Re: Was there a change at Stout St?

The D&RG hired a consultant in the late 1910's to look at the NG power situation. He recommended superheating the mudhens and putting Walschert gear on them. One thing he mentioned was the engines ran so low to the ground and the eccentrics were large enough that the eccentric straps ran in the snow in the winter, wiping the lubrication off and creating early wear and failure. The D&RG did rebuild Mudhens 454, 456, 458, & 461 with piston valves in about 1918, but retaining the Stephenson motion and saturated boiler.

The superheating of Mudhens got underway shortly after the 470's arrived. It seemed that once a superheated engine showed up and proved what a difference it made, the Grande quickly moved forward in superheating the Mudhens. The valve gear parts of a Mudhen are very similar if not identical to a K28.