Re: Multiple valve gears on K-27s?

dont quote me on this as it is from memory
when the K-27's were buil they were vulcan compounds with slidevalves buired behind them (under smokebox) and wer equiped with stefenson valve motion
a number were again rebuilt with simple (single expansion) cylinders with ethier slde valves or piston valved again usein inside stefenson motion at this time a number were equiped with superheaters
the third and last round of rebuilding converted the piston valve engins to outside walcherts valve motion and the remaining unrebuilt engins were converted to outside walcherts motion with pistion valves meant for the aplication of outside valvegear hence there were outward sloping cylinders and "inward" slopeing cylindars (if one of the latter was still in existance you could go and see that the valve was actualy centered directly over the piston and thus made the steam passeges as short and efficent as possible)