Re: Oh.....boy!

Steve,
First of all, more congrats to you and Railstar for the fine job of running the railroad last year in the face of many difficulties.
Please count me in for a helping hand on repainting the tender lettering if someone is generous enough to provide an accurate stencil. I agree that it should be done correctly from the beginning. I would guess that Jason Midyette would probably have some accurate information on the lettering as well.
I have heard that the 9 is going to have the Ridgway spark arrestor AND a butterfly plow mounted on it, which will make it very historically accurate, at least for the later years of the C&S. However, it probably won't hurt anyone's feelings if you let those brass bands dull down and then repaint them black someday (I'll volunteer for that painting duty, too). I believe that the steel bands were replaced with brass banding for some later adventure after the C&S days, and they are very much out of place on that loco, at least for the time period when she last traversed the far-famed Loop.
I have waited many years to see her returned to service, and myself and many others are very excited to see her steaming on the Loop again, that's the most important part. I will gladly offer any volunteer help that I can give with her once she arrives at Silver Plume.
Norm in Littleton (about 30 minutes away)
normacker (at) yahoo.com