N&W 2-8-0 #6 at Roanoke - a question or two

[NW Modeling List]

One project down, and I'm already casting about for another.  Never mind 
that I have far too many projects in too many scales as it is..

One option is a model of #6 in the museum at Roanoke.  It occurs to me 
that it would be a perfect fit for my needs operationally, the prototype 
is handy, and I think the MDC 2-8-0 would be a good starting point in HO 
scale.  Now all I have to do is learn more about the engine.

First off, then, can anybody point me to plans, dimensions, drawings, 
more photos, history, etc. of this or a similar locomotive?  Aside from 
the dimensions, some sort of synopsis of when and where these engines 
were used would be nice.

Second, and very specifically, I noticed that the steam dome had a 
vertical plate, about 8-10" wide and maybe 24" tall in roughly the 9 
o'clock position, and I've never seen anything like it before.  It looks 
like some sort of mounting point, but I cannot imagine what would have 
been mounted there.  Can anybody say what it was for?

Thanks,
Kenneth Rickman
-- 
Kenneth Rickman - krickman1 at carolina.rr.com
Salisbury, NC

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by 
stupidity." - Robert J. Hanlon