# D&RGW T-12 now in the roundhouse



## RP3 (Jan 5, 2008)

Just received and unpacked my new T-12. It is a very elegant locomotive that should look good pulling a string of J&S coaches. Once again Accucraft did a great job of packing and protecting this model. I'll try to get some pictures posted soon and hope to hear from others who got the 15 or so live steam models made. Unless a second run is done, this is probably going to be on of the rarer narrow gauge loco models produced.

Ross Schlabach


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Only 15??? We wait 4+ years waiting for Accucraft to try to muster enough orders for an EBT mike (25, I was told as a minimum, then they go and produce--so I'm told--at least twice that without having orders), then they go and turn only 15 T-12s (and it's a D&RGW loco, to boot!) Yet again, scratching my head at how Accucraft picks how many locos they produce... 

Guess I'll hope for a second run to kitbash one into an EBT 10-wheeler. 

Looking forward to the pictures and video of it running. 

Later, 

K


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## RP3 (Jan 5, 2008)

reply deleted


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## ChaoticRambo (Nov 20, 2010)

glad to hear you finally got it, and more importantly:

NEED PICTURES!


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Ross
Here is the photo you needed to have posted. Handsome engine...let me know if there are any others:


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## chama (Jan 2, 2008)

#169 (SN 007) has joined the Alamosa Division. 

As mentioned earlier, a very nice job by Accucraft. This is an interesting locomotive for the D&RGW. With the largest diameter drivers, it was a speed demon...purportedly hitting nearly 60 MPH after it was shopoed in the mid-30's (the D&RGW had a nice stretch of perfectly flat tangent north of Alamosa). The asymetrical driver spacing has a very long space between the 2nd and 3rd axles which is very distinct. The tapered boiler is also unusual. All in all, a nice addition to the fleet. 

WRT the model: 
- has a tender pump with the water line delivered with threaded couplings on both ends (needs a quick disconnect) 
- it has the older, non-adjustable lubricator 
- as the photo above shows, it has the steam line and valve at the front of the steam dome with the pop valves to the rear...all the pictures I can find show this reversed (when the steam line is even present) 
- it comes with the standard Accucraft rerailing frogs which you can use as scenic details elsewhere since the T-12 didn't (and the model doesn't) have frog hangers on the tender


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## Larry Green (Jan 2, 2008)

Charles, is the photo distorted, or is the LH valve chest/cylinder ass'y not parallel with the frame? 
I especially like the low-luster paint. 

Larry


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## weaverc (Jan 2, 2008)

Larry,
If you go to this link, you will see that the chest on 169 is sloped back.
http://www.drgw.net/gallery/DRGW169/drgw_169_alamosa_co_jun_1960_000

167 was scrapped in 1934


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## DKRickman (Mar 25, 2008)

On both the model and the prototype, it looks as though the boiler is bent upward at the joint ahead of the tapered section, and the cylinders match that angle. Weird.


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## David Fletcher (Jan 2, 2008)

Per the original Baldwin design, like the NG 4-4-0s, the cylinders are on about a 1.5 deg cant, with the cylinders above drive axle centeline (with the piston line angled to the main driver). The cylinders raised up to enable the pilot truck. The smokebox and boiler above however should be level. 

David.


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## RP3 (Jan 5, 2008)

On my model which is the one in the photo posted for me by Charles (thanks Charles), the boiler top is level both before and after the taper: I measured it. However, I must admit that the presence of the taper and it's close proximity to the sand dome creates the appearance that the boiler is slightly dipped in. But the digital calipers say no. 

I must belatedly relay an odd occurrence on my first running attempts with this loco. After initial service, the burner lit off easily. Three minutes into the warm-up, the loco began to roar irregularly. I peered into the flue tube and saw the poker burner glowing red hot with a highly irregular flame pattern. I shut off the burner and let it cool. When cool enough to work with, I removed it and found it covered with a disintigrating coating on the outside of the poker portion. I wired brushed off the debris, did the same for the interior which dislodged more debris and cleaned the slots which were also partially clogged. In a separate step, I checked to insure that the fuel tank and jet were unblocked and found them working perfectly. I reassembled the burner assembly and re-lit the burner. To make long story shorter, the burner functioned perfectly for another three minutes when the problem re-occurred, as it did after three further burner cleanings. Upon the fourth burner re-light, the burner functioned perfectly (and quietly) with no further protest! And the loco ran reliably and smoothly from the first successful burner run, and so on.....! Hopefully, mine was the only one with this temporary malaise. Oh, and in case you question my sanity (at times I would too), I have a witness who will remain nameless unless needed or chooses to associate himself with this wierd occurrence. Ross Schlabach


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## chama (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By chama on 15 Sep 2012 09:41 AM 

"WRT the model: 
- as the photo above shows, it has the steam line and valve at the front of the steam dome with the pop valves to the rear...all the pictures I can find show this reversed (when the steam line is even present)"

Further research using the great 5-issue T-12 series which appeared in NG&SLG from 9/11 to 6/12 shows that:
1) Accucraft got it right with the whistle coming off the left side of the steam dome at about 45 degrees from perpendicular (i.e., slanted back toward the cab), and
2) over the years the pop valves and steam line migrated around the dome. There is one very clear picture (p. 56 of the May/June 2012 issue) where the steam line with valve faces the cab on the left rear and it appears the pop valves are at the front of the dome and the right rear. On p. 48 of the Mar/Apr 2012 issue, the steam line with valve looks to be in the forward position of the steam dome with the two pop valves in the left and right rear positions. In both cases the steam line needs to be shortened since it appears to be about the same height as the pop valves.

Take your choice or use another variant which probably existed at some time!


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

There were three T-12 locos running at the IE&W steam-up a few days ago - and fast too! I noted the wagon-top boiler, and afterwards I got to thinking the actual boiler is probably a straight tube thing, like all their other locos? 

What I'm thinking is that a straight-boiler 4-6-0, which just happened to have the same wheel arrangement, could be made by swapping the boiler wrapper and re-working all the fittings ? 

Anyone have a photo of the back of the cab showing the small, straight boiler inside the large wrapper firebox?


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