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
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.
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 for more info.
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
Denis, Say it isn't true! A B&O EM-1 into a DM&IR......... My DREAM Locomotive!!!!!!!! Altho, I guess, its yours......
