Re: Baldwin class numbers

FWIW the plate shold be stamped "12 34 1/4 E 60" to be 482's plate. 482's plate was taken from the engine while it was on the deadline in Alamosa in the 1960's. If it was real I rwould consider it stolen property and should be returned to the 482. The plates on 482 are replicas. It is interesting that 482 was considered the 3rd 480 built as the BLW class numbers are in roster order, but had the earliest builder's number.

When we put 489 back in service in 1981 we found where one of the original builder's plate was. We contacted the owner who refused to return it or allow us to make a pattern from it. We ended up getting replicas made. The owner was a manufacturer of model rr detail parts and I never bought anything from the guy again.