Coke's picks

476-before they put a new firebox in and changed the throttle in the late 1980s
481-A great locomotive all around.
483-THE best of all the locomotives I worked on.
484-Almost as good as 483 and my favorite . The "San Juan"engine. The"Empress of New Mexico".
497-Like its sisters ,this engines was the most responsive steamer , but with two quirks.First ,it liked a lot of coal in the front ,so get a windup on that shovel .Second ,don't let the fire get real low ,or you will spend the rest of the afternoon getting it hot again !
Good steamers were not necessarily favorite locomotives .I liked working on 473 and 478 ,as K-28s were smooth riding and smooth tracking ,and comfortable engines to operate . Despite their legendary dependability ,K-36s are not comfortable engines to operate .463 is a touchy steamer ,but a real nice locomotive to run .