So let me ask this, because I've been thinking about it... We've got plenty of tank locomotives floating around, and it seems some might be around the same size as some of the late 19th century 0-4-0 switchers... Has anyone ever thought of using one as a basis for a faux replication? I've got pics below so you gents can see what I'm talking about;

fyi none of the pictures you linked work

My apologies, let me fix that.

I think the problem you'd face (other than money) is that most modern saddle tankers have their boiler mounted considerably higher. Take a loo at the engine in the dry pipe thread video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoPYNoC6NMQ

The tops of the valve chests are completely below the bottom of the smokebox. Compare that to your photos.

I think this has been done more than once by owners who didn't want to repair an ailing saddle tank, or wanted the look of a tender engine, but the results always looks odd.

Are there any original locomotives like this that have made it into preservation?

From what I can tell from my research for the kits I've been designing, none did. That's why the thought of using a 0-4-0ST comes to mind. Is isn't exact, but I believe that on some of these you could still get rather close to how the original looked...

Santa Fe's Little Buttercup

Ahemm

Of course the Edison is constructed from one of these 0-4-0 shifters

East Broad Top No. 6 has that low, hot dog look, even though it's a bit newer than what's being discussed.

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/321043/

Why were the boilers higher on the more modern switcher locomotives ?

Lehigh Valley Coal 117, later Carroll Park & Western 117, and now preserved in New Jersey, also has the "look," but it's built to an oddball 4-foot gauge. Yes, it was a tank engine originally as well.

https://www.deviantart.com/rlkitterman/ ... -754028758

Most likely to get a deeper firebox. That would be my guess.

No, but it doesn't. Way more daylight visible under the boiler than on any of the photos of the original examples.

I was wondering myself why boilers on tank engines were mounted higher. My best guess is they wanted the frames to run end to end at car underframe height, and that would have put the firedoor down on the deck, so they designed the cylinder saddle to mount the boiler higher. The examples of older 0-4-0's cited all predate automatic couplers, and likely having the deck lower than the frames of the adjacent cars wasn't considered to be a problem in link and pin days. Look where the drawhead is relative to the pilot beam on 386, and the strange "snorkel" drawhead on Old Colony 2.

Here is an 0-6-0 of about the same vintage, Rodgers 1888:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jterry618/16568747604

Note where the valve chests are relative to the smokebox.

I take absolutely NO responsibility for the paint scheme.

Denton farm park in NC has the #9, an early 40's 0-4-0 tank engine converted to tender and coal. The saddle tank is still on the property, so a return to as built could be done.

The biggest issue? I have run her quite a bit, and without the as designed added weight of the tank and water/fuel, she is slippery!