Green Boiler Jackets for D&RGW Steam

[Anonymous]

I was wondering if anyone here could help me out. What Rio Grande units came with the green boiler jackets? Trying to model one of the 1500s and want to make sure the boiler is the right color.
Thanks.
Paul H. Liddiard

[twhite]

Depends on just what year you want to model the 4-8-2. Most of the green boilers on the D&RGW are pre-WWII. It seemed to be a hit and miss proposition, with most of the locos that worked between Salt Lake and Grand Junction getting them, like the 1600 series 3-cylinder Baldwin 4-8-2's and the big F-81 2-10-2's most notably. Most of the color photos I've seen of the 1500's show a black boiler with either graphite or silver smokeboxes and fireboxes. If like your tag says, you're modeling the Rio Grande in the '50's, then all the steamers had black boilers. Cylinder heads were silver, and if you're looking for 'just out of the shop' paint-jobs, the edges of the running boards were painted white, as was the bottom of the cow-catcher and the safety steps. While we're on it, is your 1500 from Custom Brass? I've got several of them and they seem to be kind of gut-less even with re-weighting and balancing. Nice looking, though. Have you re-powered yours? Those Sagami motors don't seem to have much torque in my opinion, and the prototype was a .
Tom

[twhite]

Sorry--I have a little finger that keeps insisting on hitting the TAB key before I'm ready, and automatically posting. I was just curious about your model, as I'm seriously thinking of remotoring mine with NWSL's. Those 1500 prototypes were a really POWERFUL 4-8-2, something the model definitely isn't!
Tom