LIRR smoke box oddity

[Richard Glueck]

Anyone know the reason behind the occassional LIRR practice of painting the smokebox extension and cylinder saddles of certain steam locomtives in silver paint? I could believe it was for the end of steam, except there is a Dave Keller collection photo of K4 5406 passing "B" Tower inthe same paint scheme. K4's were gone long before the conclusion of steam operations. Incidently, in this same picture, her smokebox door is painted black, ala' the 1930's-42 practive.
Was this an odditiy? Artistic fooling around in the paint shop? Some purposeful railroad policy?
Anyone have a solid idea?
Both 39 and 35 were decked out in this scheme prior to the final run of steam. Did the other remaining G's get that paint job as well?

[Paul]

Hey Richard...
I thought you would know this one. Grade crossing visability. Be glad they didnt paint the fronts Orange!

[belpaire]

The G5s with the bright silver smokeboxes and cylinder saddles were painted for the End of Steam Ceremony and wore it through the final excursions. The interesting thing is that the whole smokebox wasn't painted brightly, only the first foot or so. Most likely done to spiff up the engines to celebrate their final workings.

The only other case of the bright smokeboxes and cylinder saddles I know of was done for just a few months in the summer of 1947 and was done only to leased K4s. I have never heard a good explanation for it. Very strange why it was done at all and done only to K4s' and not any home power or other leased classes. I'd love to hear the real story behind it.

Roger

[Dave Keller]

While not painted as bright as my archival shot of K4s #5406 passing "B" tower, here's #24 at Oyster Bay in 1951.

Dave Keller

[Dave Keller]

And here's #26 at "DUNTON" in 1938.

Dave Keller

[Dave Keller]

And finally, #36 leaving Kings Park with the hospital train in 1947.

Dave Keller

[belpaire]

Dave,
Fine photos all, but I think Richard was refering to the very bright silver, possibly white, which was painted on the smokebox as well as the front of the cylinder saddle. The pictures you show are the fairly standard graphite with perhaps some aluminum powder mixed in.

Richard,
I missed your question about the black smokebox door. I don't know the exact dates but I think it was closer to <1920-1937 though I could be wrong. I don't have any reference material right now so I cannot confirm it. The summer of '47 K4s' were the only throw back to this after the practice had been dropped for many years.

Roger

[Dave Keller]

If you're referring strictly to the bright silver or white front, K4s #5406 had it done along with the black smokebox door between March/1947 and May/1947.

Here she is at Cold Spring Harbor in March, 1947: not exceptionally bright smokebox and NO black door.

The shot immediatley following is the one at "B" tower, taken in May of the same year, with the fancy paint job. (Yes, the dates are accurate. George Votava was very good about dates.)

Dave Keller

[Richard Glueck]

The last photo, the one passing "B" tower is the one to which I was referring. What is more interesting is that the locomotive hadn't been modernized until after it derailed a Amott (S Cabin) that year. SHe went back to Altoona for shopping and came back to the Island with a raised headlight, hard pilot, etc. The other pictures are great G5 shots, but they are graphited smokeboxes. What I am referring to appears on the 5406 picture discussed, and the last weeks of steam operations.

What I am referring to is the silver front of the smokebox and cylinder saddle. Did any locos other than 35 and 39 get this paint job? I seem to think that they all did, but I can't be sure until somebody produces pictures.

Somebody told me that each of the remaining G5's had been offered to Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk, but only Nassau and the Carriage House took them up on the deal. Thus, we lost two other G5's.

[Paul]

At the risk of sticking my neck way out on something that was gone well before I was even a sperm, I heard (and for the life of me I can't remember where) but these locomotives were painted aluminum on the smoke box front and cylinder saddles for grade crossing visibility. Dont forget the RS1 had silver pilots for crossing visability. The graffite paint smokebox is standard railroad stuff, all it is is powderd graffite and lubricating oil. Takes the heat real well. The back smoke box door was done (so I was told) to make the red or black round number plates stand out against the smokebox face better. This was LIRR practice prior to PRR taking over LIRR and the tradition continued into the PRR era.

[belpaire]

Richard,
I am quite sure and have never seen pictures to prove otherwise, that only 35 and 39 got the bright silver/white smokebox/cylinder saddle front and that it was done for the End of Steam Ceremony.

Paul,
It is quite possible that the summer of '47 K4s' were done up that way for grade crossing visibility. It does seem odd though that the LIRR chose only leased K4s' for this short lived experiment but stranger things have happened. The picture at B tower shows that it definately made them more visisble.

Roger