On June 11, 2013, I found myself at Royal Gorge Park looking up at Denver & Rio Grande engine 499. The picture I took of that locomotive is one of my favorite pictures I've ever taken. Engine 499 is from the railroad's K-37 class. This video explores the conditions in the Denver & Rio Grande Western that led to the creation of the K-37s and eventually engine 499.

An introduction to steam train terminology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jawAI2sRPwo

References:

·      Colorado Railroad Museum. (2022, September 5). Big Train Tours: Last and Largest - Denver & Rio Grande Western Steam Locomotive No. 491 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL7jbTyD5B0

·      Steam Locomotive dot Com. (n.d.). Denver & Rio Grande / Denver & Rio Grande Western 2-8-2 "Mikado" Locomotives in the USA. Retrieved August 15, 2023. https://www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=2-8-2&railroad=drgw#13

·      Rgusrail.com. (2018, June 1). D&RGW K-37 #499. Retrieved August 17, 2023. http://www.rgusrail.com/codrgw499.html

·      Llanso, S. (n. d.). Denver & Rio Grande / Denver & Rio Grande Western 2-8-2 "Mikado" Locomotives in the USA. Steam Locomotive dot Com. Retrieved August 17, 2023. https://www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=2-8-2&railroad=drgw#13

·      Turner, D. (2016). Denver & Rio Grande Western. Denver’s Railroads. Retrieved August 17, 2023. https://denversrailroads.com/DRGW.htm

·      Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Tractive effort. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved August 17, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tractive%20effort

·      Denver Public Library. (1949, September 25). D&RGW train with engine 499, engine type 2-8-2. Digital Collections. Retrieved August 17, 2023. https://digital.denverlibrary.org/digital/collection/p15330coll22/id/92684/

·      CBS Colorado. (2013, June 12). Royal Gorge Fire Damages Bridge, Most Of Park. CBS News. Retrieved August 17, 2023. https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/royal-gorge-fire-burns-tourist-buildings-bridge-spared/

·      Royal Gorge Bridge & Park. (2023). About the Park. Retrieved August 17, 2023. https://royalgorgebridge.com/about-the-park/

·      Parsons, V. W. (1949, September 22). Railroad Club Will Have Trip On Sunday. Colorado Transcript. 5.

·      LeMassena, R. A. (1999). Denver and Rio Grande Western: Superpower Railroad of the Rockies. TLC Publishing, Inc.

·      D&RG at Exposition Bldg. Denver (1882). Denver Public Library Digital Collections, accessed 23/08/2024, https://digital.denverlibrary.org/nodes/view/1117541

·      Richardson, Robert W., D&RGW (1949 September 25). Denver Public Library Digital Collections, accessed 23/08/2024, https://digital.denverlibrary.org/nodes/view/1126900

·      Rio Grande Info. (2016, December 18). D&RGW Steam Locomotive Roster. https://www.drgw.net/info/Steam. Retrieved August 23, 2024.

·      Acrossthecreek. (2015, January 1). Denver and Rio Grande R.R. Shops, Burnham 1899. https://lincolnparkhistory.com/denver-rio-grande-r-r-shops-burnham-1889/. Retrieved August 23, 2024.