Jerry474 Wrote:
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> Chris, if you do not like the looks of a K28 that
> is a personal opinion, but to say the K28s are a
> bad design is simply not accurate.
>
> I have ridden in the cab of K36s on both the C&TS
> and D&S and time in a K28 cab. Had an engineer
> compare a K36 to a K28 this way. A K36 is a dump
> truck while a K28 is a BMW or Ferrari. The
> trailing truck on a K36 is forward under the
> firebox with the cab sticking out in space making
> a ride on one like a bucking horse. The trailing
> truck on a K28 is under the fireman and engineer
> seats making for a better ride.
>
> 1. The D&RGW did not build more K28s as they cost
> more than a K36. A K28 cost $34,270.33 vs
> $27,898.05 for a K36.
> 2. The D&RGW needed a more powerful locomotive,
> the K28s were build primarily for passenger and
> mixed train service. The K36s were 36,000 lbs
> tractive effort vs 27,500 for the K28s.
>
> Note: the D&RGW almost did not buy the K36s.
> Baldwin proposed a 4-8-2 design which would been
> an M36.
>
> A D&RGW engineer who started in 1915 and retired
> in 1970 told me he ran K28s at 45 mph between
> Gunnison and Sargents and no way he would have
> done that on a K36 or K37.
>
> The K28s were the most reliable D&RGW K class
> narrow gauge engines. On the D&S, the most
> reliable engine has been the 473.
>
> The following D&RGW Repair Cost Chart from 1934
> and 35 shows the K36 maintenance costs were higher
> than the K28s even though the K28s ran about twice
> as many miles. 11.10 center per mile for a K28 vs
> 12.47 for a K36 in 1934 and 9.45 cents for a K28
> and 14.67 for a K36 in 1935.
>
> [attachment 45368 chart.jpg]
>
> I spent hours talking with a number of D&RGW
> engineers who ran these engines for years. Frank
> Wright ran a brand new K28 for its first time in
> 1923. I have spent hours with D&S crews and they
> all say the same thing, a K28 is a sport model and
> a K36 is a MACK truck.
Very interesting !
Could this difference in costs be related to the maybe « softer » work the 28 did hauling mainly passenger trains ?
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Sebastien
SNCF passenger trains engineer
Volunteer on the "Chemin de Fer de Rillé" (60cm/2ft, France)
www.aecfm.fr
cfrtrain.blogspot.fr
