback tender, but Bowser announced they were dropping steam engines about a year ago.   Again, there are bound to be some at train shows.  I think I saw a new plastic steam switcher from maybe Proto-2000, it looked very nice, but it was pricey.

Good luck.

 

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

The size of your switchers depends on what is being switched and how heavy it is. Loco sizes can range from small 4 wheel diesels on up. In Leesville the smallest loco used is a GP38-2 and the largest is an AC44. Most commonly seen here is an SD40-2.

[Hamltnblue]

The Atlas MP15DC's and the Athearn MP15AC's are nice as well

As Jeffrey noted, for Road switchers you can use anything up to an SD40-2 but typically I see 4 axle loco's for switching.

Even in the movie Unstoppable the road switcher being used was an SD40-2

 

[Eric97123]

If you are modeling CSX or want to use CSX equipment, you could look for an Atlas NRE 3GS21B genset switcher.  I have one and it runs great. 

[BRAKIE]

west willow and laurel

I'm mainly an N scaler but am starting to build an HO switching layout as a side project based on Charleston, South Carolina. My question is, what recomendations do modelers have for a switcher. The railroad will be an industrial short line connecting with the CSX main yard.

For such railroads I favor a Alco switcher(Atlas or P2K) or a SW1(Walthers).Another contender would be the Walthers FM10-44.

Of course any EMD switcher would work equally well.

[markpierce]

GE 70-tonners are another option.

[tstage]

I don't know what era of CSX you are looking to model (i.e. 70s...90s...today) or how long the Alco HH600/660s hung around but Atlas makes a real sweetheart of a one.  For a yard switcher it crawls exceptionally well.  For something a little newer, the MP15s from Atlas and Athearn are quite nice.

Tom

[markpierce]

SW1500s like this California Northern locomotive are good looking switchers.  Deer horns are optional.

[richhotrain]

How about an EMD SW1500 CSX switcher with sound?

http://factorydirecttrains.com/12-837emdsw1500csx1125withparagon2sounddcdccho.aspx

Rich

[Flashwave]

Off the top of my head, I don't recall what I saw at Charleston. Butr I did hear and briefly see someone dash out of he autoport with loaded autoracks. For that kind of thing, you'll probably be wanting an SW1500 or MP15, if not an outright full-size locomotive like a GP7/9 or 15.

EDIT: Found them for ya, Google Maps even has two of the locos coupled up: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Chrleston+Aquarium&aq=&sll=33.295523,-80.990045&sspn=21.527583,53.393555&ie=UTF8&hq=Chrleston+Aquarium&hnear=&ll=32.797322,-79.932795&spn=0.002539,0.006518&t=h&z=18&iwloc=A 

You'll be wanting to look at the Port Royal RR. And that may actually be an SW1000, not a 1500. But I could be wrong. Athearn has done both recently.

http://news.webshots.com/photo/2125480730042164717OKExUW <<Picture of Loco. It won't let me post up a pic using it's properties link.

[Hamltnblue]

Oh and Forgot

Welcome to the forums

[jacon12]

I'm partial to the Atlas seen here, and it's prototype namesake.  My two MP-15 DC's run very smoothly.

Jarrell

 

[AltonFan]

Do not ignore the Alco RS-1!  Remember, the RS-1 has only 1000hp.

[tomikawaTT]

Welcome to the forums.

Depending on commodity, a very short railroad can have some pretty heavy locomotives - up to Mallet articulateds in steam, and six axles (plus a six-axle slug) in the present.  Metallic ores and raw metal products are HEAVY!!!  If they have to be taken up any kind of grade, a four-axle diesel or an 0-6-0 won't have the necessary tractive effort.

On the opposite side, if all you'll ever handle is five car cuts, or the output of a furniture factory and a feather pillow works...

My own shortline, set in a location where the scenery stands on edge, uses a motley collection of small teakettle tanks.  I have to doublehead, and even triplehead, rather short trains.  The management has recently placed a 2-6-6-2T in service to expedite getting the empty hoppers back up the 4 percent grade to the mine.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[Mike Kieran]

Broadway Limited, Atlas, and Proto 2000 make great switchers that have DCC & Sound for a reasonable price. If you want to spend less, Bachmann Spectrum makes a GE 70 Ton loco and my favorite, the GE 45 ton loco. It looks really neat because it has side rods that spin like crazy even though the engine is only going 10 mph. The Bachmann Spectrum engines come painted for no particular railroad and unlettered so that you can have a sharp paint scheme without having to remove or paint over the old railroad's lettering.

[E-L man tom]

Although not my favorite runner in my fleet of locos, I'm using an old Athearn "blue box", what they call an SW1500. I really think it;'s either an SW7 or SW9. I picked this loco up used at a train show about 10 years ago, originally with an ATSF paint scheme, for $15.00. After stripping the paint from the shell and repainting and decaling it to my freelance switching RR and adding a few minor details, it's good enough for this layout. I also did a little improvement on the internal contacts, which also improved it's performance a bit. What I like about switchers that size on a switching layout is that they: 1. negotiate the sharp curves well and 2. fit better within some of the shorter switching leads than a full-sized road switcher. Although I've probably used the oldest and not the best runner of all my locomotives, it demonstrates how cheaply, and with a few alterations you can develop a roster for this type of layout. I only needed one locomotive (though I may add another later), it and a caboose are the extent of the roster on this railroad.

[Packer]

Flashwave

Off the top of my head, I don't recall what I saw at Charleston. Butr I did hear and briefly see someone dash out of he autoport with loaded autoracks. For that kind of thing, you'll probably be wanting an SW1500 or MP15, if not an outright full-size locomotive like a GP7/9 or 15.

EDIT: Found them for ya, Google Maps even has two of the locos coupled up: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Chrleston+Aquarium&aq=&sll=33.295523,-80.990045&sspn=21.527583,53.393555&ie=UTF8&hq=Chrleston+Aquarium&hnear=&ll=32.797322,-79.932795&spn=0.002539,0.006518&t=h&z=18&iwloc=A 

You'll be wanting to look at the Port Royal RR. And that may actually be an SW1000, not a 1500. But I could be wrong. Athearn has done both recently.

http://news.webshots.com/photo/2125480730042164717OKExUW <<Picture of Loco. It won't let me post up a pic using it's properties link.

The Port Royal loco is acutally an SW1001.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_SW1001

Pretty much an SW1000 that has been lowered, so it'd be closer to to the SW9-1200 in hieght.

[hcc25rl]

God, I love Charleston, was just there awhile back. Slightly North Of Broad (S.N.O.B.), yep I'm a snob. Middleton Plantation is THE BEST! Go there if you have the chance, you won't be disapointed!  Fort Sumner is where it all began. The South will rise again!

Jimmy