• Model is in "Excellent" condition with some wheel wear.
  
• DM&IR M-4 2-8-8-4 Articulated Loco With Caboose.
• Elesco FeedWater Heater Version
  
• The model runs well. On a scale from 1-10, where 1 is quiet, we'd rate the noise level a 5.
  
• The model has nice overall detail.
• It has a can motor and basic backhead detail. A cab crew and some glazing have been added.
  
• Original box included; it shows a lot of wear and tear, which is pretty typical for these.
  
• The paint is OK, and the weathering is also OK; not great, but not terrible. There are imperfections in various spots. We realize that all of this can be subjective; please be sure to check out the photos to see what you think.
• A coal load has been installed.
  

The DM&IR hauled iron ore in Minnesota. Iron ore is heavy and the DM&IR operated long trains of ore cars, requiring maximum power. These locomotives were based upon ten 2-8-8-2s that Baldwin had built in the 1930s for the WP. The need for a larger, coal-burning firebox and a longer, all-weather cab led to the use of a four-wheel trailing truck, giving them the "Yellowstone" wheel arrangement. They were the most powerful Yellowstones built, producing 140,000 lbf (620 kN) of tractive effort, and had the most weight on drivers so that they were not prone to slipping.

Eight locomotives (class M-3) were built by Baldwin in 1941. The Yellowstones met or exceeded the DM&IR specifications, so 10 more were ordered (class M-4). The second batch was completed in late 1943 after the Missabe's seasonal downturn in ore traffic, so some of the new M-4s were leased to and delivered directly to the D&RGW.

DM&IRs were the only Yellowstones to have a high-capacity pedestal or centipede tender, and had roller bearings on all axles. Some of the locomotives had a cylindrical Elesco FWH ahead of the smoke stack, while others had a Worthington unit with its rectangular box in the same location.

Only one Yellowstone was retired before dieselization took place on the Missabe; No. 237 was sold for scrap after a wreck. The rest of the 2-8-8-4s were retired between 1958 and 1963 as diesel locomotives took over.

Of the eighteen built, three survive and are on display in Minnesota: No. 225 at Proctor, No. 227 at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth, and No. 229 at Two Harbors.