I'm cheerfully anticipating here in snowy eastern Washington state.  Given the snow problems in Denver and various other locations, I am not expecting to see X 463 West arrive before the 7th of January.  Meanwhile, I'm cheerfully anticipating, and reading all the helpful information posted here and elsewhere.    Many thanks, Roger, for all the through reports.  I will be especially interested in your comments about the possibilities for battery and sound installation in the standard K-27 tender.  Happy New Year all. 
Charlie Mutschler
-30-

If the D&RGW had problems with the KM's in tunnels, it may have been the location of the air intakes.  The relatively high up location on the car body was a problem for more than the KM's though - the reason for the "Tunnel Motor" SD's so popular with the D&RGW and SP, units with more air intake space lower down on the carbody. 
Charlie Mutschler
-30-

Roger - Thanks!  And to the Bachmann Team - WOW!!!  I am cheerfully anticipating my 463.   

Charlie Mutschler
-30-

I just checked the Boulder Valley Models site.  Nice stuff.  But a word of correction - the advertisement is for fluted domes and a CABBAGE stack for the 4-4-0, which is what the photo of the pre-production samples shows.  A Congdon stack would be appropriate for back-dating the Bachmann C&S 2-6-0, since many of the DSP&P locomotives were originally equipped with Congdon stacks. 

Happy modifications all. 
Charlie Mutschler
-30-

Biles - Coleman Lumber Co, which operated out of Omak, in north central Washington state, did inquire about a truly tiny 2-6-6-2T for their 36 inch gauge logging railroad.  Baldwin's proposal was used by John Lewis to prepare a set of drawings, which appeared in _Reservation Narrow Gauge_ ,  a history of the B-C logging railroads.  Other three foot gauge proposals included 2-6-6-2 proposals for the Colorado & Southern, East Tennessee & Western North Carolina, as well as several proposals for the D&RGW.  The D&RGW opted for the K-37 class 2-8-2s instead of 2-8-8-2's.  ALCO built some very large three foot gauge 2-6-6-2s for Nacionales de Mexico, none of which survive.  The Uintah's pair of simple articulateds, which went on to the Sumpter Valley and then IRCA, were the only three foot gauge articulateds built for use by a narrow gauge common carrier in the USA. 

Morning, Steve - didn't I just hear on the radio this AM that the EU has decided to drop its efforts to force the UK and Ireland to adopt the metric system?  Apparently we're not alone in having a preference for our weird units of measurement.  And, Zubi, the English and US use  different gallons, just to make this more interesting!  Personally, though, I'm quite satisfied using SAE units, much to dismay of the various science people in my family (father, aunt, uncle, brother) - all of whom have cheerfully been using metric units for years.  Maybe that's why I went into history as a profession. 

Charlie Mutschler

John, I'm sorry, but the D&RGW 2-8-2s are all quite different from the EBT locomotives.  The most obvious difference is the framing.  The EBT locomotives were all inside framed, and the D&RGW K's were all outside framed.  So just relettering it may or may not be sufficient for you. 

I don't know - if the interest in On30 as an inexpensive alternative to On3 continues to be as popular as it has been, some manufacturer might opt to do the EBT 2-8-2's in On30, and possibly even On3.  I really have no knowledge, just speculating, mind you. 

Happy modeling.
Charlie
-30-

Mine is on order - don't know about the 453's, because I ordered one with out the doghouse.  Cheerfully anticipating . . .

Charlie Mutschler
-30-

The road engine,or road locomotive, is the locomotive assigned to move the train over the road.  One or more helper locomotives may be added to the train to assist it in climbing steep grades.  The helper may be coupled in front of the road locomotive, behind the caboose, between the last car and the caboose (preferred practice with wooden framed cabooses), or into the middle of the train.  At the summit of the climb,the helper(s) are cut out of the train, and the road locomotive handles the train down grade by itself. 

Haven't seen this one available as a facsimile, but you might look around and see what can be obtained from museums or archives.  I think the Library of Congress did an album of historic railroad maps at one time, which was available from the Government Printing Office (GPO). 
Happy researching. 

Charlie Mutschler
-30-

Post 1947 RGS 455 is an interesting case study.  Most of the photos after the rebuild show her equipped with the big pilot plow.  But note that the tender varies.  The 1947 tender rebuild used a cut down tender from a standard gauge locomotive, as well as a cut down standard gauge cab.  HOWEVER - there seem to have been problems with the rebuilt tender, and at times the RGS used the tender from a D&RGW K-27 (the basic K-27 tender) with No. 455. 

Personally, I have always liked pre-November 1943 455, with the original wood cab and original D&RGW rectangular tender in the RGS sunrise herald.  But, any way you look at it, there seem to be a lot of variations of K-27 coming out.  Good news for mudhen lovers. 

Cheerfully anticipating
Charlie Mutschler
-30-

Great album!  I am eagerly anticipating...I think the new locomotive will look great with several of the new tank cars - a typical Farmington turn. 
Charlie
-30-

Good point Matthew   I am eagerly awaiting mine to see how this is accomplished.  All my experience with smaller ones has been that the change from plow to pilot was a rather time-consuming job.  I will be very interested in seeing how Bachmann has done the pilots and the plows.  Speaking of pilots, that is its own little challenge, like back up lights.  Switchers had footboards, some locomotives had the pilots changed at different times reflecting different assignments.  I am looking forward to detailing mine - depending on how much comes with the locomotive.  The 'hockey puck' spark arrestor for summer use would seem like a logical addition, and a water bag for the fireman.  Maybe the extra scoop, rake, and slash bar, and presumably the lunch buckets and crew.  <VBG>  As I say, I am eagerly anticipating mine, and look forward to seeing how she looks with the Fn3 freight cars on hand.  I'm adding some tank cars in both narrow frame and frameless versions. 

Enthusiastically Anticipating,
Charlie

Matthew,

On the prototype, the pilot comes OFF before the plow goes ON.  The plow has steel brackets that bolt onto the pilot beam, which remains on the locomotive.  (This applies for all the K's by the way.  One reason the D&SNG and C&TS don't just take the plows off come June.  It is a lot of work, simpler to keep one or two locos plow equipped.)  Given how carefully the Bachmann team seems to be engineering the Mudhen, I would guess that this would be the way they handle the plow mounting on the model.  I am eagerly anticipating mine. 

Charlie Mutschler
-30-

The dog house on No. 453 is really quite specific to the last years of its service life, and would not be correct for the pre-1939 "bug" herald (the one which some refer to rather infelicitously  as 'the 'toilet seat').  Photos show No. 453 with the speed herald ('flying Rio Grande') in the summer of 1942 without the dog house, and a back-up light on the tender.  Later photos show the dog house, mounted sideways on the tender.  No. 453 was retired in December, 1953.  Photos of No. 453 indicate that she was shopped in the late spring / summer of 1941, so the old "bug" herald was on the tender until that point, when the overhaul and a new paint job were completed at Alamosa. 

Cheerfully anticipating. 
Charlie Mutschler
-30-