So, after being tugged along by SRY No. 3 over the beginning of last August, I've begun drumming up some rudimentary plans for a digital reproduction of the Movie Locomotive. However, while going over measurements using photos I had snapped on sight, I've noticed some discrepancies between The measurements extrapolated from my photos and what little documentation I've been able to scrounge up regarding her construction and any given measurements.
Without having any of Rogers L. W.'s Erecting Cards from their shops or working drawings from the recent restoration work (and yes, I did ask around), getting accurate dimensions for most of the superficial features appears to be rather hit or miss at best without showing up on Tuesday and getting permission to spend the day dancing around the cab and boiler catwalk like an over-caffeinated spider monkey with a tape measure in hand - which brings me to my first predicament. Using a side photo I had taken of her as a rudimentary elevation view, and using the driver diameter (56 inches, though some sources also say it is actually 54". Not sure if that is due to taking the tires into account or not) as a baseline to take scale measurements from the total wheelbase of all 3 sets of drivers is close to 15 feet, which seems much larger than anything I've read thus far regarding her construction (though I was told at one point the back driver was moved back to extend the firebox, though I'm not sure how much).
I then found another image while scouring the internet in vain to locate some working drawings, this one another side view of an old Mantua OO scale model locomotive that was presumably modeled on No. 3's likeness and bore it's 'Hooterville Cannonball' livery of her time spent during filming of Petticoat Junction. Using the same method (using driver dia. as a reference point to draw measurements from) the model also appears to have a 15' driver wheelbase which would further conflict with written accounts.
So in summary, my question is thus: is Sierra Railway No. 3's wheelbase really 15 feet? Some accounts list it as close to 13' and a half, which obviously is a very large distance as far as overall dimensions are concerned and an important factor for properly modeling the firebox as is it straddled by the driving wheels.
Of course if anyone is lucky enough to have the builder's cards from Rogers or similar dimensioned technical drawings they'd be willing to share, that would be a huge boon, but until then or I can take the measurements by hand myself, I'll have to be guesstimating anything that isn't already written down and double checking what is.
Without having any of Rogers L. W.'s Erecting Cards from their shops or working drawings from the recent restoration work (and yes, I did ask around), getting accurate dimensions for most of the superficial features appears to be rather hit or miss at best without showing up on Tuesday and getting permission to spend the day dancing around the cab and boiler catwalk like an over-caffeinated spider monkey with a tape measure in hand - which brings me to my first predicament. Using a side photo I had taken of her as a rudimentary elevation view, and using the driver diameter (56 inches, though some sources also say it is actually 54". Not sure if that is due to taking the tires into account or not) as a baseline to take scale measurements from the total wheelbase of all 3 sets of drivers is close to 15 feet, which seems much larger than anything I've read thus far regarding her construction (though I was told at one point the back driver was moved back to extend the firebox, though I'm not sure how much).
I then found another image while scouring the internet in vain to locate some working drawings, this one another side view of an old Mantua OO scale model locomotive that was presumably modeled on No. 3's likeness and bore it's 'Hooterville Cannonball' livery of her time spent during filming of Petticoat Junction. Using the same method (using driver dia. as a reference point to draw measurements from) the model also appears to have a 15' driver wheelbase which would further conflict with written accounts.
So in summary, my question is thus: is Sierra Railway No. 3's wheelbase really 15 feet? Some accounts list it as close to 13' and a half, which obviously is a very large distance as far as overall dimensions are concerned and an important factor for properly modeling the firebox as is it straddled by the driving wheels.
Of course if anyone is lucky enough to have the builder's cards from Rogers or similar dimensioned technical drawings they'd be willing to share, that would be a huge boon, but until then or I can take the measurements by hand myself, I'll have to be guesstimating anything that isn't already written down and double checking what is.