This is from a guy who really wishes all financial problems could be solved easily.
In looking through the posts on Mudhens, it appears to me that the majority of the problems are caused by poor trackage.
In looking at the Master Plan, they want eight locomotives operational in five years. Why not cut that back to six and put every penny that can be gotten into upgrading the trackage. Heavier rail, ballast, ties, banking the curves, etc., would solve a lot of hunting, nosing, etc., that now occurs with the locomotives. Wouldn't it also make maintenance easier.
The five 480's and 463 would fill the bill. If a sugar daddy came along then work on492 and 497.
Someone said the 470s were the best. Aren't these the ones that the army took to Skagway during the war and then scrapped. I guess we know why they took them. Maybe the D & RGW wanted to keep the others knowing that they were on the way to going out of the narrow gauge business.