sunset announces the D&RGW L-105

Now I'm going out on a limb, but the notice says "upside down chevron" (on the front sandbox). That came in right after the Pearl Harbor attack, replacing a rising sun motif. The "flying Grande" came in slightly before then, 1940 or so, the product of an employee contest. So, will presume that a green boiler and a flying Grande will be available. If these are comparable to the L132 2-8-8-2's done By Sunset, you should have a fine locomotive. 

The DRGW L105 is among the 10 or so most powerful steam locomotives ever constructed.

This is a no-brainer for me. I'm waiting for Norm to update his website. I also want green boiler with flying grande logo to pull an overnight 40's Exposition Flyer. Thank you for listening, Scott! Love that beast, handsome and brutal.

Sunset L-131is outstanding! No one provides this for the price, no one.

While I know the "green tone" discussion is a conundrum, I am of the opinion that it could be somewhat darker. Nevertheless, I'm confident that Scott will give us a state of the art model. 

You can see where the money goes.

Look at that detail! 

Very happy to see the L-105 offered by Sunset; great history and a quite a unique Challenger variant. As Mark and Santiago mention, if anything like the L-13,1 it is going to be quite the model. 

The L105's were pretty versatile locomotives. They started out expediting manifest freights out of Grand Junction, CO, to allow the 'Grande to effectively compete with the Union Pacific for Salt Lake City trade. As diesels took over that work in the late '40's, they hauled coal trains in Utah, and western CO peach crop refrigerator trains in the early '50's. Additionally, they handled passenger work such as the Scenic Limited and the Exposition Flyer (as Santiago noted) and extra passenger movements like Civilian Conservation Corps specials and Boy Scout Jamboree trains. At least one was stationed at Minturn for helper work over Tennessee Pass, although it was seldom used as the L131's were preferred.

Regarding the rising sun on the front sandbox; what color were the "rays"?  White?  Yellow?  Silver?

Would like to have a rising sun front sandbox, green boiler and flying grade on the tender sides.  Is that prototypical?

Steam Guy - Have never seen a color picture of the rising sun motif as it disappeared right after Pearl Harbor, when color film was extremely rare.  But Key imported an L105 in HO scale with the rising sun in the early '80's, and it was yellow. Don't know if that was researched or done off the cuff.   In most likelihood, the flying 'Grande is incompatible with the rising sun motif.      http://www3.telus.net/jm858810/DRGW/DRGW_STUFF.html

Note that if you should get the rising sun (it is not listed presently at Sun 3rd Rail), the smoke consumers on the firebox would be incorrect. Believe it was 1947 when Salt Lake City passed an anti-smoke ordinance, which brought those about.

mark s posted:

Steam Guy - Have never seen a color picture of the rising sun motif as it disappeared right after Pearl Harbor, when color film was extremely rare.  But Key imported an L105 in HO scale with the rising sun in the early '80's, and it was yellow. Don't know if that was researched or done off the cuff.   In most likelihood, the flying 'Grande is incompatible with the rising sun motif.      http://www3.telus.net/jm858810/DRGW/DRGW_STUFF.html

I have seen posted elsewhere, that promptly after December 7, 1941, the D&RGW removed/painted out the offending "sun burst", then re-painted the "stripes" in an inverted pattern, which lasted to the end of steam. Thus, the front did NOT look like the Japanese "Rising Sun". 

Note that if you should get the rising sun (it is not listed presently at Sun 3rd Rail), the smoke consumers on the firebox would be incorrect. Believe it was 1947 when Salt Lake City passed an anti-smoke ordinance, which brought those about.

Mark,

Good catch regarding the smoke consumers.   I'll have to do some more research on the different variations of these engines.

I found this photo of a L-105 with the rising sun on the front sand box and Flying Grande on the tender sides

Another photo

http://www.drgw.net/gallery/v/...0_1800x1200.jpg.html

http://www.drgw.net/gallery/v/...g2_imageViewsIndex=1

two more with sunburst

Cor

Moonlicht & Steamguy - Good research !  That's why I said "in most likelihood", allowing for that transition period between the 1940 introduction of the flying 'grande and Pearl Harbor in '41. You, sirs, are correct !!

Sidebar re 3700's history...

On October 19, 1952 engine 3703 suffered a tragic massive boiler explosion at Louviers, CO, killing the head end crew.  Apparently this occurred while the engine was pulling on grade...the boiler water level allowed to drop to a fatal level, precipitating an explosion that left the boiler upside down about a hundred yards from the point of explosion.  The whole incident is detailed in Robert LeMasenna's book  "Denver and Rio Grande Western, Superpower Railroad of the Rockies".

I asked Scott to NOT include this engine number for myself.  Maybe it should be stricken from the offerings altogether?? 

Just a thought.

KD

found some aditional data regarding green boilers

looks that it is posible

http://utahrails.net/drgw/drgw-green-boilers.php

Cor

My all time favorite locomotive.. likely why I own 2 FMT Key's from 2003. 

The 3703's explosion may have been caused by the engineer/fireman running "thin" water on the crown sheet. As the locomotive went up and down the Joint Line's periodic 2% grades, the water on the crown sheet may have rolled backwards, leaving exposed, uncovered steel. The immense pressure of the boiler steam promptly distorted, then ruptured the metal, causing the calamitous boiler explosion.  4 men died in that incident, one of whom was a railfan. The ICC investigation found no mechanical problems on 3703, hence, crew error.

As an eery aside, the boiler and attached 6-4 wheel set were carried several 100 feet away from the track. But, the front articulated 4-6 continued rolling down the track for about a mile.

My L-105 and L-131 with green boilers.

Moonlicht,

Some very good info here Cor...thanks for posting!

samparfitt posted:

My L-105 and L-131 with green boilers.

Except, those are HO, correct?

Hot water: yep.

One of my L-105’s on the OMI Pin Connected Bridge. I took these 7-8 months ago; I don’t have any others on my cloud at this time. 

dkdkrd posted:

Maybe it should be stricken from the offerings altogether?? 

 

KD

While I see this as a nice gesture, I don't completely agree. Events like that are as much as part of history as any christening, and therefore subject to modeling. We should remember these events as they have also shaped  railroad industry and transportation history.

It would be very nice if Sunset offered an accompanying caboose -  

Historical information here:

http://utahrails.net/drgw/rg-cabooses-index.php

Wood:

http://utahrails.net/drgw/rg-cabooses-wood.php

Steel:

http://utahrails.net/drgw/rg-cabooses-steel.php

Color schemes by year (steel):

http://utahrails.net/drgw/rg-caboose-paint.php

An appropriate Rio Grande caboose would be very nice. As for engine 3703, I don't think it should be stricken from the record just because of the accident. It's part of the historical record at this point. I reside in Tucson, where the the University of Arizona proudly displays a model of the battleship Arizona, which was sunk by Japanese bombs at Pearl Harbor, with many lives lost. I don't think we have to get all weak-kneed and sensitive over the fact that one of the L-105s blew up and killed its crew. Would you decline to have a model of a 1954 Buick on your layout just because some people were killed in an accident in one of these cars back in 1955? How about just abandoning model railroading altogether because a lot of people actually have been killed in railroad accidents since about 1825?

B Smith posted:

As for engine 3703, I don't think it should be stricken from the record just because of the accident. It's part of the historical record at this point.  

I don't think we have to get all weak-kneed and sensitive over the fact that one of the L-105s blew up and killed its crew. 

Fair enough....it was just a thought.   

Re the analogies....there was only one battleship Arizona.  1954 Buicks....aside from their VIN's...to the general populace...or Buick-philes...had little-to-no individuality.  OTOH, steam engines of a particular class were far fewer in numbers, casually identified by their number, and acquired a 'persona' particularly among crew members but sometimes within the memory of folks living along the tracks and in the towns 'she' frequented.  Maybe she had a uniqueness of chuff or whistle.  Maybe she was so frequently seen and heard from that  'Yep, you could set your watch by ol' number 1269!', or 'When number 3827 went through town on its night run, it would lull us to sleep....with a re-assuring smile that all's well!'

So, since "DRGW 3703" is an immediate identifier of a particular steam engine which fosters instant recollection of its tragic demise among those of us who have more than a ho-hum passion for the railroad, the equipment, the history.....I'd sooner have a model running on my layout with a different number.  There are plenty of other numbers within this particular engine's class that would be less historically poignant...IMHO, of course.  

It was just a suggestion.   Apparently it wasn't very popular.   That's life.

And, no.....I'm not "all weak-kneed and sensitive" over the incident. ()

Have a blessed day.

Moving on....

KD

just noticed that Scott has now adjusted the reservation form

he added severall options now

thanks Scott

Cor

......including "flying 'Grande", green boiler and sandbox rising sun !     Now, what the heck was the actual color of the sun rays ? !

The reason for the sandbox decoration was a sad one.....an L105 hit a school bus in the late '30's.

Mark, I knew about the Rocket TA school bus tragedy, but didn't know about this one. Can you elaborate? 

SANTIAGOP23 posted:

Mark, I knew about the Rocket TA school bus tragedy, but didn't know about this one. Can you elaborate? 

My grandfather was one of the vollunteers that tended to the remains of the music students while he was at work in his John Deere dealership in mason city. I have photos from that incident he and his colleague took. 

Erik,

What is an FMT"?  A picture?

Thanks,

Ed

Ed Kelly posted:

Erik,

What is an FMT"?  A picture?

Thanks,

Ed

The builder that built my L-105's in Korea 'FM Train Model". They build for Fulgurex, Euro Modelle, Key Model, among other top importers worldwide. 

SANTIAGOP23 posted:

Mark, I knew about the Rocket TA school bus tragedy, but didn't know about this one. Can you elaborate? 

Perhaps this is what you're seeking?....

3708 LINK

And, in case others were more interested re my earlier post, I found the ICC report thereof...

3703 LINK

Until Mark mentioned it, I had not been aware of the more deadly incident involving 3708.  Besides the tragedy involving death and injury of dozens of school children, it undoubtedly scarred the memories of 3708's crew for the rest of their lives. 

And I have no idea why among my DRGW books/materials it's less commented upon than the boiler explosion of 3703.

I'm almost sorry to have brought the subject up.......my apologies.

KD

KD - Excellent research !  I knew I had heard of the accident, but had no attribution. For sure, an L105 with a black sand container on the front, covering what ever graphite might have been visible between the air pumps on the smokebox, would be a very dark - and menacing - 16' 2" visage.  Terrible event. 

Thanks for the links, KD!

#3708 was among the last four L105's retired in Feb and Mar 1956, of the group of 15.

Here is a photo of a model displaying the early style of lettering on the tender.

Several of us tried to get Scott to do a black steam era caboose along with the L-131.  Maybe this time?