Hey, Nick! Have I got a deal for you!

So...you want a 1938 SW1, right?

METRA Switcher

Model SW1 Switch Engine (the “Switch Engine”) The switch engine, originally numbered Illinois Central 9016, was originally built in December 1938, order number E284, serial number 983.

That'll look great in the front lawn!

That is in great shape for a 1938.  

(I guess,  trains I no not)

I just have to laugh at myself.

What would I do with it? It's not like I own any tracks, anything that needs moving around on them, or enough land to do any of that.

But does that kill the desire to own this? No. It's proof that I just don't make sense.

In reply to Jesse Ransom :

I mean, you could use it as a giant generator and power a couple houses with it. Or run an absurd amount of air tools with the onboard air compressor

NickD said:

In reply to Jesse Ransom :

I mean, you could use it as a giant generator and power a couple houses with it. Or run an absurd amount of air tools with the onboard air compressor

Whoops, never mind, I just saw its out of service due to "internal engine failure", so you would need to find a 6-cylinder EMD 567 engine

NickD said:

NickD said:

In reply to Jesse Ransom :

I mean, you could use it as a giant generator and power a couple houses with it. Or run an absurd amount of air tools with the onboard air compressor

Whoops, never mind, I just saw its out of service due to "internal engine failure", so you would need to find a 6-cylinder EMD 567 engine

Meh, just daisy-chain a few LS engines. 

How would someone go about retrieving this? Flatbed trailer with a E36 M3load of wheels? Bring your own locomotive and tow it back to your rail yard?

I’ve seen rail cars in farmers fields, or used as hunting camps in the UP, always wondered how they got there. 

Folgers said:

How would someone go about retrieving this? Flatbed trailer with a E36 M3load of wheels? Bring your own locomotive and tow it back to your rail yard?

I’ve seen rail cars in farmers fields, or used as hunting camps in the UP, always wondered how they got there. 

You lift it off the trucks and ship it on a low-boy tractor trailer and move the trucks separately. Its the easiest and ultimately cheapest.

Moving a switcher this old over a major railroad like Union Pacific or BNSF or CSX or Norfolk Southern is very difficult, if not impossible. Something this old will have friction bearing trucks, and they are pretty adamant on only moving things with roller bearings. They also don't have alignment control couplers (those lock in the center position under compression to avoid jackknifing), which many railroads mandate. And the overall short length causes issues with poor coupling connections in hilly/mountainous territory. Once upon a time, Southern Pacific wanted to move a bunch of switchers east from their shops in California to the old D&RGW shops in Burnham for rebuilding. They tried just sticking them in trains behind the lead locomotives and kept having the trains come undone in the mountains in Moffat Tunnel while cresting the hill due to their short length, and crews nearly died from carbon monoxide poisoning, so fireman had to go in with air tanks to rescue them. They gave up on the idea.

Folgers said:

How would someone go about retrieving this? Flatbed trailer with a E36 M3load of wheels? Bring your own locomotive and tow it back to your rail yard?

I’ve seen rail cars in farmers fields, or used as hunting camps in the UP, always wondered how they got there. 

Stop it, you're distracting him.  

P.S. Probably just a clogged fuel filter or something equally simple.  You should totally buy this. 

Unrelated question:

How many "enabler of the year" points would it earn us if we talked someone into buying a locomotive?

In reply to kazoospec :

I should check my lotto ticket. I'd buy that SW1 in a heartbeat. And quietly have a Hellcrate Hemi show up on Cooter's doorstep like I promised.