Rio Grande Engine No. 168
About this property
Denver and Rio Grande Western 168 is a T-12 class 4-6-0 "Ten-Wheeler" type narrow-gauge steam locomotive. It is one of twelve similar locomotives built for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) by the Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) in 1883. It was built as a passenger locomotive, with 46 in (1,168 mm) drivers, the largest drivers used on any three-foot gauge D&RGW locomotive. The large drivers made it suitable for relatively fast passenger service. Originally D&RG class 47, the designation T-12 followed the D&RGW class-naming format from 1924 of a letter, “T” for Ten-Wheeler type, and a number “12” for its rated tractive effort of approximately 12,000 pounds. 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, west of Gunnison, at the head of a special train taking President William Howard Taft 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 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 on August 1, 1938. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places 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 (C&TSRR) to have the engine restored to working order. The locomotive is now located in Antonito, Colorado. 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.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Rio Grande Engine No. 168 listed on the National Register?
Rio Grande Engine No. 168 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 9, 1979.
What type of historic resource is Rio Grande Engine No. 168?
Rio Grande Engine No. 168 is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Rio Grande Engine No. 168?
The period of significance for Rio Grande Engine No. 168 is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Rio Grande Engine No. 168?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Rio Grande Engine No. 168 will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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