Engineering:Rio Grande 268
Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad #268, a narrow-gauge 2–8–0, is one of only three D&RGW Class 60 (C-16) engines in existence. This class of engine was the most important class in D&RGW history.[1][2]
The Engine’s Early History and Historic Significance
In the 1880s, the Denver & Rio Grande was expanding rapidly. It was hastily constructing a main line to Ogden, Utah. The years 1881 and 1882 saw the greatest expansion in the railroad's history. It was laying down track in six different directions at once.[3][2][4]
,_Class_60.jpg)
As a result, the railroad placed a massive order for engines (numbers 200–295), virtually all of which were delivered in 1881–1882. Engine 268 was part of this order, the largest order of narrow-gauge engines ever made. Baldwin Locomotive Works built most of the engines, but did not have the capacity for such a large order. Some were built by Grant Locomotive Works (engine numbers 200–227).[5][1][2][6]
The coming of the railroad transformed the region. Prior to the railroad, most of the relatively arid West was largely uninhabited by human beings. In the East, with its wetter climate, there are many rivers – large rivers – that are navigable. Farmers could easily get their crops to market by river. In the West, no. Without economical transportation, farming in the West was not profitable.[7]
The railroad changed that. Freight rates dropped to a small fraction of what they had been before, when the only option was by wagon or on the back of a mule. Now farming became profitable. Now ranching became profitable. Now mining became profitable.[7]
The railroad dramatically transformed Utah and Colorado. That is why D&RGW 268 was purchased. This was the most historically significant period in D&RGW 268's life, by far.[7]
There are well over a thousand steam engines still in existence in the United States (on display in parks, museums and in operation). The vast majority of these were built in the 20th century. Engines built in the 1800s are far more rare. D&RGW 268 is one of those.[1][2]
The Later Years of the Engine’s Service Life and Current Status
In the 1800s, D&RGW 268 and her sister engines were the premier motive power for the railroad, hauling passenger trains and top-priority freight trains. Decades later, in the 20th century, the aging engine was relegated to low-priority trains on secondary branch lines. The engine's final run for the D&RGW was in 1954. It was used by a contractor in 1955 to scrap branch lines out of Gunnison, Colorado.[8][1]
Over the many decades of the engine's service life, it was modified numerous times. The engine is now owned by the Gunnison Pioneer Museum in Gunnison, Colorado. The engine has been restored to look like it did when it appeared in the movie “Denver & Rio Grande,” which was released in 1952, rather than how the engine looked in the 1800s.[9]
See also
- Rio Grande 223
- Rio Grande 278
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Day, Jerry B. “History of D&RGW Locomotive Number 268,” The Prospector, Vol. 2, Number 3, Third Quarter 2003, pp. 3-12, Rio Grande Modeling & Historical Society, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Day, Jerry B. “Rio Grande’s Grant-Built C-16 Number 223,” p. 3, The Prospector, Vol. 4, Number 1, First Quarter 2006, Rio Grande Modeling & Historical Society, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
- ↑ Athearn, Robert G. Rebel of the Rockies: A History of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, pp. 98-114, 123, Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut, 1962.
- ↑ Danneman, Herbert. A Ticket to Ride the Narrow Gauge, pp. 38-40, Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, Colorado, 2000. ISBN:0-918654-24-6.
- ↑ Chappell, Gordon. Scenic Line of the World, p. 16, Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, Colorado,1970.
- ↑ Lathrop, Gilbert A. Little Engines and Big Men, p. 74, Caxton Printers, Ltd., Caldwell, Idaho, 1955.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Athearn, Robert G. Rebel of the Rockies: A History of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, pp. 16-25, Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut, 1962.
- ↑ Day, Jerry B. “Rio Grande’s Grant-Built C-16 Number 223,” pp. 3-13, The Prospector, Vol. 4, Number 1, First Quarter 2006, Rio Grande Modeling & Historical Society, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
- ↑ Day, Jerry B. “History of D&RGW Locomotive Number 268,” The Prospector, Vol. 2, Number 3, Third Quarter 2003, p. 3, Rio Grande Modeling & Historical Society, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
 |  |
