Nostalgia & History > US Army NG diesel

This was taken by a friend about 51 years ago. Durango maybe?
I don't know the story about it.

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Yes, at Durango. Was loaned to or leased or whatever by the Rio Grande and usually double headed with #499

Believe this was used in the 1949-1950 time frame by the Denver & Rio Grande Western RR. Presentation on the San Juan Express I saw mentioned this engine coming to the rescue and/or working in the Durango, CO, yard. I believe the San Juan Express came off in 1951.

As I recall from the in service photos I have seen, it was not actually a narrow gauge locomotive but like the MRS1's, the gauge could be changed. The problem was, on this as with the MRS1's, the wheels only moved in on one side so that ran off-set on the narrow gauge.

I also recall being told bt one of the Rio Grande engine crews that the diesel was always operated by an Army crew.

I seem to recall (from a very early 1950's TRAINS magazine) that the US Army had two experimental diesels (one with four-wheel trucks, the other with six-wheel trucks) brought to the D&RGW narrow gauge at Durango for "extreme cold weather testing". The only photo in TRAINS shows one of the units leading an "endless" train of pipecars on the Farmington Branch shortly after a snowstorm. I believe that both units may have ended up on the White Pass & Yukon roster.