I bet that sucker could really pull its share of a freight drag! I'm a little surprised how low the tender is.
Yup, a brute in its day. I have the specs on the above engine, but it's time to call it a night and hit the sack. I'll try to remember to dig up and post its specs tomorrow evening. Oh... and I've got another pic I'll try to get posted tomorrow evening. It's a 4-4-0 with a passenger train coming out of the SOUTH portal of the Jenson Tunnel. (NOT the same pic or train found in one of my previous threads.) Andre
There is a very similar Baldwin 2-8-0 in its as-build appearance at the Kansas History Museum in Topeka, Kansas. http://www.kansastravel.org/topeka/kansashistorymuseum.htm The restoration people at the time made a number of parts to accurately back date the engine and did extensive research for the paint and lettering (AT&SF). The 1880s was a time when the locomotive builders were able to sell their standard designs to most railroads and this engine was one of them. This engine was modernized through the years and then cosmetically back dated by the Santa Fe in the 1940s or 1950s. A more accurate restoration was done in the 1980s by a couple of guys who worked on the locomotives on display at Sacramento, CA. http://www.rgusrail.com/ksatsf132.html Photography is possible in the museum, but there are exhibits packed around the locomotive and they have the modern (dim) museum lighting. It is worth the trip to see. John Sanders
Hi Sir! I have a friend that is a literal expert at such information. I have sent him an email with your request. Hopefully I'll hear something back within the next few days! Andre
Today I caught a glimpse of this same locomotive or what appeared to be in a copy of the book: Frisco Folks. Interesting.
Wow... quick answer from my early era historian friend. Sounds like the #68 would have been sight to behold! Here's what he said:
Andre, Thanks for the quick reply. Hmmm .. A Frisco Locomotive with RED wheels and WHITE tires; How about that! That boiler almost looks as if it could have been a very light Blue or Grey. Someone's gonna have to splain to me what polished iron is? I would love to have a model of that beast.
Sherrel, I believe that polished iron is exactly that - either cast or wrought iron, hand polished to a shiny finish. It would be kind of a somewhat grayish shiny color, similar to polished steel - not as shiny as a chrome or nickel plate, though. I would think that the handrails would be wrought iron; even though steel was available in 1881, it was expensive in comparison to wrought iron, and therefore it use was reserved for applications that needed the additional strength. I'm not sure what is meant by the term "pipes on the sides of the driver fenders"... I'm guessing that refers to half-round or partial-round trim that is sometimes applied to the edges of items made from sheet-iron (such as the upper edge of a tender). If that is the case, I would think the trim would also be made from wrought iron, although if they are truly iron pipes, they could be cast. Wrought iron is more ductile and forgiving than cast iron, and was the material of choice for many of the locomotive's components in that era.
No, Wikipedia mentions it was a specially-coated iron sheet that had a smooth, black corrosion-resistant coating bonded onto it. Apparently, Czarist Russians figured out how to make it, but duplication attempts in this country were only partially successful. A hint to the coating comes from the statement it had a greenish tinge. Nickel or chromium might impart a greenish tinge if the iron were heat-aged in the presence of those metal salts. George Nelson
Well, maybe it was not coated after all, but hammer-polished. The linked article below does mention charcoal powder placed on the iron sheets prior to their hammering and what seems like a heat treat. This could have modified the surface and somewhat case-hardened the sheet. See: http://www.narrowgauge.iform.com.au/russian-iron.html George Nelson
Russian Iron and planished iron were types of finishes used mainly on the boiler jackets... I believe that they are different finishes than the polished iron that was specifically mentioned for the handrails and mudguard pipes. I suspect that the "American Iron" used for the boiler jacket was a type of planished iron - 1881 is the right time frame for the switch from Russian Iron boiler jackets to the cheaper domestic products.
