Tom:
That bird looks to be upwards of 20 pounds.
So far as the placement of the range is concerned, it's all about product photography, not actual use. A photo of a range built into the middle of a run of cabinets diminishes the range's presence. Putting it at the end of a run gives the range more presence. Considering that these ranges were by-grannies expensive, it was probably considered to be of the utmost importance to make them look as impressive as possible.
That having been said, my own preference is to have a range at the end of a run. This is because ranges of a given nominal size (30 inches, 40 inches, whatever) will vary slightly in size between makes and models. If you build a range tightly into the middle of a run, it can be very inconvenient to find that its replacement is half an inch wider. If the range is at the end of the run, no harm done. I do not, however, have children to worry about, and I can see how that might make a difference.[this post was last edited: 12/30/2014-19:41]