Re: Question about C19's

dougvv Wrote:
=======================================================
> Hi,
>
> A slightly tangent thought:
>
> The RGW(exD&RGW) standard gauged very early. With
> the corporate antagonism between Ogden and Denver
> (D&RG), several D&RG narrow gauge locos were
> converted to SG for the RGW (maybe the courts were
> invloved). I think this was pre-class 56/60 era.

AFAIK they were always Class 56, 60, 70?

At any rate, in 1886 D&RG was required as part of the final court setlement of the lawsuits over it's lease of the D&RGW Ry to transfer several engines to D&RGW on 712/86 as damage payment. 2-8-0's transferred were:

Class 56 #'s 71-81, later RGS 71-79, 70. Sold to RGS 1891 and sent to Burnham for repair. Intended to become RGS 27-35, 26. #26 never made it to RGS service. (see yuor favorite RGS book for further details)

Class60 #'s 257, 275, 277, 279, 287-291, 294, 295 These have a varied history as follows:

257 no more data

The rest were converted to std gauge by RGW in the (early?)1890's bcoming RGW 101-110, mostly sold by around the turn of the century except for #275/101 which was RGW #11 by 1908, became D&RG 553 in the RGW/D&RG merger of that year then was numbered 290 (but still std gauge) in '24 when it was placed in class C-14. Dism 8/24.

As to th Class 70 engines converted to std gauge in the late 1880's then back to 3' ga. after the turn of the century, I've never seen any reference to them being given new frames, etc. as part of this process.
I'm not saying it didn't happen, just that I've never heard of it. I would point out that this was done in the first place because of a shortage of std gauge switchers and that is what they were used for during the time they were std gauge, not road engines so I don't know how much expense would have been gone to.

Note that the Grande's first std gauge freight engines, orig #'s 412-416, were just class 70 engines on std gauge frames and they were NOT converted to 3' ga at the time the others werre switched back which makes me doubtful that new frames, etc. were involved in those conversions or why not whistle up 5 more and convert these engines too?
Instead they remained switchers for the rest of their (post-1888) life.
(one of these made it to 1924 too, btw)

hank