Green Boilers on D&RGW Steam Locomotives
This page was last updated on August 17, 2008.
Additional Sources:
- "D&RGW 4-8-4 Westerns", by Robert B. Schaefer, in The Prospector, Volume 2, Number 2
- Russian Iron
Index for this page:
Standard Gauge Locomotives
The following number series may have been delivered with green boilers:
| Number Series |
Wheel Arrangement |
D&RGW Class |
Date Delivered |
| D&RGW 1400-1409 | 2-10-2 | F-81 | 1916 |
| D&RGW 1600-1609 | 4-8-2 | M-75 | 1926 |
| D&RGW 1700-1713 | 4-8-4 | M-64 | 1929 |
| D&RGW 1800-1804 | 4-8-4 | M-68 | 1937 |
| D&RGW 3600-3909 | 2-8-8-2 | L-131 | 1927 |
| D&RGW 3610-3619 | 2-8-8-2 | L-132 | 1930 |
| D&RGW 3700-3709 | 4-6-6-4 | L-105 | 1938 |
| D&RGW 3710-3714 | 4-6-6-4 | L-105 | 1942 |
On the occasion of the June 16, 1934 opening of the Dotsero Cutoff, D&RGW applied fresh green paint to the boilers of four standard gauge steam locomotives: 4-8-4 1705, and 4-6-2s 801, 802, and 805. This was also the apparent first use of "silvered" (aluminum paint color) cylinder head covers, running board edges, and wheel tire rims.
For D&RGW's standard gauge steam locomotives, the green boilers were applied during the time that the tri-color "Royal Gorge/Moffat Tunnel" herald was also applied to the tenders, so any locomotive with the "flying Rio Grande" lettering on the tender would not have had a green boiler. There have been reports of locomotives with both flying Rio Grande and green boilers, but these few cases would likely be the result of the tender lettering being updated and the entire locomotive not being repainted. As a side note, the UP-design 4-6-6-4 locomotives (D&RGW 3800-3805, Class L-97) would not have had green boilers, since they were delivered after the change to flying Rio Grande.
The standard gauge locomotives that received green-painted locomotives were generally those in passenger service, and those that operated between Salt Lake City and Grand Junction. These included the 1600 series 3-cylinder Baldwin 4-8-2s and the big F-81 2-10-2s
Gordon Reynolds wrote in October 2001: "There are also 2 pics in the deluxe edition of "Rio Grande to the Pacific (I think) of green boilered SG locomotives. A 3400 series 2-8-8-2 on the bridge over the Eagle River near Redcliff, and the 602 (C-28) consolidation next to the Montrose enginehouse. They show very oxidized pale green boilers."
To be specific, D&RGW Standard Practice 57-L-179, dated 11-1-37 "Painting Locomotives and Tenders", says in part, with a specific line entry for "Jackets...........Jacket Enamel (Dark Olive Green)".
Keith Williams wrote in February 2003 that, "it is highly unlikely that any D&RGW (inherited or otherwise) with the possible exception of 268 had any green paint applied to its boiler jacket after 1945. While there are post-WWII photos of D&RGW locos with green boiler jackets I question whether it was applied after the war. I *think* that 1803 sports a green jacket in the photo on the bottom of page 41 of Allen Copeland's D&RGW Color Pictorial."
A few general statements:
- There are green boiler engines with the flying Grande after 1945. i.e. leftovers from the Herald lettering, and only the lettering on the tender was changed.
- No engines have been repainted or their paint refreshed with green boilers after the flying Grande has been introduced, with the exception of railfan excursion trips.
- None of the former D&SL engines received green boilers, except as noted below.
| Road Number |
Wheel Arrangement |
Photo Date |
Source |
| 602 | 2-8-0 (C-28) | ||
| 773 | 4-6-0 | Chione slide | |
| 1220 | 2-8-2 | July 1950 | LeMassena, Denver & Rio Grande Western Superpower, page 75 |
| (1222) | 2-8-2 | (?) | LeMassena, Rio Grande to the Pacific, page 301 |
| 1402 | 2-10-2 | 3 Aug 1939 | Rio Grande Steam Pictorial, Volume 3, page 9 (Salt Lake City) |
| 1508 | 4-8-2 | 5 Oct 1939 | Rio Grande Steam Pictorial, Volume 3, page 23 (Bond, Colo.) |
| 1522 | 4-8-2 | 21 Sep 1939 | Rio Grande Steam Pictorial, Volume 3, page 40 (Ogden, Utah) |
| 1526 | 4-8-2 | 20 Jul 1936 | Rio Grande Steam Pictorial, Volume 3, page 47 (Denver) |
| 1528 | 4-8-2 | 1951 | Rio Grande Steam Pictorial, Volume 3, page 51 (Colorado Springs) |
| 3300 | 2-6-6-2 | 4 Jun 1946 | Rio Grande Steam Pictorial, Volume 4, page 7 (Salt Lake City) |
| (3400 series) | 2-8-8-2 | 1949 | LeMassena, Denver & Rio Grande Western Superpower, page 102 |
| 3407 | 2-8-8-2 | 13 Oct 1940 | Rio Grande Steam Pictorial, Volume 1, page 13 (Denver) (flying Rio Grande lettering) |
Whether or not any of the above steam locomotives have green boilers is determined by comparing the B&W tones of the boiler jacket with the B&W tones of the cab side. Most photos show very dirty locomotives, but those noted above appear to be clean enough so the the different boiler color is more obvious.
Narrow Gauge Locomotives
The green boiler on D&RGW narrow gauge 2-8-0 346 at the Colorado Railroad Museum is a simulation of the as-delivered unpainted "Russia Iron" (pickled steel) boiler jackets from Baldwin in the late 1800s, and later locomotives delivered through the 1920s with boiler jackets painted dark olive green.
The only D&RGW narrow gauge locomotives to receive green-painted boilers were D&RGW 489 for an excursion trip in May 1950, and D&RGW 499 also had a green boiler for a fan trip circa 1949. Steve Seguine wrote in October 2002: "I have a little brochure that was printed for the 1949 Chicago Railroad Fair. It has a drawing of 268 and describes the colors that it was painted. The boiler is listed as being dark olive green." D&RGW 268's boiler had been painted black by the time it was in regular service around Gunnison, Colorado during the 1950s.
Charlie Mutschler wrote in July 1998: "Check Dennis O'Berry's "The Mudhens", page 66 has an Otto Perry photo of No. 455, dated Sept. 1, 1930, "Freshly shopped with a green boiler..." Page 51 has another Perry view, dated August 30, 1930 of No. 454 at Alamosa, also with the green boiler jacket. Several other views of K-27's with green boiler jackets as well."
On page 262 of Salida, Colorado - 1991/1992 Trails Among the Columbine - there is a black and white photo of the 472 at Salida in 1937 in which to boiler jacket appears to be a different color than the cab and tender. At that time the 472 was used on the "Shavano" [Trains 315/316], the newly named and refurbished Salida - Gunnison passenger train.
Norm Metcalf quotes Jim Ehernberger as saying: Yes, the Rio Grande did paint engine 489 with a green jacket and it was used on a Rocky Mountain Railroad Club excursion on May 21, 1950 from Salida to Monarch and Villa Grove and return to Salida. Kindig had it in a Kodachrome color slide, now owned by Al Chione. Seems to me there was quite a difference in the actual color called "Russian Iron" versus the green used on the 489, as well as most any other green schemes (including the Durango &Silverton who painted one of the 470s a year or so ago for Railfest, and, including the 346 most recently repainted at Colorado Railroad Museum in more recent times.This Russian Iron color probably appeared on all locomotives as they came out of Baldwin as well as other factories of that (1880) era.
Jerry Day has found an internal D&RGW memorandum dated January 23, 1926 that calls out "Russia Black Jacket Enamel" as the proper color for steam locomotive boiler jackets. Much discussion has taken place as to exactly what color "Russia Black Jacket Enamel" really is. Some say it literally is black. Others think that it is similar to Pennsylvania Railroad's "Locomotive Black" which is actually a very dark green better known as "Brunswick Green", also known at times as "Dark Green Locomotive Enamel".
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