Re: NNG: 'Molly the Wonder Pig' . . .

Russo Loco Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Earl Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Molly The Wonder Pig Lives!!!!
>
>
> What you mean-um "Wonder Pig", Kemo Sabe?
>
> Based on O. Winston Link's photos from the
> mid-fifties, I have always thought the N&W 4-8-0's
> were especially classy-looking little engines, and
> I was pleasantly surprised to finally meet one in
> person when my daughter Jackelopette and I visited
> the Strasburg four years ago (see
> [ngdiscussion.net]
> et seq.)  Are there any other ex-N&W 4-8-0's
> in existence?  IIRC, the only other road to
> have a sizeable number of 4-8-0's was the S.P.,
> and there's only one example still around - at a
> small museum in Bakersfield, Ca.
>
> BTW, just a wild guess based on the inboard piston
> valves - was #475 equipped with Stephenson valve
> gear when built, and later converted to Baker
> gear?  Or even more far-fetched, was she
> originally built with slide valves, then converted
> to piston valves but retaining the Stephenson
> gear, and finally given Baker gear in a second
> upgrade?  My tired old eyes may be fooling
> me, but at around minute 1.01 of the above video I
> thought I detected an offset crank connected to
> the valve stem of #475 - different in design but
> similar in purpose to the crank added to the
> Wahlshearts gear of D&RGW K-27's #454, 456, 458
> and 461 when converted from Stephenson gear to
> Wahlshearts in the 1920's (see
> [ngdiscussion.net]
> 04116).


According to my sources at the SRC, she was originally built with Stephenson valve gear and converted to Baker. If you look at her frame interestingly enough you can see how it has more space in the frame to accommodate the original setup.

Mike Wilson
Michael J. Wilson Photography
[www.facebook.com]