Builder Plate Conundrum - photo

[NW Mailing List]

John

I just do not have all the answers.  The photos of the G2 never looked 
right to me.

I opened a class F, G and G2 left side photos up on my computer. All the 
Class G that I looked at did not have a lot of space between the stack 
and the headlight.  The Class F smoke box the stack was back further and 
made in 2 sections.  You can see from the G that the round object 
between the domes of a G was moved up to the space between the stack and 
the headlight on the G2.

My first thought was they should have moved the headlight using a 
bracket to be in front of the smoke box like you would see in the old 
days of  4-4-0's.  So the reason for the replacement smoke box is a 
mystery.  The reason for a construction number 47 on a Roanoke shop 
builders plate with a built date of 1890 and not 12/1887 is a mystery.

There does not appear to be any drawings of the G2 in our collection.  
Just don't think the G2 was a product of our locomotive design engineers 
in motive power.  The shops could have been authorized to convert the 
256 to a goat to meet their needs.

What we know for sure is the smoke box on the 256 is not a class G box.  
The construction number 47 would indicate it was an F smoke box and if 
correct it was retired July 1916. I might add there were other class 
2-8-0's locomotive with the long box.

The original builder plate on the F 169 should be Roanoke Machine works 
and not N&W.  The N&W plate started in 1900. We have a copy of the deed 
of Roanoke Machine Works  to N&W in the archives.

Jim Blackstock


On 2/26/2022 1:05 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:

> Jim, I considered a re-boiler or re-smokebox situation. But if they 
> used the boiler or smokebox off Class F #169 Const. No. 47 why doesn't 
> the plate's built date read Dec. 1887? On the plate it reads "Built 
> Dec. 1890". Obscure stuff I know! First time I've ever seen a NW 
> builder plate who's markings don't match the loco records we all 
> use.   John Garner
>
>
>
>
> John
>
> It looks like they needed more room between the headlight and the 
> smoke stack.  They must have used the smoke box off 169 with the 
> builders plate in tack when the G2 was built.
>
> Nice find
>
> Jim Blackstock
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