Let me answer your questions then.

I’d argue that an SW14 because it was modified is far more unique as a preservation piece.. More modern? Sure. But those are far less common than standard SW1’s and 44 Tonners. That’s not to say that either is unimportant in preservation circles, but the argument of “because it was modified makes it less important” isn’t a good one in my opinion.

None of the steamers I listed are explicitly “for sale” that I know of. I do know however they don’t have any disclosed ownership or visible care takers at this time. For the Kepner locomotives, they are indeed for sale but they are not “for sale” in a typical manner. No one is going to be purchasing them just to melt them down.

My “kick” of IC 333 just comes from my recent knowledge of the locomotive. Plus the fact that it’s in Louisiana, not a good climate for locomotives.

As for your work on steam locomotives, good job. I just don’t like to see criticism of a group that got a new piece for their collection trying to “hype it up” a bit.

Thanks Chris. I've considered this for a couple days, and I think that I mentally limit the "iconic" term to those things that are more universally known and well established to a larger audience than people who are already very familiar with them. GG1 electrics come to mind..... even people who know nothing about railroad history would find their image familiar, even if it's just because of their styling. A trap we can fall into is looking at the world through railfan's eyes.