Re: Not the 410 From Yuma/class 70 jackets

Clyde Putman Wrote:
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> GORGEOUS!
> Is the boiler jacket copper, or is that just how
> the light hits it?

Long story short, it's a material that doesn't exist anymore.

As-built, the boiler jacket of 400-411 (D&RG class 70, Baldwin class 10-26-E), as with all of the earlier D&RG locomotives (and virtually all locomotives of the period), was planished iron. It's an unpainted, shiny, largely rust-free treated iron that's no longer made today owing to having long since been replaced by cheaper alternatives. Planished iron was usually a medium to dark grey metal color, sometimes with a hint of other hues in it owing to lack of modern production quality control methods (ie, it varied from one locomotive to the next). The D&RG favored american-produced boiler jackets over the better known imported "Russia Iron." I've seen samples ranging from rather dark hues to bright like brushed aluminum.

Blued steel is sometimes used in place of planished iron in old locomotives, as it resembles darker shades of the older material, but its rather too dark to truly simulate the better/lighter grades. Some things are lost to history.

The painted parts of the class 70 locomotives were black otherwise, with lime trim in various colors. Some D&RG locomotives were green, brown, or even wine color--but not these.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/23/2015 09:48PM by James.