I agree that this was just a fishing expedition on Baldwin's part. In looking at the drawing, and comparing it to the K-27 dimensions in David Conrad's book, I see that:
K-27
Weight on drivers: 108,300 lb.
Total engine weight: 140,250 lb.
Tractive effort 27,000 lb.
Factor of adhesion: 4.01
L-54
Weight on drivers: 210,000 lb. Up 93%
Total engine weight: 250,000 lb. Up 78%
Tractive effort 54,000 lb. Up 100%
Factor of adhesion: 3.89. Down 3%
Look at the diameter of the boiler on that hog. Compare that to the thin straight boiler on a K-27. There is no way that monster weighs only 78% more than a K-27. I doubt that anyone spent more than an hour or two drawing it up, with the idea that if RGS would have responded, they would deal with designing something more realistic at that time.