Re: number boards

No, the Grande never put train numbers in them - even on the standard gauge. I'm thinking only the biggest modern SG power had them, from 4-8-2's and up. I could see using the number boards on the big SG power. At night it might be hard to see and engine number of something speeding by in the dark, but I somehow doubt that was a problem on the narrow gauge. There were number boards on the 28's and 36's, but when the 490's came along, they apparently didn't think they were needed.

Now that I think about it, some of the SG power had number boards without individual number slides in them, If they were individual numbers, they had one piece of glass that covered the entire number section. In looking at some books, 473 had number boards until it got painted yellow. When it got painted black again in 1952, it had number boards with a one piece hunk of glass on it along with numbers of a different font than was used on the other engines.

As engines came due for shopping starting in 1955 or so the number boards started to come off. 482 and 489 were the only two that kept theirs. Salida kept the number boards longer than Alamosa. 482 and 489 did not run beyond the end of their Salida flue jobs done in 1954-6, and were retired with the boards still in place. BTW, 489's boards went to 484 in 1976, who then had them removed for a movie and never reinstalled. 489's went to 488 in 1979. 482's then got installed on 489 in 1981. 484 had a new set made for her in the 1990's.

Did you follow all that? There will be a quiz tomorrow.