People just need that big red cowcatcher to believe it’s a train. I saw an 0-6-0 once with a cowcatcher like that. I can’t imagine this porter or the 0-6-0 going fast enough or being far enough out in the country to need one. What surprises me is no balloon stack. In the public’s eye, cowcatcher + balloon stack = “train.” The big box “oil” headlight is a phoobie too, along with the “pioneer west” cab. An aside, that’s probably much finer rail that that little engine ever actually ran on. But.... all of the things with this engine are correctable. We should be happy that it has survived at all.
I saw a grade crossing sign in Ireland with a pictorial of a steam engine, at least 40 years after steam, with a cab and a cowcatcher. Cabs were rare there until later years, and as far as I know, none of them had pilots at all. I can’t seem to be able to upload a photo here.
