Edit: Why wouldn't the site allow me to just use and ampersand in "B&O?" (It appeared as "B&;amp; O."
Hey, gang, I recently got my MR bound volumes for 1951 and '52 back from a "Book Doctor." He repaired the torn bindings and tightened them up so I can enjoy them again. (I call them part of my "Paper Time Machine.") I came across Mel Thornburgh's series on building an O scale (17/64") model of the B&O C-16a 0-4-0 switcher #96 converted, along with #99, from the famous C-16 "Dockside" switchers. After all these years, I noticed the number "2" painted in the center of the tender's side sill, between the rerail frogs. I don't know why I never noticed it in the 62 years I've been drooling over Mel's loco construction articles--except that it doesn't show up in his photo of the finished model.
I pulled out my well-worn copy of Sagel and Staufer's "B&O Power" and, sure enough, there it is: a little "2" painted on the side sill. As famous as those two locos are (how many models, including the Mantua "Shifter" and Jim Thomas's O scale model, did they inspire?), how could I have missed this? I presume it's the "Standard Tender #2" or something, but still...
Any B&O aficianados out there? "The more you put into your brain, the more it will hold." (Nero Wolfe)
Deano
I only know about the ampersand but not all that much. It and other symbols are part of HTML code. Since we are not programmers, we have given it an incomplete sentence and the HTML prints something bizarre.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
The B&O on their locomotive diagrams listed the drawing numbers of of the tender tank, the tender frame and the tender trucks.
My source for these is Steam Locomotives of the B&O by William D Edson.
The B&O Museum published a book Scale Modelling and the B&O by William Dornette which included O scale drawings of B&O Locomotives which had been issued by the B&O during the 1930s as a PR initiative. The drawing of the C-16a includes the number "2" on the frame as seen on the photo.
The P-7 "President" Pacific shows "35-A" on the tender frame (for the original eight wheel tender) and the P-1d Pacific shows "12-A".
I take it that this is the drawing number of the tender frame.
Sadly, Edson doesn't include the B&O diagram for the C-16a, possibly because the model drawing has been reproduced so often so I can't confirm the tank or frame number.
Edson's book shows the Q-3 USRA Mikados to have "No 20 tank and No 20 frame" while the Q-4 with small Vanderbilt tender had an 18A tank on a 27A frame. One of these Q-4 tenders was experimentally lengthened with three two axle trucks becoming a type 18D tank on a 27D frame.
You should be familiar with that tender from B&O Power.
I hope this helps.
Peter
Thanks, Peter, that satisfies my curiosity. I kind of thought that was the case. I have to be very careful about looking up anything in "B&O Power" or I'll find myself poring over it for a week or more!