In the last years (from the late 1920s until 1953) the RGS had but 3 2-8-0s (2 and a half when you consider 40 was wrecked in 1943). RGS 40 and41 were class C-19s, sister engines to the D&RGW 340-series C-19s. They're well represented with all three class survivors (RGS 41, D&RGW 340, D&RGW 346) still operating! Fortunately for us HOn3 RGS types, Blackstone makes exact models of RGS 40 and 41. Not surprisingly, I have both.
But the RGS had one more 2-8-0.... She survived the RGS and sits quietly in the roundhouse museum at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to this day. But she wasn't a C-19, nor was she one of the once ubiquitous C-16s. She was an oddball, a C-17.
C-17s appeared not to be well-liked by the D&RGW. None in D&RGW paint survived the Depression, the last being scrapped in '36. But RGS 42 soldiered on, eventually being the last RGS engine in steam while being used to scrap the south end of the line. C-17s looked different, having a sand dome sitting noticeably farther forward on the boiler than any other D&RGW/RGS consolidation. Also, the drive rods connected to the third axle and they had laird-type crossheads when most of their contemporaries had alligator-type crossheads.
I had purchased Blackstone's D&RG 401 (from about 1910) thinking I might letter it as Silverton Northern 4. Either as SNRR 4 or as a D&RG engine of a very different era (for which I have very little appropriate rolling stock) it was far enough removed from my original focus (RGS 1938-1947) that I found I wasn't running it much. Plus, I've been indulging in my San Juan Central fandom, having lettered another Blackstone engine, two 3000-series boxcars, a Labelle combine, and soon an MRGS long caboose, for SJC. Too many diversions from purpose!
Painting and lettering the 401 as RGS 42 ensures she'll get a lot more use. The only modification to the engine itself was a fabricated rectangular number board.
The main "spotting" differences between this engine and the real 42 are that 42 has 1) the drive rod connected to the third driver, 2) a laird crosshead, 3) a sand dome that sits farther forward on the boiler, 4) an air tank mounted on the engineer's side running board, and 5) a flared-sided tender. Those aren't trivial differences either. Plus there are a host of smaller departures from prototype. But... Ya know what? I feel good about this.
