Steam Locomotive Registry

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic No. 484

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic No. 484
Photo credit: Xboxtravis7992 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Specifications

Number484
Original RailroadDenver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
BuilderBaldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia, PA
Build Date1925
Wheel Arrangement2-8-2 Mikado (K-36 class)
Gauge3 ft narrow gauge
Weight187,100 lb (class figure)
Tractive Effort36,200 lbf
Boiler Pressure195 psi
Driver Diameter44 in
Years Operated1925–1968/1970
Current StatusOperational — narrow gauge excursion service
Current LocationChama, New Mexico
Current OwnerStates of Colorado and New Mexico

No. 484 is a K-36 class 2-8-2 “Mikado” narrow-gauge locomotive built by Baldwin in 1925 for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, designed for heavy freight and passenger service on the D&RGW’s 3-foot narrow-gauge network in Colorado and New Mexico. It worked routes including the Monarch Branch and the line over Cumbres Pass between Alamosa and Chama.

As the D&RGW progressively dieselized through the 1950s and 1960s, in 1970 the states of Colorado and New Mexico jointly purchased the 64-mile Antonito-to-Chama segment of the line to preserve it as a heritage tourist railroad, forming the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. No. 484 was among the locomotives transferred to the new roster.

Restored to operating condition in 1971, No. 484 has since remained one of the C&TS’s active excursion locomotives, hauling tourist trains over the dramatic 10,015-foot Cumbres Pass and through the Toltec Gorge. Along with No. 488, it is one of the last two coal-fired K-36 locomotives still in regular operating service.

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