Denver and Rio Grande Western No. 168 is a class "T-12" “Ten Wheeler” type

narrow-gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curv ...

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

. It is one of twelve similar locomotives built for the

Denver and Rio Grande Railroad The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south fro ...

(D&RG) by the

Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railway locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, Eddystone in the early 20th century. The com ...

in 1883. It was built as a passenger locomotive, with drivers, the largest drivers used on any three-foot gauge D&RGW locomotive. The large drivers made it suitable for relatively fast passenger service. Various photographs show 168 during its working life. One shows it in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River in 1904. Another shows it in

Montrose, Colorado Montrose is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Montrose County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,291 at the 2020 census, within a total area of 18.5 square miles. The m ...

, west of Gunnison, at the head of a special train taking President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

to the opening of the Gunnison Tunnel which, at the time, was the longest irrigation tunnel in the world. There are also photographs, taken by Otto Perry, showing it in

Alamosa Alamosa is the home rule city that is the county seat of Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. Alamosa is located along the Rio Grande. The city population was 9,806 in the 2020 United States census. The city is the commercial center of th ...

in 1923 and Salida in 1929. It was retired in 1938 after a service life of 55 years. The railroad gave it to the

City of Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

on August 1, 1938. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

as Rio Grande Engine No. 168 in 1979. Although it sat in Antlers Park, unprotected from the elements behind a low fence for so many years, it appeared to be in remarkable cosmetic condition when removed for restoration to operating condition in early 2016. The city has arranged with the

Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, often abbreviated as the C&TSRR, is a Narrow-gauge railway, narrow-gauge Heritage railway, heritage railroad that operates on of track between Antonito, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico, in the United Sta ...

(C&TSRR) to have the engine restored to working order. The locomotive is now located in

Antonito, Colorado Antonito (in Spanish Antoñito) is a statutory town located in Conejos County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 647 at the 2020 United States census. History Antonito began life as a sheep herding camp known as San Antonio Ju ...

. Restoration was completed in October 2019. The restoration project was headed up by Cumbres and Toltec Special Projects department and led by Assistant General Manager Efstathios Papas. The project cost $508,000 and took 27 months to complete. The railroad intends to use this engine frequently and put it into normal service as much as possible.Papas, Efstathios. Personal Interview. March 11, 2020

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:DandRGW 168 Railway vehicles on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado Buildings and structures in Colorado Springs, Colorado Railway locomotives introduced in 1883 Railway locomotives on the National Register of Historic Places 4-6-0 locomotives Baldwin locomotives Individual locomotives of the United States 0168 Narrow-gauge steam locomotives of the United States Tourist attractions in Colorado Springs, Colorado 3 ft gauge locomotives Preserved steam locomotives of Colorado

See also

References