A lot of this info is heresay, but the half flange story on 346 as told by Bob Richardson is as follows. After the wreck on Kenosha Pass the D&RG demanded 346 be rebuilt. The C&S built a steel cab, put new domes, and added the half flanges by turning down the 2 & 3 driver sets (all 4 sets would have to be turned to the same diameter.) Bob also said the the C&S trackage from Denver into Waterton Canyon was so bad that 346 would derail 2 or 3 times on that stretch of track. There was a lot of lateral play in 346s drivers necessitating the addition of the half flanges. Bob said that a couple of the "Old Timers" related that derailing story to him. Not to dispute Jeff's findings, but Bob said with all the "slop" in the running gear, 346 would not stay on some of the C&S track without the addition of the half flanges. Who put them on? I imagine the C&S did. They had a wheel lathe large enough to turn drivers. 346 had the flanges on when Bob had it pulled in from Dolores. The rod brasses were replaced in the early eighties but there was still a lot of lateral play in the running gear. When 346 went to Strasburg for its rebuild, Linn Moedinger was rebuilding the running gear. He was instructed to remove the flanges on the 2 driver sets as G-- and the D&RG intended their NG 2-8-0s to be.Is there a possibility some of the dating on the DPLs photos are in error?
Dirk Ramsey, if your out there, maybe you could add to this.
Bill Gould
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2011 02:00PM by HighCommander.