So, on recent visits to the local railroad museum (CRRM), I noticed that there was a tender that had the number 583 on it. However, I wondered where the locomotive was. Later on, I took a photo of D&RGW 683. Little did I realize that I was looking at that loco. I never realized this but back in the 70's, 80's and part of the 90's, 683 was dressed up to look like it did when it around the time it was relatively new (and it was given it's original number). Sometime in the late 90's (not quite sure as to what year), it was modernized to appear as it looked when it was 683 (prior to it's sale to the San Luis Valley Southern Railway, later the Southern San Luis Valley Railroad). A nice little fun fact for the day. Here are the pictures I took.
another little fact, she is the ONLY Rio Grande standard guage steamer to survive...People perserved the narrow gauge....too bad they did not think larger
From among the nation's heaviest Mountain-class engines, heaviest compound 2-6-6-0's, and strongest Challengers to equally mighty articulateds, D&RGW rostered an impressive stable of superpower steam locos, and sadly all are gone. Good to see some SG steam still exists.
I'm glad that at least this one was preserved. I love the white pinstriping. I've seen that on some Rio Grande NG locos too. I guess folks knew that the old narrow guage was wierd and wonderful (apologies to Elton John - although I've read that he's a modeller/railfan too) and consciously tried to preserve as much of that as they could, but took standard guage too much for granted. Also, I think that in the later period, narrow guage country was exclusively rural and steam engines could run without concern for local ordinances regarding air pollution.
Yoou have to remember, when the Rio Grande was scrapping it's steam locomotives, money, not preservation was on their minds. THe Rio Grande was cash strapped, and under receivership. The Judge, and Mr. Snow did a great job of balancing the books, and getting the railroad back on solid financial footing. They scapped all their big steam to bring us those gorgeous F units and GP7s and 9s....
Headlights that size didn't become common until the mid-1920s. Those slide valves indicate that she never did get much in the way of what the Santa Fe called 'betterments'.