Steam & Excursion > D&RGW n.g. 2-8-2's questions

How many narrow guage K-class locos did Rio Grande scrap after WWII & when? What was the last one cut up? Did many sit around unserviceable in the 1950's? Were some scrapped during the war or was the narrow guage at full capacity?

My guess without doing a full roster search is that maybe the current surviving/operating engines were also the bulk of the useable fleet from about 1950 onward (???).

What year did the K's become the only operating n.g. engines on the Rio Grande?

According to http://www.drgw.net/info/index.php?n=Main.Steam,

The 2-8-0's were gone by 1951.

The K27's didn't fare too well, but then, they were all built in 1903. 450, 451, and 457 were scrapped in 1939. 458 and 459 were sold to Mexico in 1941. The balance were scrapped through the 1950's except for 463 and 464, which exist today on C&TS and the Huckleberry Railroad.

The bulk of the K28's went to the White Pass & Yukon in 1942 and were scrapped in 1945. DSNG 473, 476 and 478 are the only ones that didn't go north.

All the K36's exist except 485, which was scrapped in 1955. All of the K37's exist except 490 (scrapped 1964) and 496 (scrapped 1955).

Most of the K's were kept active into the 60's with the oil pipe hauling to Farmington. About 1950 was the end of the older engines. As you will find on the DRGW website, K-27 463 & 464 and K-28 473, 476 & 478 are the only left. 473 is operational, 476 & 478 are undergoing repairs. The K-28's were scrapped after use on the White Pass during WWII, where they were used up operating under severe wartime conditions.

Of the K-36 class, 485 was pieced out and scrapped after a dive into a turntable. The cab went to another engine, that much I remember. 483 is the only engine not serviceable. 480, 481, 482 & 486 are in service on the D&S. 484, 487 & 488 (iirc) are in service on the C&TS. Of the K-37, 496 was scrapped due to cracked boiler. 497 was the last operational, last service was 2002 iirc. 493 & 497 are the best prospects for rebuild, but the C&TS needs more passengers to have a need for operation.

Another website for info is the Narrow Gauge Discussion Forum www.ngdiscussion.net

Thanks for all of the info. Quite helpful.

Too bad the 485 was scrapped. I heard it was one of the best in the bunch. Also, there are people pulling for the 483 to return to service but it will take a lot of work and money.

Not listed is K-36 489 which is undergoing re-build and is scheduled to be in service later this season on the C&TS. Also, 492 or 497 are the best two K-37 candidates for return to service.

Make that 493 and 497 which were serviced and made ready to heat in case the 1969 operating
season was to actually happen. The locomotives were the personal property of a DRGW official
(Aydelott??) and resided inside the still standing Alamosa roundhouse for many years before
being evicted.

The 497 was not stored in the Alamosa roundhouse. It was outside in Durango where it last run in 1967. The 493 was run in 1968 but not west of Chama. The locomotives left at Alamosa after the C&TS was formed were the 480, 491, 493, 498 and 499. The 480 is in service on the D&S, 491 at the Colorado Railroad Museum, 493 at Silverton, 498 in Durango and 499 at the Royal Gorge.
The original C&TS engines were 482, 483, 484, 487, 488, 489,492, 494 and 495. The 482 was traded to the D&S for the 497 in the early 1990s.

You're correct, it was the 493 and 498 inside the house along with one of the long cabooses
(don't remember which one) and yes 497 was in Durango.