Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad (Denver and Rio Grande Western) No. 463 is a 3-foot narrow-gauge class "K-27" "Mikado" type

steam railway locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomoti ...

built for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) by the

Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades t ...

in 1903. It is one of two remaining locomotives of D&RGW class K-27, the other one being No. 464 at the

Huckleberry Railroad The Huckleberry Railroad is a narrow gauge heritage railroad located in Genesee Township, Michigan, near Flint. The railroad operates alongside Crossroads Village, both of which are owned and maintained by the Genesee County Parks and Recreation ...

in Genesee Township, Michigan. The class eventually became known by the nickname "Mudhens". Today, No. 463 is operational on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad between Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado. Fifteen locomotives were built, originally class 125, then reclassified K-27 in 1924 when the D&RG became the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW). The K-27s were built as Vauclain compounds, with two cylinders on each side, expanding the steam once in the smaller cylinder and then a second time in the larger one. The extra maintenance costs of the two cylinders were greater than the fuel saving, so they were converted to simple expansion in 1907–1909. They were Rio Grande's last purchase of compound locomotives. They pulled freight, passenger and mixed trains on the D&RGW in and over the Colorado Rocky Mountains, traversing the entire length of the railroad. They were built with their main structural frames outside the driving wheels, with the counterweights and rods attached outside the frames. No. 463 was sold to cowboy actor and singer

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

in May 1955. Autry never used the engine and donated it to the town of Antonito, Colorado. It was restored by and entered into service on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad in 1994. It was taken out of service with a broken side rod in late 2002. In 2009, it was moved to the railroad's shop at Chama, New Mexico where a major rebuild was taken until completion in Spring 2013. On May 20, 2013, the restored locomotive made its inaugural run on the C&TSRR. No. 463 was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 as Engine No. 463.

References

* O'Berry, Dennis. (1995). ''The Mudhens, A Photographic History''. {{DEFAULTSORT:DandRGW 463 Railway vehicles on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico Conejos County, Colorado 463 Baldwin locomotives 2-8-2 locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1903 Narrow gauge steam locomotives of the United States Railway locomotives on the National Register of Historic Places Preserved steam locomotives of Colorado Individual locomotives of the United States National Register of Historic Places in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico 3 ft gauge locomotives Preserved steam locomotives of New Mexico

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References