Re: NG tender capacities

K28's have smaller cylinders, just a bit bigger than a K27.

Stops as Hermosa for water are depended on a couple of things. The tank at Tank Creek doesn't have a lot of capacity and takes a while to refill from the creek. If too many engines use it in one morning you can suck it dry, so some trains stop down at Hermosa for a drink, then top off at Tank Creek.

If the engine has been sitting around in Durango for a couple of days, the water in the tender gets warm. Injectors don't like to work with warm water. They lose capacity and with the grade from Hermosa to Rockwood being the longest hard pull on the RR, you need to have the injectors running right before you start up the hill. So, if the water is warm in the tender and the injectors are working a bit flakey, stop for a drink.

This goes back many years. The first time I rode the Silverton Branch in 1967, 473 stopped for water at Hermosa (using the real tank). The next day we chased the train and they sailed right through Hermosa.