Mark --
There are, of course, certain Burlington steam engines you can buy (in
plastic) "off the shelf." These include the Broadway 2-8-2s, and P2K's
0-6-0 and 0-8-0 switchers. These are USRA engines, and while "authentic"
representatives of their Burlington prototypes (at least broadly so; a
little re-detailing is still needed), they are by that same token perhaps
the least "typical" of our railroad.
The features that mark engines as Burlington are many, some obvious, some
subtle, and they changed over the years as well as varying between the
larger and smaller engines, but here are a few:
1) Headlights: A variety were used, but the "cuckoo clock" was very
typical of smaller engines (4-6-0s, 2-6-2s); they were used even on big
power, even 2-10-2s in their early years; some were still on those big
engines in the late '30s and early '40s, if I'm not mistaken, and they
lasted on the little ones to the bitter end. The cuckoo clock absolutely
screams "Burlington!"
2) Smokebox fronts were kinda flat. Preferred mounting position of
headlights was high on the front of the smokebox.
3) Domes: older, smaller engines had tall, smooth, domes. The sand domes
were slightly conical or parabolic. I've seen some people refer to these as
"Lima" domes. They're very typical of the moguls, ten-wheelers, prairies,
atlantics, Americans, and even of the unmodernized O-1 mikados. Later and
larger engines (O-1A and larger mikes, mountains, S-3 pacifics, et al.) had
a large, rather flat sand dome, mounted pretty far forward, just a few feet
behind the smokebox, with the bell positioned just forward of the dome.
4) Cabs: Early, small engines usually had a fairly large cab with a
3-window pattern (normally a big central 4-pane window surrounded by two
smaller 2-pane windows). This applies to the above-mentioned, and to the
many 0-6-0 switchers that were rebuilds of those prairies. Later, larger
engines had smaller cabs with two 4-pane windows per side.
5) Tenders: Pedestal trucks were common on older engines, up through the
heavy pacifics and B-1 mountains (though not the B-1As).
Both Elesco and Worthington BL models were common and used on most of the
larger engines. Some were more characteristic of one class than another
(more of the O-4s had Elescos, e.g., more of the B-1 and B-1As had
Worthingtons, but there were exceptions in both classes).
These are just a few off-the-cuff observations, and they are very broad
generalizations, with lots of exceptions. If you're really into this, I
recommend you spring for a copy of Bernard Corbin's Steam Locomotives of
the Burlington Route. It covers all classes of engine on the Q and its
subsidiaries and has hundreds of photos, plans and erection sheets, tables,
etc. as well as a brief but authoritative discussion of each class and
related topics. If you're feeling poor, do check out Jan's website, which
has lots of good stuff. And DEFINITELY spend some time at the Denver Public
Library's Western History Collection site at http://photoswest.org/, where
there is a rich assortment of Burlington photos to download (MANY hundreds,
all or almost all taken by the late great Otto Perry from 1915 to the early
1960s). Search by "Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad AND engine type
2-10-2" or whatever engine type you choose. Most classes that survived past
World War I are represented there, and the quality of the photos is
extremely high (though the resolution is not -- great for computer screen
viewing, though).
Good luck!
Jonathan
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