Please see this action photograph shot of GP-38-2 420 at Mountain Grove, MO. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwdavidson/3725753108/sizes/l/in/set-72157621289131445/ The train is north bound on the Willow Springs Subdivision in route to Springfield. The location is near mile post 269.5. Mountain Grove was a train order office and had facilities to provide radiator water, usually a frost free all weather spigot and hose. The photo is undated. The lighted white class lights indicate the train is operating as Extra 420 North. The engine is running long hood forward, not a favorite position for engineers and crews due to the more limited visibility. There are some interesting locomotive details in this view that include the yellow zinc chromite end hand rails and stanchions, modified end pilot plate with cutouts for the coupler lifter bar (note the raw metal and burnt paint), dash 2 style radiator sight glass door window, the L shaped brackets for a rerail frog (not in place) at the rear jack pad and the standard Blomberg B type trucks. More common to dash 2 type units is the Blomberg M (modified) truck with a hydraulic snubber (shock) over the right journal, replacing one brake piston cylinder on each side. There were several other features that were different on the M type truck. Another difference included rubber pads that replaced the leaf springs suspension. The number of brake shoes was also reduced to 4 versus 8 in a clasp type arrangement on the earlier B model. This necessitated a revised brake rigging using threaded adjusters. Hope this helps! Thanks! Mark
