Rio Grande Southern (RGS) 20 - Alco 4-6-0

Wearing a quasi-F&CC scheme.

RGS 20 sits in the repair area

Tucked to the side of the display area at the Museum was RGW 4-6-0ng #20. I almost had the sun in the right spot! Rio Grande Western 4-6-0 #20, also known as Rio Grande Southern #20, is a historic narrow-gauge steam locomotive that is now part of the collection at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado. It was built in 1899 by the Schenectady Locomotive Works for the Florence & Cripple Creek Railroad and later operated on the Rio Grande Southern Railroad (RGS) until 1951. After years of service, #20 was acquired by the Colorado Railroad Museum and underwent a 14-year restoration project costing over $1.5 million.

Here is another view of Rio Grande Southern that rail fan Jim Lockart took in 1992, twelve years after his first photo of the narrow gauge lobomotive.

RGS No. 20 is a T-19 class 4-6-0 "Ten Wheeler" type narrow gauge steam locomotive built by the Schenectady Locomotive Works in April 1899, originally for the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad (F&CC) and was given the name "Portland". After the F&CC went bankrupt in 1915, the locomotive, along with two other members of its class, were sold to the Rio Grande Southern Railroad Company (RGS). In 1952, as the RGS was coming to a close, the locomotive was sold to the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club and later donated to the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado. Rail fan Jim Lockart photographed this loco on his trip to the Museum in 1980.

D&RGW 491 and RGS 20 inside the enginehouse at the Colorado Railroad Museum.

Beautiful color slide taken by an unidentified photographer of the RGS 4-6-0 ten wheeler on display at the Colorado RR Museum back in July of 1982.

After a 13 year restoration stint in Strasburg, PA, RGS 20 has returned to Golden for the final stage of its restoration.

RGS #20 at CRRM

Undergoing restoration at the Strasburg RR shops.

Undergoing restoration at the Strasburg RR shops.

Undergoing restoration at the Strasburg RR shops.

Inside the Strasburg shops.

Colorado Railroad Museum Golden

We got to the Golden, Colo Museum on a great day for preserving railroad history. The museum had just received a donation to restore this locomotive, and they were in the process of moving her. I got some neat video!

This was on its way from Colorado to Pennyslvania.

The famous RGS ten wheeler #20 began life as Florence & Cripple Creek #20, and was purchased by the RGS, along with 2 other ten wheelers, from the F&CC in 1916.

at Golden, 4-6-0 Steam