Flanger 015

[Mike Trent]

Right, Todd. That's it. Thanks for adjusting the contrast. I wonder its that might be a weight box on the deck which has heretofore gone unnoticed. Obviously this was taken before the fire in 1935, so it may have been removed before the side views were taken in Leadville. Thanks again.

[Keith Hayes]

Is that a flanger blade I see to the left of the locomotive (right side of the photo)?

This is the last eastbound passenger on arrival from Leadville and prior to departure to Denver. It is a cold day with a weak sun and an unusual amount of activity.

[Chris Walker]

I'm sure they left the Flanger in Leadville Keith.  It certainly wasn't entrained in the Solitude and Dillon "last pics".

[Keith Hayes]

Slow progress things weekend.

The blade is mostly done and grabs are on. I am practicing stirrup step fabrication techniques. That will leave the handrails and lifting/ signal mechanisms.

The idler only lacks stirrups and coupler lifting bars.

One more with the scratch built stirrups in place.

As with Mike's On3 models, these are fragile and demand a light touch.

Today was mostly devoted to advancing the PI Coal project.

[Keith Hayes]

After an alcohol bath, the best 4 go on the flanger and the other 2 on the idler car.

[Mike Trent]

Tedious stuff! I'm sure the guys in the metal shop felt the same way. It's worth it, though.

[Keith Hayes]

Flanger 015 received a coat of paint today.

I think the deck will go on next. Maybe some lettering. Then handrails and the blade mechanism.

[Dave Eggleston]

So I hate to ask, mostly because I'm sure someone will point me to the answer buried in this thread that I missed, but were the blades painted? I know I've always seen the D&RGW blades painted in modern pictures, IIRC, but have no knowledge about the C&S blades while in use--or, of more interest to me, the D&LG or DSP&P blades.

It was typical to paint ironwork but on at least the flanger blade face does that paint even survive after the first few uses except maybe some edge areas? Within weeks it had to resemble polished iron, right? And if not painted, would an oil rub have been used to minimize oxidation during the non-use times in warmer weather?

[Keith Hayes]

Dave, I painted the blade silver and sprayed it with chipping fluid. It will be scratched up to show some wear. I am thinking these blades were cut from steel plate and would be painted for preservation. Of course they got worn in use, not just from snow but also dirt, rocks and tree roots as this was essentially a spreader. The blade shape indicates at least two modifications to the original blade, creating a wider, higher cut.

[Pat Student]

FWIW I used the rear blade on my tractor to remove snow on our private road for over 20 years. The paint is still intact though it has lost some of its luster.

[Dave Eggleston]

Exactly what I was thinking Keith, but of course without color images how they looked is guesswork. The abuse had to be considerable and the locally-mixed period paint's durability had to be considerably less than what is possible these days. My comment wasn't to be critical but just thinking that those blades are one place we really can play some of the weathering games used by the military modelers on tanks and road equipment.

[Mike Trent]

Yes, the flanger blades were painted, not frequently, but painted. Probably during annual inspections. Not just as a rust preventative, but as a rule the C&S was very good about keeping much of their equipment in well maintained condition. Especially in Denver. Not freight equipment so much, but locomotives, passenger equipment in use, and other stuff like the rotarys. The rotary wheels and shrouds were treated with Graphite and Oil as a rust preservative as well as to prevent ice and snow buildup. This was a silvery gray color.

[djunda]

Keith,

I have the Tamalco line of parts now in S scale.   Cliff Mestel had them before.  I have them here in my shop now.

let me know what you need.

Doug

[Keith Hayes]

Not done yet by any means, but you get the idea. This is Mr. Hobby 1500 black, with Vallejo silver over. I the applied som Aak chipping fluid and after a week sprayed on my finish color mix. This morning I applied water to reemulsify the chipping fluid and used a small stencil brush and a toothpick to remove the finish coat. Fortunately we have some good images of the worn blades!

[Dave Eggleston]

Love where its heading!

[Keith Hayes]

How's about this, Dave?

[Al Pomeroy]

I think the reason they kept the blades painted was to keep snow from sticking to the blades. I look @ photos of RGS 01 late in its life and the blades are shiny black paint.

AL P.

[Mike Trent]

Looks great!!

[Dave Eggleston]

I agree, it's looking good and  used.

Interesting about the paint to keep the snow from sticking. They must've been painting it constantly!

[Mike Trent]

I may have speculated earlier that the flanger(s) was probably painted in Denver when it was annually inspected.  The paint was probably cosmetic as well as rust prevention. If there are any photos of locomotive plows looking like this I've never seen one. Which supports the notion that this may have been caused by it's use as a spreader. Still, it would have been inspected annually and painted.