Rio Grande's 1940 Scenic Limited visits Tim's Toy Trains

Erik C Lindgren posted:

It depends on the engine as to when they got painted green/ black, some engines kept their green boilers longer than others. Some never had a green boiler. A researcher would need to select a specific engine and do the research as to dates and if it had green paint or when it was returned to black vise versa. It was mainly pasenger assigned power however like all locomotives they can serve dual purposes.

Originally Posted by marker:

       

Great looking train.  That L-105 is amazing!

I once had a VHS video that focused on the train and the cities and scenery it went through.  Starting in Saint Louis on the Missouri Pacific, switching roads and road power, ending in San Francisco.  I wanted to transfer it to DVD and haven't been able to find it. Quite a trip.

I wasn't aware the L-105 was used on that train.  That would have been a railfan's delight!

Hi Eric,

Just dug up this old topic in my research for the L-105 engines with Green boilers such as your model of #3700.

Sunset 3rd Rail is interested in producing a 6th version of the L-105s with Green boilers such as your model in the later configuration with the overfire jets. Can you possibly help with any references for the late Green boiler versions of the L-105? 

Thanks!

David

I just now saw the K-28 picture that Eric has above. Serious...that is a painting!!?

I will take some photos and post them of it. 

Erik C Lindgren posted:

Thanks Erik!

That's a Beautiful Shot of #3700 with the Green Boiler! So, as you have mentioned above. different engines retained their green boilers longer than others, such as the case of #3700 here which apparently has retained the green into at least the late 1940s... Very cool, and Interesting...

Erik... Do you happen to know which of the 3700 class retained the green boilers late into their lives, such as #3700 here? 

Here is D&RGW Class L-105 Standard Gauge Steam 4-6-6-4 #3710 rolling past prison south of Buena Vista. Colorado...

Note the color differentiation of the boiler vs the cab, and the sand and steam domes... Looks like a Green boiler...  

Overfire jets have been added, so this is post 1947... 

Beautiful work.

Dick

Engine # 3705 , September 3, 1949 at Soldier Summit. This engine also appears to have a green boiler.

When using the proper technique, you can clearly see that the cab and tender black tones match, in contrast to the much lighter color of the b/w tones of the boiler which shows further evidence of a Green boilered  L-105 postwar in 1949. Notice the contrast of the much darker sand domes and steam dome, feedwater heater, and engine pilot compared to the boiler, def a green tone boiler. Note the overfire jets...

Sunset has offered to produce these as a 6th option if enough documentation can justify a Green boilered postwar L-105.

Any help members of the forum can contribute would be great to make the Post war green boilered Sunset L-105s a reality.. 

David

Here is #3700 Herself...Freight, westbound; 52 cars. Photographed: near Sedalia, Colo., August 31, 1952

This was an Otto Perry Picture found at: http://digital.denverlibrary.o...oll22/id/53391/rec/3

This engine upon inspection, CAN be seen with a Green boiler ,using the Utahrails method of distinguishing green boilers here: http://utahrails.net/drgw/drgw-green-boilers.php

When you look at the cab black color, and compare he boiler, the boiler is definitely a  lighter, more pale color. Here is a case of GREEN BOILER...

Here is another picture of #3700, also in 1952. When using the same method to detect a green boiler, notice how the boiler looks lighter in color in comparison to the cab, which indicates a green boiler. Interestingly, one can see that the 4-8-4 behind has a black boiler, matching the black cab using the same method from Utahrails.

http://digital.denverlibrary.o...l22/id/53399/rec/256

I believe #3703 may have also had a Green Boiler post war... 

Neat stuff guys keep up the great work. 

Hello All,

Here are examples of locomotives with lighter colored boilers, compared to the cab and tender in B/W... Clearly, one can see these boilers are not black using the method from utah rails.... 

Here is #3601 2-8-8-2, in B/W with a green boiler

Another Great example using the famous DM&IR 2-10-4's that had Grey boilers, and black steam and sand domes, and black cab and tenders... You can see the lighter grey boiler. Again, using the same method as Utahrails, and the formula holds true...

With that being said, we all know how rare color photos of L-105s are... But with this method we are able to determine which ones had a Green boiler. We owe it to the history of the D&RGW to depict the engines that kept their green boilers, to truly and accurately depict these engines in all their glory and Beauty.

Here is #3703 in 1949 at Soldier Summit, shot by Otto Perry. Look at the boiler vs the cab and tender which are black. You can see the boiler is clearly lighter than the black of the cab and the tender. Also, boiler is lighter than the Elesco, Pilot, steam and sand domes, which we know were black... this proves this engine was green boilered in 1949!

This means we have at least #3700 , #3703 and #3705 for a possible 6th version L-105 4-6-6-4- postwar Green boiler with overfire jets for Sunset 3rd Rail to Produce!

Here is a 1948 Slide of #3700, note the Green Boiler - both pictures taken at same location at Grand Junction, CO

I am getting requests for late version with green boiler. But in these pictures above I do not see what the author is seeing.  If you compare the top of the running board in the latest photo to the top of the boiler. They look the same shade of gray. That's the lighter color due to reflection and soot, not color in my opinion.

Overfire Jets were added in 1948, and don't believe any L-105s were still painted Green. If any one finds any evidence in the contrary, email me at sdmann@3rdrail.com

The picture below is the same posted above. I used some color correcting software, using gamma correction a combination of brightness and contract combined, and further lowered the brightness, seems to have brought out the color or lack there of, of the boiler. Notice the shade of gray of the tops of all these skyward facing surfaces are nearly the same. Only the vertical surfaces are darker. In this picture, I don't see a green painted boiler. I see a sooty, gritty reflective surface. Notice the tank car in the background has exactly the same hue of gray as the rear section of the boiler. The top of the cab, the same as the forward section of the boiler. The running board, which is black, is lighter still. The top of the air tank under the running board, light also. I cannot conclude that any L-105s were painted green from this picture. But I want to give customers what they want.

Scott

In the picture of 3901 below I believe this is evidence of a Green Painted boiler. But as you can see, there are no overfire jets. So this is pre 1948.