Allagash - new power at Madrid Yard

Here's a couple pics of the latest power to get into service on the Allagash. My "CMO" Joe Posik and I have been talking about end-cab switchers, off and on for a while now. Original thought was for SW7s or something like that, but we decided against it because it would be too similar to the Maine Central. Matt Herman from Loksound introduced some new sound files a couple of weeks ago, one of which was a killer recording of an SW1500. This is a 645-12 cylinder. Wow! 

So there you have it, we cut against the grain a bit and went for a pair of SW1500s. These would have been purchased new in the late 1960s, along with the GP38s we have. This little brute sounds amazing - it's a BLI and runs great as well and has nice detail. Many small-to-mid-sized roads purchased these in small quantities, so a pair seemed logical. Sister 150 is being readied for service. We'll likely assign the two pups together and alone on locals or drilling the yard at Madrid.

Enjoy the pics.

Mike Confalone

Here are the photos

I love end cab switchers

The type really doesn't matter to me. I just love em. Not so patiently waiting for my Rapido SW1200RS. As always Mike, your photos look so real I feel the chill in the air.

SW1500

Outstanding...!!! The SW1500 has always been a personal favorite of mine. 

Great stuff Mike

Great choice and addition to your fleet Mike. A pair of these working Madrid Yard would be right at home. You definitely should film a new series showcasing Operations at Madrid Yard featuring these two and how Madrid plays a huge role for the Railroad classifying and building trains. That would be pretty awesome. 

Have you or will you add Keep Alive's in these units? I just had two added to a couple of my Seaboard Central Kato SD40-2s with LokSound decoders and it made a huge difference. You can see them in action on my latest blog. Something else you might want to consider for these two units in the future is using the new Iowa Scaled Engineering ProtoThrottle. It is perfectly designed for these types of units in yard work and will make whoever gets assigned to them a preferred job!

Tim Garland

Agreed- great stuff!

Mike,

i agree with Tim- great stuff! The 151 looks awesome, and I'll bet it sounds and runs as well as everything else on the Allagash roster. 

I've long planned to have at least one of these units in the yard at North Pierce. I bought one of the Cary shells many years ago along with the Flexi-coil trucks and intended to mount them on an Atherrn drive. But the thought of trying to drill holes for handrail stanchions and MU cables in the metal scared me away from ever tackling that project. Perhaps it's time to look at the BLI units.

Tom Patterson

Love it

Mike, your work is enough to make me think about abandoning the IAIS and creating my own prototype. Sanity returned, but wow! Very impressive modeling.

Nice

Nice additions. However, I am partial to SW 9's. My grandfather was an engineer for the Pittsburg & Shawmut from after WW II until his death in 1982.

Switchers

Thanks Tom!

Appreciate the positive feedback. Check out the BLIs they are really nice!

MC

Alco switchers on the Allagash

Hi Mike,

Yes, we rostered Alco switchers, but I never actually put any into service because of the era-move from 1977 to 1984 and inclusion in the Guilford system. So, yes they were there in theory. I actually painted a pair in full AGR paint and had them ready to go but then made the change. If I had room, I'd put them in a deadline but don't have the space around Madrid to do that.

These 1500s would probably have been an add-on to the initial order for GP38s back in '67 or so. Obviously the Alco switchers are long deadlined or scrapped '84 and the yards are now worked by Alco RS3/11/32/36 or Geep 7s/9s or these pair of 500s.

MC

More video coming

Thanks Tim!

More video coming...hopefully sooner than later. Just getting back into things and it will take some time.

I appreciate the positive vibe.

MC

Excellent

Nice-looking well-used yard engines. Even the Athearn SW1500 can be a pretty good starting point. What do the BLI's weigh, in service?

Allagash SW1500

Nice work on the SW1500, especially the weathering.

1500's

Wonderful to have you back and sharing your work Mike.  You continue to inspire many of us.  I'm reviewing the video on weathering trackwork you did for an industrial branch I'm working on.

Thanks again for sharing.

Bobby S

Concord NH

Amazing!

Mike, your work is amazing, I never tire of seeing your efforts!  You are a rock star of the model railroading world!

Thanks for the update!

Just as W. Allen McClelland's Virginian & Ohio was in the past, a model railroad designed and implemented as if it were part of our continent's real transportation system, it's so much fun and inspiration to see updates on this model railroad. I'm very appreciative of Mike's going against the grain and modeling late winter/early spring. I find it a very refreshing change. The Maine countryside is a beautiful sight juxtaposed to the often dirty griminess of a hard working industrial plant like that of the Allagash. 

Allagash RR New Power

Mike;  Very nice.  Your work is inspiring.  Thanks.

Very Nice!

Always fun to plan out and add new power, and switchers are just cool units. This unit looks great, with a nice rustiness on the cab roof. Thanks as always for sharing!

Mike McNamara

Delran, NJ