Friday Night Steam

What are all those controls for on a steam engine? Grab a cold one and watch!  :o)

Jeff Berrier

Published on Nov 19, 2017

•A video guide that walks through and describes the functions of the various controls in the cab of Denver and Rio Grande Western (D&RGW) steam locomotive #491. Big thanks to Mike Spera for heading the restoration on this wonderful piece of American history. •The locomotive seen in the video is Denver and Rio Grande Western (D&RGW) mikado (2-8-2) #491, one of the largest narrow gauge locomotives ever created. It now runs at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado. It has ~37,100 pounds of tractive effort, and weighs ~150 tons or ~302,000 pounds. It was built in 1928 by the D&RGW Burnham shops in Denver, Colorado using the boiler off of a standard gauge D&RGW 2-8-0. #491 is a pristine example of a locomotive perfectly suited for rugged, mountain climbing work. •Thanks to Erik Lindgren (@ColoradoRailPhotographer) for the great still images used in this video.
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Denver & Rio Grande Western K-37
D&RGW #491 at Colorado Railroad Museum
Type and origin References:Dimensions are as rebuilt unless noted Power type Steam Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Build date 1902 Rebuilder D&RGW Burnham Shops Rebuild date 1928–1930 Number rebuilt 10
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte Original: 2-8-0 Rebuilt: 2-8-2  • UIC 1′D1′ h2 Gauge Original: 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Rebuilt: 3 ft (914 mm) Leading dia. Original: unknown Rebuilt: 28 in (711 mm) Driver dia. Original: 55 in (1,397 mm) Rebuilt: 44 in (1,118 mm) Trailing dia. Original: none Rebuilt: 28 in (711 mm) Wheelbase 29 ft (8.8 m) Length 41.1 ft (12.5 m) Width 10.4 ft (3.2 m) Height Engine: 13.3 ft (4.1 m) Tender: 13.5 ft (4.1 m) Loco weight 183,920 pounds (83,420 kg) Boiler pressure 200 psi (1.38 MPa) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 20 in × 24 in (508 mm × 610 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts Loco brake Air Train brakes Air
Performance figures Tractive effort 37,100 lbf (165 kN)
Career
Operators	DRGW, D&SNG, C&TS
Class	D&RG: 190 D&RGW: C-41 after rebuild: K-37
Numbers	490–499
Locale	Colorado and New Mexico
Retired	1955 (#496), 1962-1970
Disposition	Eight preserved; two (#490, 496) scrapped

:o)