Can someone tell me if all Santa Fe 4-8-4s had graphite smoke box fronts like that of #3751, or just some of them ?.
Thanks.
Tracklayer
The graphite was used on the smoke box front of the Santa Fe engines for many years, but the color picutures of the 2900 series and 5011 class engines in very late steam days, (1955 on )show then to be painted black. The shops probably did not take time in the mid fifties to use the graphite, but it was a common practice to paint the smokebox with graphite on the Santa Fe steam power.
I have several Santa Fe books in color and they show varied applications of either black or graphite with very late steam days pictures in 1955 looking to be black, but I did find a picture in mid 55 of the 5004 having the graphite smoke box. The book has a picture of the 5011 prepared for donation to the St Louis Rail Museum and the smokebox was graphited.
It is fairly hard to tell the difference between black and graphite in black and white pictures if the engine is dirty.
I used black on my late SF steam since the pictures in general show them looking black. You can find a picture of a prototype and use it as a guide for your model.
Whenever someone tells me, they never did it that way, I usually have a picture to compare the model to the prototype.
The first web page below shows a picture of the 2-10-4 5020 at the Chicago Rail Fair in 1948, and the smokebox is graphite at that time. The second one also seems to be in graphite but is hard to tell since it is black and white and the engine is dirty. Maybe some other pictures exist of a freshly shopped engine that would show better detail.
[quote user=“CAZEPHYR”]
The graphite was used on the smoke box front of the Santa Fe engines for many years, but the color picutures of the 2900 series and 5011 class engines in very late steam days, (1955 on )show then to be painted black. The shops probably did not take time in the mid fifties to use the graphite, but it was a common practice to paint the smokebox with graphite on the Santa Fe steam power.
I have several Santa Fe books in color and they show varied applications of either black or graphite with very late steam days pictures in 1955 looking to be black, but I did find a picture in mid 55 of the 5004 having the graphite smoke box. The book has a picture of the 5011 prepared for donation to the St Louis Rail Museum and the smokebox was graphited.
It is fairly hard to tell the difference between black and graphite in black and white pictures if the engine is dirty.
I used black on my late SF steam since the pictures in general show them looking black. You can find a picture of a prototype and use it as a guide for your model.
Whenever someone tells me, they never did it that way, I usually have a picture to compare the model to the prototype.
The first web page below shows a picture of the 2-10-4 5020 at the Chicago Rail Fair in 1948, and the smokebox is graphite at that time. The second one also seems to be in graphite but is hard to tell since it is black and white and the engine is dirty. Maybe some other pictures exist of a freshly shopped engine that would show better detail.
A more general question is why steamers had ‘graphite’ smokeboxes. The facts are that the smokebox on most steamers was not lagged with insulation/jacketing like the boiler. Special heat resistant paint or graphiting was used on the smokebox. Now some railroads used jacketing and painted the smokebox black(the Milw Road comes to mind). Other went to the expense of buying heat resistant paint and the smokebox was black even though there was no jacketing. Maybe later in the steam era the heat resistant paints had improved to the point that they were cost effective and the entire smokebox was painted black. The ‘classic’ look on much steam was black boiler jacketing and graphite smokebox/firebox area.
Jim
My. And what an expert you do appear to be on the subject sir. Now if you would be so good as to tell me what Santa Fe 4-8-4 Northern class locos had graphite painted smoke box fronts other than #3751 I would be forever grateful to you…
Tracklayer
A Santa Fe color chart I recall seeing designated the smokebox front (and stack) as being “tarpon gray” I would assume that would apply to all engines that had the smokebox sides covered w/ lagging.
Thanks guys. I think I’ll just renumber the loco to 3751 and paint the smoke box front graphite. That way I’ll know for sure I’m prototypically correct…
Tracklayer