Re: K-37 frame castings ...

Very possible that they had a frame pattern on hand.

Baldwin did however, have a pattern life limit. I believe it was in the 5 year area. But I may not be clear on that. I.E.: If not used in 5 years it was destroyed. Seems almost a sin, doesn't it!

But the reason for this was the shear magnitude in quantity of patterns and the cubic space they consumed. Of course for those patterns that were for a standard product, they were kept. Also locomotives were somewhat "taylor made" for the railroad. Not that the same parts weren't used on other locomotives but it depended on the design and what the railroad wanted.

Remember that at that time, labor was cheap and that included skilled craftsmen such as patternmakers. At that time the quantity of knowledgable men that knew a trade was very extensive. Not so now days. So, for BLW, it was cheaper to remake a pattern than to store it for future use.

It is hard for most of us now, including me, to realize the quantity of materials, parts, buildings (physical plant) etc, that was required to keep locomotives (and cars) in operation. Include labor in that also.

Patterns that are made at present are greatly valued. 1. Because of what they represent keeping a locomotive in service (safety and service life) and 2. Is the darn things cost so much to make. But locomotive builders & railroad managements looked at the overall picture and from that view point, they were but a small part of the picture.

Chris