Re: D&RGW 1930s tender question

Are you sure that the 480's had the larger numbers on the rear of the tender at this time? I ask because every picture I recall seeing of a locomotive in this period shows the smaller numbers. I can't remember seeing a photo of a K-36 tender rear for sure, but I think I have seen a photo showing the rear of a K-28 and I believe it had the smaller numbers. I would surely be interested in knowing if the larger engines did have the larger numbers on the tender rear.
As to your original question about 315, I would guess that it should have the smaller numbers. Off the top of my head, I remember seeing photos of the rear of a C-16 (278), a C-21 (360) and a K-27 (454), all with the smaller numbers. As the C-18's fall somewhere in the middle of this range of locomotive classes, I would suspect the 315 had the smaller numbers as well.