Erik The Train Fan Wrote:
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> I am confused, Were these actually T-18
> locomotives?
> I couldn't find any pictures on the internet of a
> T-18 locomotive.
The first thing to notice is that we are talking
before 1924, when the D&RGW reclassified all it's engines.
Class 106 engines, originally #506-538, Baldwin 1887-91 were the standard standard gauge passenger engines of the D&RG during the conversion of the main line from narrow to standard gauge and up until 1896. the entire class remained intact until after WWI with the exceptions of #512 (sold 1903), #520 (scrapped 1916), & #532 (sold 1915). In the 1908 merger with the RGW #506 was renumbered to be 2nd 512. 4 engines were scrapped in 1920 ( #'s 517, 521-523) and one (#519) is just listed as scrapped "before 1924".
Now we come to 1924 when the surviving class 106 engines were moved to class T-18.
However there are still a few more twists to go: 11 engines were scrapped in February and March of 1924. The surviving engines, now class T-18, were renumbered to #'s 505-516[1] as follows:
#512(nee 506) to 505
#524 to 506
#533 to 507
#528 to 508
#509-510 to same
#508 to 511
#530 to 512
#534 to 513
#529 to 514
#537 to 515 [1]
#516 to 516 [1]
(Yeah, it makes no sense to me either.)
To be a completest and finish things off, the (new #'s) 506, 509, 511, 512, 513, & 514 were all listed as scrapped in August with #510 just listed as 1924, no month given. In 1926 516 scrapped in February, and in March 507. In December of '26 505 & 508 were scrapped and that was the end of Class T-18 on the D&RGW.
Given how quickly most were scrapped after renumbering (if the new numbers were ever even applied to some of them!), I suspect there aren't any pictures of these engines as class T-18 around. Now that I've said that somebody will turn up a bunch of photos no doubt!
Most important point is that, during the time some of them were used on the Farmington Branch, they were still Class 106.
Hank
[1] Conflict in my sources here: LaMassena (RGTTP pg 139] lists 505-515, but 537 is one of the engines listed in the roster published by CRRM in '63(Steam in the Rockies) as scrapped in March of '24 with no mention of renumbering while 516, also without mention of renumbering, is listed there as above.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/2021 04:49PM by hank.
