KCS Kansas City Southern class J 2-10-4 paint question

[VAPEURCHAPELON]

Mark,

have many Thanks for your great help! I would be surprised if somebody would discover a color photo of that engine - because I have never seen one, but have many books - although no KCS specific one. But sometime one can find some descriptions of paint schemes in some books.

 

Thanks again and best Regards

 

VAPEURCHAPELON 

[KCSfan]

The KCS Class J 2-10-4's had all weather cabs but NOT vestibule cabs. I am reasonably sure the paint was "Brunswick" green which is a very dark shade of green. Perhaps this will help you. A cursory search of the internet and my available books failed to uncover a color photo of these engines but when I have more time I'll look further and let you know if I find one.

The color scheme of the red caboose shown on e-bay is correct for the later steam era. The subsequent diesel era cabooses were made of aluminum and were silver in color.

Mark

[VAPEURCHAPELON]

One thing I forgot:

Please have a look at ebay item #s

200050886397

200050886410

Are these matching steam era KCS cabooses, including the paint scheme?

 

Thanks and best Regards.

[VAPEURCHAPELON]

Many Thanks for your answers. I am familiar with George Elwood's website, and know all his posted photos, as well as some other photos of that engine. But unfortunately NONE of these give any credible info if the tenders had a vestibule or not. A closed all weather cab is no proof. Look to Canada: most Canadian road steamers had a closed cab, but rarely a tender vestibule. Within the 1947 Locomotive Cyclopedia (probably also in earlier ones) is a good drawing of the engine and the first foot of the tender. There clearly IS NO vestibule on tender, and therefore there is daylight between engine and tender. But on the model there are four holes each in tender front and rear cab wall - seemingly for some spacers. And seemingly it was not uncommon to exclude vestibules on drawings to show better detail of coupling etc. I simply do not know if I have to build one or not because of the lack of a photo of the cab/ tender coupling area.

But fortunately you confirmed they were green. What would be a close match, since I didn't find a "KCS green"?

Now is a grey definitely wrong?

 

Thanks again and best Regards.

[KCSfan]

Hello all.

A few weeks ago I read that article about the KCS class J 2-10-4 in Steam Glory 2. I was VERY surprised to read that they were green!!? Is someone at that place able to confirm or contradict that? I am so surprised because I have seen some custom painted brass models of that engine, and most of these were GREY, and NONE was green! I have such a brass model, and after some superdetailing I want to paint it. Therefore I need to be sure of the appearence of its prototypes.

In addition, does anyone know if these engines had a vestibule on tender? Maybe the same type as many other popular steamers had (like GN S-2, SP AC-9, Milwaukee S-2 and S-3, DR&GW L-105 and M-68, DM&IR M3 and M4, NP Z-7 and Z-8 and many 4-8-4s, etc.)? Or did they have daylight between engine and tender? A photo would be great.

 

Thanks and Greetings

 

VAPEURCHAPELON

Hi,

George Elwood's fallen flags site has several photos of the KCS Texas types. In case you are not familiar with that site here's the address www.rr-fallenflags.org/kcs/kcs-stm.html . Scroll down to the 2-10-4's and check them all out for vestibule details. While they're all in B&W the photos of the 902 and 904 will give you the best  idea of their paint scheme as delivered from Lima. The gray looking areas (boiler jacketing, cylinders, etc.) were a dark green. Cylinder heads were silver and the darker looking areas (smokebox, etc.) were black. They were beautiful locomotives and the epitomy of modern steam power.

The KCS took delivery of a total of 10 of these engines in 1937. Five were coal burners for use north of Heavener, OK (or maybe Pittsburg, KS -I don't recall which) north to KC and the other five were oil burners and used south of that point.

Mark

[Lost World]

I'm going to post a picture of a brand new KCS 2-10-4 straight from Lima complete with builder's delivery sign on my flickr website listed below.  It's in black and white, and the engine is definitely in two-tone paint, one half of it black.  Whether the lighter paint on the engine is a light green or graphite gray I couldn't say.  There are also a couple of other KCS 2-10-4 Pix on the site already that you can check out.  Yes, they had a vestibule cab (all-weather cab) more commonly found on locomotives that worked in colder climates.  Why KCS opted for this design is beyond me.  Not that it never gets cold south of Kansas City--it's certainly cold enough there now--but the all-weather cab seems a little extreme.

I have posted 4 new photos of KCS 900's on my site.  The war bonds tender advertisement is especially interesting.

[VAPEURCHAPELON]

Hello all.

A few weeks ago I read that article about the KCS class J 2-10-4 in Steam Glory 2. I was VERY surprised to read that they were green!!? Is someone at that place able to confirm or contradict that? I am so surprised because I have seen some custom painted brass models of that engine, and most of these were GREY, and NONE was green! I have such a brass model, and after some superdetailing I want to paint it. Therefore I need to be sure of the appearence of its prototypes.

In addition, does anyone know if these engines had a vestibule on tender? Maybe the same type as many other popular steamers had (like GN S-2, SP AC-9, Milwaukee S-2 and S-3, DR&GW L-105 and M-68, DM&IR M3 and M4, NP Z-7 and Z-8 and many 4-8-4s, etc.)? Or did they have daylight between engine and tender? A photo would be great.

 

Thanks and Greetings

 

VAPEURCHAPELON