JT76 wrote:Wow i have never heard of Russia iron before.
I dug out the book and your right. Every builder's photo shows this, along with shots of locomotives out in the field. However, in shots i have of the B&O days in both of Mike Zollitsch's books they are all black. Did the B&O paint over it or by that point were they do neglected and dirty that they appeared to be black? Thank you for bringing this to light, def something i would incorporate into my roster.
As soon as a boiler jacket needed to be replaced, however long that took, it would most likely be replaced by a new "standard" jacket..
regular steel, painted black..
Im not sure if Russia iron ever got painted over..seems unlikely, (it wouldnt really need to be painted) but its possible..
and yes, a Russia Iron boiler could look "black" just from dirt and grime, if it wasnt kept clean..
Russia Iron really stands out on Builders photos..when the engine is new..
but "in service" pics are harder to determine..
IMO, any loco that wore Russia iron when new, but later had a black boiler, probably got a replacement jacket..
most likely due to a rebuild..or the jacket needed to be replaced due to normal wear and tear..
Steam locos probably got new outer jackets more often than we suspect..
its hard to tell, because normally a new jacket looks pretty much the same as an old one!
but the jacket was (relatively) thin metal, meant only to hold down a layer of asbestos (or other insulation)..
the actual boiler itself was much more substantial metal..
many "display" steamers today are missing their outer jacket,
and have only the boiler showing..which in service would have been covered.
jackets were usually removed when asbestos was removed to put the engine on display..and the jacket was probably too rusted or damaged to replace.
A PRR decopod in service, with a smooth boiler jacket covering the boiler:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 17&nseq=23
PRR 4483 today, without her jacket, showing her actual boiler with all the rivits visable:
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/prr/prr-s4483bnw.jpg
Scot