Yellowstones

[Petey]

Hello,
According to Drury, "Amer. Steam Locos.", the D&RGW obtained some 2-8-8-4s from, I think, the DM&IR, in 1943. He states the Rio Grande was very happy with them. He does not list them in his capitulation of RG's steam locos. Can someone say what their ownership status was, and how they were lettered while working for D&RGW?
Denis

[slimjim]

I think they were lease units from the Defense Plant Corp. D&RGW never owned them. They were hurting for power in 1943. They were used for helper service on Tennessee Pass.


Originally posted by Petey:
Hello,
According to Drury, "Amer. Steam Locos.", the D&RGW obtained some 2-8-8-4s from, I think, the DM&IR, in 1943. He states the Rio Grande was very happy with them. He does not list them in his capitulation of RG's steam locos. Can someone say what their ownership status was, and how they were lettered while working for D&RGW?
Denis

[slimjim]

OK, here is what I have come up with.
There appears to be mixed thoughts. These
are from the DRGW e-mail list.

---------------------------------

Several DM&IR M-3/4 Yellowstones were
leased by the D&RGW in the war winters
when the Missabe was shut down by frozen
lakes. They were owned by and lettered
for the DM&IR at all times. Interestingly,
at least one wasdelivered new to the
Grande as the DM&IR could not immediately
use it. Also, one got creamed (runaway)
coming downhill on the Moffat, but was
repaired.

--------------------------------

AFAIK, no ownership was ever taken on these
units. And after one ran away due to the
lack of the additional braking systems
present on the D&RGW units, they were not
used moved to flatter use.

The engines were needed on the D&RGW during
the War years, and the DM&IR usually does
have excess locomotives during the time
period when ore cannot be transported across
the Lake Superior.

I thought I just reach into my library and
pull out the photo showing the rolled over
engine and can give you the number (200
series), but, alas, not the case. But IIRC,
paint scheme is DM&IR.

-----------------------------

I can't say for sure what all of the numbers
were of the DM&IR 2-8-8-4's used on the Rio
Grande, but somewhere around here I've got a
picture that my dad took of #224 at Malta.

I read somewhere, probably in an article or
in a book by Robert LaMassena that the
2-8-8-4's lacked the water brake that all of
the D&RGW owned steam engines employed. Due
to a factor that I can't recall now, but
because of the lack of this waterbrake, one
of the DM&IR engines became a runaway up on
the Moffat somewhere and overturned.

It caused enough trouble and expense to
repair this loco, plus because of the very
real possibility of a similar recurrence of
this negative event, that the D&RGW steam
locos weren't prone to, It was decided to
return these locomotives to the DM&IR right
away and to not use them on the Rio Grande
again. ( I think that it might have been the
#225 that was involved in this runaway but
I'm not sure ).

---------------------------

With regard to the runaway, I read that the
loco broke a main or siderod on one side of
the locomotive coming EB on the Moffat
through the tunnel district.

Like the F-105 in the great SE asian
unpleasantness (which had all of its' major
hydraulic lines running in one place along one
side of the plane) these engines suffered a
flaw in that all of the engine airbrake lines,
and the controls/steam pipes for the power
reverse were located on the same side of the
engine.

Once all of those were wiped out by the
flailing rod, in the absence of Messr. Le
Chatelier's waterbrake, there was no way to
stop or even slow the engine.

------------------------------

DM&IR was pleased with the first batch
(class M-3) of 8 received from Baldwin in
1941 so they ordered 10 duplicates (class M-4).
They were completed late in 1943 after much of
DM&IR's traffic had subsided, so some of the
M-4s were leased by and delivered directly to
the Denver & Rio Grande Western. The following
winter the D&RGW again borrowed the 2-8-8-4s
for use as helpers over the 10,239-foot
Tennessee Pass crossing of the continental
Divide. The D&RGW sent a telegram to the
DM&IR stating that the Yellowstones were the
finest steam locomotives to ever operate on
its road.

------------------------------

Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range M-3 220-227 8
Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range M-4 228-237 10

---------------------------------

According to the 1991/1992 Sundance Publication
"Trails Along The Columbine" pages 298-299 show
DM&IR #224 doulble headed with DRGW #1516 coming
through Salida on Feb 5,1943, the following day
this engine #224 was the loco that "ran away"
after an air pipe broke and jumped the curve at
"Fireclay" Most D&RGWlocos at this time had
"water brakes" installed (steam version of dynamic
braking) which helped consideralby coming down grade,
the DM&IR locos were not so equiped and as a result
of the accident were sent back to the DM&IR.

--------------------------------------

You may also try the The MISSABE Railroad Historical Society (http://www.missabe.org)
for more info.

[Petey]

WOW,
Thanks Jim, that's what I wanted to know.
I am purchasing what I think is a B&O version. If that is what it is, I will have to make a DM&IR out of it.
Denis

[7600EM_1]

Denis,
:eek: Say it isn't true! A B&O EM-1 into a DM&IR......... My DREAM Locomotive!!!!!!!!

:( graemlins/wah.gif graemlins/wah.gif graemlins/wah.gif

Altho, I guess, its yours...... :D

[HemiAdda2d]

A great resource for WWII leased steamers on the Grande is This issue of the Prospector Magazine (http://www.nscalesupply.com/RGS/RGS-P4-3.html)...