Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad K-37 # 493

Out for a walk on our bike path and along came the DSNGRR Number 493 - a beautiful K-37.  Pulling 15 passenger cars!  Blowing the whistle as I took the photo which certainly got our attention.  

This locomotive was built in 1902 by Baldwin Locomotive Works.  It has been sitting at the Royal Gorge bridge for years as an exhibit.  The DSNGRR had a K-37 that was not a option for renovation, so they traded it for 493.  After spending 7500 hours, making unavailable replacement parts,  and spending many dollars working on the loco, it made its first run in 2020.  As part of the renovation, the fuel source was change to oil to provide steam locomotion without fire causing cinder sparks in our dry wooded climate.  

It was the largest narrow gauge locomotive that ran on the narrow gauge, spending a lot of time between Alamosa and the Crested Butte, Monarch, and Farmington branches of the Denver Rio Grand and Western railroad. 

When this puppy is barking it has a real presence. 

The extra is the "pop car" or speeder that follows looking for rocks and fire.