Hol,
Based on the bluff behind the locomotive, I believe the 1933 photo was taken at Aurora in the lower suburban coach yard east of the Car Shop. The locomotive is facing east and on the bluff behind is the triple track main line
into Aurora. I think that the steeple in the background is St. Nicholas Catholic Church, at Liberty and High Streets, which is still there today. The locomotive was probably painted at the Aurora shops. A story that I heard many years ago was that when the
locomotive with it’s train was originally placed in the Century of Progress fair grounds, the locomotive was painted in the standard service paint scheme of the day. Later, the Royal Scot train arrived in a very fancy London, Midland, Scottish LMS paint scheme.
Q management was appalled at the drab appearance of the S4 hudson and had it removed immediately for repainting in the scheme shown in your photo; obviously not a paint scheme used in regular service except while the 3000 was being exhibited. There are photos
of the locomotive in service between the 1933 fair and the 1934 in the dressed up paint scheme. Several of the locomotives donated to the various lineside communities in the later 1950s and early 1960s were painted in similar paint schemes for their presentation.
Bill Barber
Gravois Mills, MO
Wed Jan 6, 2016 11:53 am (PST) . Posted by:
Charlie:
That's not the Baldwin builder's photo of 300 but instead a Hedrich-Blessing photo they took for the Q after the engine was repainted and fancied up for the Century of Progress. With the background opaqued and the image heavily retouched, the photo was used
for a number of publicity purposes, including the widely distributed postcard with the engine's specs that was handed out at the expo. What you see on eBay is the retouched version of the photo, with clouds airbrushed in for a background.
I'm attaching both the builder's photo and the Hedrich-Blessing photo (of which I have an original, unretouched print), and looking closely at the 1933 view (taken either at Aurora or Galesburg -- anybody know which?), you can see that the same continuous cylinder
jacketing is present as when the 3000 was delivered. But at a glance it certainly does look like the much earlier jacketing of Baldwin Vauclain compound cylinders, and the retouched version only serves to highlight that appearance.
Hol