A few added thoughts.  Coal burners should have an ash pit.  It is possible to dump the ashes on the ties, but not recommended - they tend to burn.  Sometimes, however, the simple solution was to put a sheet of corregated iron over the ties where ashes were dumped, but an ash pit with the rail supported on an I beam over the pit makes it much easier to get in and remove the ashes.  The D&SNG recently built a new concrete ash pit on the wye at Silverton to allow for more convenient fire cleaning there.  It is common to have a tool rack by the ash pit.  This holds the rakes, hoes, shovels and other fire cleaning equipment.  A good example is at the East Broad Top. 

Diesel oil flows easily and gravity will transfer that with no problems.  But in the steam days, the normal fuel for oil fired steam locomotives, steam ships, and stationary boilers was Bunker C, a heavy black oil that needs to be heated to pump and to atomize properly in the firebox.  So the oil unloading track usually had a steam line to it, allowing the heating coil on the tank car to be connected to it.  Once heated and free flowing, the fuel oil was pumped into a storage tank, and then pumped into locomotive tenders.  Some logging railroads simply pumped it out of the tank car into the locomotive tender. 

The sand house is an important feature for any place servicing a large number of locomotives.  Clean, dry, screened sand is used for traction when starting or stopping, especially on wet or frosty rail.  Inside the sand house is a big stove for drying sand.  Larger facilities would use air to blow the clean dry sand into a storage bin where gravity could carry it into locomotive sand domes. 

Happy building. 
Charlie Mutschler
-30-

The K-36 class locomotive were built for the D&RGW by Baldwin in 1925.  These 2-8-2s were the last new locomotives acquired for the D&RGW narrow gauge.  The D&RGW considered several options for additional narrow gauge locomotives.  In 1928 and 1930 it converted ten aging standard gauge 2-8-0s into narrow gauge 2-8-2s using new running gear supplied by Baldwin.  The running gear was virtually identical to that used on the K-36 class locomotives, but the length was adjusted to suit the boilers from the standard gauge 2-8-0s.  The K-37s utilized the boilers, cabs, tenders, and tender trucks of the standard gauge locomotives.  The tender trucks were re-gauged for use on the K-37s by squeezing the wheels in on the axles.  These ten locomotives were the last steam locomotives placed in service on the D&RGW narrow gauge. 

Charlie Mutschler

Check some of the detail part manufacturers like Precision Scale (PSC) for O scale sand domes.  Since PSC has the line of old Kemtron parts that were used for their On3 2-8-0, they should be a likely source for a sand dome for your project. 

Charlie Mutschler
-30-

Should be a fun project for a builder.  Drawings and photos may be scarce.  The Armitage drawings that were in Model Railroader may be easy to find, also, check for drawings offered by the Maxwell Collection.  There are a lot, but mostly for the rebuilding of these locomotives.  However, the Maxwell Collection includes the original cab as delivered by Baldwin.  That's drawing L-21. 

The smoke box as built by Baldwin is different from the model.  Different door, hinges, and stack as well as being an extended smokebox.  Builder's plates will be needed.  Also, you are looking at spoked pilot wheels, a wooden pilot, and the big oil headlight.  Revise hand rail around entire smoke box front.  The Vauclain compound cylinders and new crossheads and guides will be the big change at the front end, along with Stephenson valve gear.  Moving back, the cross compound air pump goes, replaced by the single 9.5 inch air pump.  Plumbing changes accordingly.  The tender gets a bit of work also.  The rear gets the slope back configuration, air reservoir behind the coal pocket, and, depending on which locomotive and when, the coal boards need modification.  Don't forget the changes to the tender underframe and rear truck placement, the model reflects the rebuilding of the tenders. 

All this should be feasible with your choice of materials - brass, plastic, or whatever.  I don't think anyone is offering castings for the headlight, stack, and 9.5 inch air pump in F scale, so these will need to be scratch built.  I am not aware of anyone offering the BLW builders plates, but you will need a set for your loco.  I will be interested in seeing your completed Class 125. 

Happy modifications. 
Charlie Mutschler
-30-

The tender lights reflect the locomotive assignments of the prototype at the time modeled.  Back up light requirements have changed.  Today, the railroads are required to have a functional light at each end of a locomotive allowing operation in either direction.  Back in the steam days, the regulations were different.  Switch engines, which would operate more or less equally in either direction, running tender first half the time, were required to have a light for backing movements.  Locomotives in road service generally ran pilot first, and had a light for forward operation after dark.  So a back up light on the tender was not provided on many locomotives normally used only in road service.  In the 1930's, before being sold to the RGS, the D&RGW used No. 455 in road freight service, and a backing light was not required.  On the other hand, the model of D&RGW 453 with the dog house reflects its last years of service, as the Durango switcher.  A tender light was required, since switchers ran tender first approximately half the time. 

Another lighting matter:  Maybe you should turn the headlights off.  The prototype did not use headlights during daylight hours until the late 1950's. 

Happy modeling. 

Charlie Mutschler
-30-

The Bachmann model probably comes closest to C&S 3 and 4, both of which were two door (one per side in the center of the car).  However, the photos in the narrow Gauge Pictorial (Vol show both with the end platforms removed, and roofs shortened accordingly.  Both had a stove (evidence by smoke jack) on one side of the central door on one side. 

C&S baggage cars 1 and 2 were four door baggage cars, but both also had no end platforms. 

Happy modifications.  Or run and enjoy as it is. 

Charlie Mutschler
-30-

Nos.463 and 464, the two surviving members of Class K-27 were part of the second group of piston valve rebuilds.  These are distinguished by the outward slanting cylinder blocks, as viewed from the front.  These were Nos. 452, 453, 455, 459, 462, 463, 464 - a total of seven locomotives.  The first four piston valve rebuilds, Nos. 454, 456, 458,and 461 had the inward slanting cylinder blocks when viewed from the front.  These were designed to utilize the Stephenson valve gear of the original slide valve rebuilds.  I have yet to SEE a photo of any of these four with Stephenson valve gear, as it seems they were rebuilt with Walshaerts valve gear within months.  The four that were never rebuilt with piston valves were Nos.450, 451,457, and 460.  And of course, ad delivered, all fifteen were Vauclain compounds, with different smoke boxes, stacks,wood pilots,and slope back tender tanks.  Happy rebuilds, one an all. 

Charlie Mutschler
-30. 

The John Maxwell Collection is handled by his son, out of Fernley,Nevada.  I believe that you may order plans for the D&RGW coaling tipple from him.  Try going to

www.ColoNG.com

on your computer.  Or try writing to

The John Maxwell Collection
1055 Jessica Lane, Building N
Fernley, Nevada 89408

Another source was the two-part article in Model Railroader magazine about 1960 - 1962.  It told how to build an H-O scale model of the Chama coaling tipple, and the first article was paired with a short piece on Chama as the mid=point on the narrow gauge.  Which was correct at the time.  I believe the author was Len Madsen.  I don't have easy access to the magazines, so I can't give you a specific citation. 

Happy modeling.
Charlie Mutschler
-30-

Two Thoughts: 
NdeM 400 and 401 would be easier to model using the appropriate rebuild as your starting point.  D&RGW 458 was one of the first four piston valve rebuilds, and had the inside canted cylinder blocks, No. 459 was part of the second batch of piston valve rebuilds, and had the outside canted cylinder blocks, like the Fn3 K-27 Bachmann is selling.  Either way, it would be much easier to start with the correct cylinder configuration and Walschaerts valve gear than to start with the slide valve and Stephenson valve gear in use before the rebuilding.  (Note that the D&RGW did not rebuild four of these with piston valves - Nos. 450, 451, 457, and 460.  Only 460was used much after 1929, all four slide valve mudhens were scrapped in 1939).  You would still need to fabricate the oil tank, and NdeM steel cab, shorten the stack, reposition the headlight, etc, but you would have a very distinct model of an unusual prototype. 

The On2.5 (On30) vs On3 (On36) issue.  For most people modeling USA prototypes, the reality was that the vast majority of both industrial and common carrier narrow gauges were 36 inch gauge.  Not 24, 30, 31, 39 3/8 (meter), or 42 inch gauge.  Yes there were prototypes, especially industrial railroads, in all of these gauges in the USA.  But the vast majority were 36 inch gauge operations.  So what the On30 trend has seen is a lot of people looking at this as a way to enter the field of O scale narrow gauge modeling with less cost and less time invested.  This is possible if one is willing to compromise and use standard H-O track, and a non-prototypical gauge if your chosen prototype is not 31 inch gauge.  If you really find the wrong gauge for the prototype distracting, you can opt for re-gauging, and laying your own track.  I know a lot of On3 people have re-gauged 2-6-0's, Climaxes, 2-8-0's, and even the Shays.  I gather at least one brave soul has narrowed one of the Forneys to 2 foot gauge.  So, regardless of how you approach it, have fun!  If building switches and hand laying track isn't your thing, On30 seems like a good compromise.  I've gladly regauged my On30 stuff to On3, but I don't mind hand laying track. 

Happy modeling.
Charlie Mutschler
-30-

The headlight in the photo is an early electric headlight,which looks very similar to the old oil headlights of the 19th century.  Class 125 came with oil headlights in 1903.  In 1915 the D&RG rebuilt all 15 with new smokestacks, generators, and electric lights.  Some of the smaller, older power kept these boxy headlights long after the newer and larger locomotives had round Pyle headlights that are familiar to us on the modernized K-27s. 
Happy modeling. 
Charlie Mutschler
-30-

Chatzi,
A gentle correction - the photo is of the D&RG Class 125 after the D&RG made a couple of significant rebuildings, rather than as delivered. 

As built in 1903 the D&RG Class 125 locomotives were Vauclain compounds.  As you noted, they also had slope back tenders.  The decision to rebuild them with simple rather than compound cylinders came in in late 1905, though the first rebuild as a simple was not completed until 1907.  The results were a reduction in maintenance costs, so all of the remaining 14 were gradually converted to simples.  The rebuilding of the tenders to rectangular tender tanks came in 1918.  The photo is before 1924, when the class received boiler tube pilots and cross compound air pumps. 

Happy modeling

Charlie Mutschler
-30-

Kevin nailed it.  The longer rigid wheel base is due to EBT mikes 48 inch drivers, bigger than most 36 inch gauge locos in the USA.  Larger drivers required a longer rigid wheel base.  But the D&RGW mikes were smaller drivered than the EBT 2-8-2s.  In the case of the K-27,much smaller.  K-27's had 40 inch drivers, the K-28, K-36, and K-37 all had 44 inch drivers.  The Sumpter Valley Baldwin 2-8-2's had 42 inch drivers, their ALCOs have 44 inch drivers.  The Oahu's near duplicates of the K-28's had 44 inch drivers.  The WP&Y 70 series have 44 inch drivers.  But the US army locomotives that were re-gauged for the WP&Y have 48 inch drivers. 

Charlie Mutschler
-30-

Don't overlook the various other mixed trains - a combine behind freight cars.  Silverton, Pagosa Springs, Lake City.  At the end of its operation, the Lake City mixed had cupola equipped combine 215.  But the K-27 with some freight cars, a combine and caboose would be the pre-tourist Silverton very nicely.  So maybe someday one of the makers of miniature 'real people' is going to produce an F scale Alva Lyons.   

Charlie Mutschler
-30-

The 'doghouse' was for the head end brakeman to ride in on freight trains.  This kept him out of the engine crew's way, and gave him a vantage point to look back over the train for hot boxes, dragging brake rigging, shifted loads, or any other potential problem.  The D&RGW used the doghouse on several different classes of motive power, both standard and narrow gauge.  On the narrow gauge the doghouse was only used on one K-27, No. 453.  The doghouses were commonly utilized on the three larger classes of 2-8-2's - K-28, K-36, and K-37.  None of the small power on the D&RGW narrow gauge - 2-8-0s and 4-6-0s - had doghouses. 

Other standard gauge railroads used dog houses, including Norfolk & Western, Northern Pacific, and Pennsylvania. 

Happy modeling. 
Charlie Mutschler
-30-

There are a variety of plows used on the D&RGW K's.  The big, headlight high bucker plow last used on 463 would need to be scratch built.  Most of the D&RGW pilot plows covered the ends of the pilot beam (or it was shortened to fit inside the plow), but check the photo of 481 at Alamosa on p.135 of Grandt's NG Pictorial Vol. 11.  Note that the plow had been modified with cut outs for the ends of the pilot beam.  See also p.144 for 486 at Gunnison in 1952, and p. 165 for 493 at Durango in 1962.  I don't think I've seen any photos of Mudhens with the plows with the pilot beam cut outs, but I'm going to look more thoroughly tonight. 

Any way you look at it, the K-27 looks like a real winner, as the research seems to have been very thorough.  I'll be looking forward to checking mine out when it arrives.  Thanks in advance.  Cheerfully anticipating,
Charlie Mutschler
-30-