Yep, indeed, that's OP-12097.

Thanks. I found the photo. I was confused by the small lettering for Great Western on the top of the coal bin.

In the group shot it appears that 475 has the freight train. Did it also participate in the photo sessions during the day?

Wesley

Friday was GWR 90 on freight for the first 3/4s of the day, switching to 475 in midafternoon. Saturday was all 475--freight in the morning and with a short "mixed train daily" consist (box, tank, box, combine) in the afternoon. 90 was holding down the public passenger train power assignment.

Note that 475 now sports her ca. 1940s "Winston Link" front-end look, as opposed to the older "party hat" headlight-and-numberboards she wore in October 2004.

In a fit of collective madness two double-headed runbys were staged on the fly Friday afternoon when 475 met 90 at Groff's for the motive power switch. It wasn't planned--John and Linn would never have scheduled anything as tacky as doubleheading two engines that never worked within 1000 miles of one another--it's just the impulse overcame us. Looked silly. Yet also looked really good. And those two freight hogs pounding upgrade together sounded FANTASTIC.

You know--one thing I learned on this charter is that I've not been listening closely enough. We had long spates of clouds on each day, and a lot of the non-sunny runbys I just stood behind the photo line with my camera down and my ears open--and it was worth every minute.

First thing Sunday John and Linn arranged a long, Dave Goodheart style horizon to horizon runby--too dark and cloudy for photography, but man, with 475's hooter blowing for Carpenter's Crossing and the echos of the stack talk coming back across the valley as she climbed the 1%+ west of Carpenters, it sounded exactly like an O. Winston Link recording. History come to barking, pounding, hooting life in 2006. Incredible.

Dave would have loved it--I like to think he heard it.

Yes. In addition, we found this photo useful for confirming that the lettering was aluminum:

http://www.boulderrail.org/history/gwr/60.jpg



And various Perry photos of other GWR locos gave us confidence in the choice.


As you digest the photographic evidence, it looks like there was no "standard" lettering size for the coal board, dome, and cab side. It appears that whatever fit, and appealed to the decision-maker, got used. Note that the coal board lettering on 60 looks much smaller than the cab side, whereas on the smaller GW locos (see the DPL collection) there is even more variation.

There was even more variation of lettering, striping, and smokebox color in the "tourist tart" era.

Anybody seen Mike Manwiller? Now that we've got this down pat, somebody distract him while I take a brush to the 75 . . .

JAC

Where was the new tender built? Was it in shop or outside at another shop.

Search for Strasburg and tender in the board archives, and you'll find a long thread started by Kelly Anderson if memory serves. Short answer is that it is stainless steel, and Strasburg designed it and it was built with a mix of SRR and outside work as needed.

Steve Weaver's Wheel Report:

So, Steve:

EHS - south Engine House lead,
EHN - north Engine House lead,
ES - East Sidings or East Strasburg,
CSE - Car Shop east,
CSW - Car Shop west.

How far off am I?

Thanks for doing this. Just adds to the ambience.

JAC

Wow, John. It's clear you have far too much time on your hands ... Great guesses!

EHS - Engine House South
EHN - Engine House North
ES - East Strasburg (undesignated)
CSE - Car Shop East
CSW - Car Shop West

The cars designated to specific locations actually store materials for those locations. For example, CV 40025 stores lumber for the car shop, so we spot her right outside the door.

Says the man who created the Wheel Report form from scratch. Physician, heal thyself ;)

JAC

Touche, mon ami.