D&RGW 223
Encyclopedia
Denver and Rio Grande Western 223 is one of a class of 28 2-8-0
, Consolidation type, narrow gauge
steam railway locomotives built for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad
by the Grant Locomotive Works
of Paterson, New Jersey
in 1881-82. Number 223 was completed in December, 1881, at a cost of $11,553. Baldwin
built an additional 25 locomotives in the same class at the same time.
On December 11, 1892, the Denver & Rio Grande's Salida shops and roundhouse caught fire. The fire started in the waste box in the cab of D&RG No.419 and spread to the oil-soaked floor. Due to the city's fireplugs being shut off because of cold weather, the shop burned to the ground, taking the 223 with it. The 223 was rebuilt soon after and placed back in service.
Only 13 years later, the 223 was involved in another roundhouse fire, this time in Gunnison on January 17 of 1905. The 223 again burned along with sister C-16 No. 218. Both locomotives were rebuilt, and the 223's tender tank was replaced in April of the same year.
The Rio Grande Southern Railway was known to lease locomotives from the D&RG. In 1907 the 223 and other C-16s were sent to the RGS, being returned to the D&RG in 1922. On September 12 of that year the 223 collided with C-16 no. 222 in Chama, New Mexico. No records of the damage to either locomotive were kept.
The final location of the 223's operation comes from eight photographs taken by Otto Perry
on July 4, 1940, showing 223 working the 18 mile Baldwin Branch, with photographs at Gunnison
, Dollard, Castleton, and Baldwin. The Baldwin Branch was originally built by the Denver, South Park & Pacific (Colorado Southern) and retained its original wooden bridges. Due to the weight restrictions of these bridges, the remaining C-16s were the only locomotives permitted on the branch, and the 223 served on this portion of the D&RGW from 1937 to her retirement.
Most of the C-16s were retired by the late 1920s-mid 1930s; only one stayed in service until the mid 1950s. The 223 was removed from service in 1941.
, shops, before being sent to Salt Lake City. A popular myth, caused by the mis-captioning of photographs, is that the 223 was moved on a special train led by four brand-new FT
locomotives. According to Jerry Day, noted Rio Grande historian, it was actually sister locomotive 268 that was shipped on this special train, not the 223. In 1952, upon the dontation to the city, the Rio Grande's Salt Lake City shops removed the diamond stack and box headlight and repainted the 223 in its 1930's "button herald" paint scheme on their own time.
Shipped along with the 223 were a narrow gauge boxcar, caboose, and high-side gondola, which were sent to Pioneer Villiage in the Lagoon Amusement Park
in Farmington, Utah
. These cars were later stored in Ogden in poor condition alongside the 223 until they were burned in the 2006 Shupe-Williams Candy Factory Fire.
The 223 sat in the open at Liberty Park
, gradually deteriorating from weather and vandalism until 1979, when the city gave it to the Utah State Historical Society. John Bush, employee of the Roaring Camp & Big Trees Railroad in California, was commissioned to make a report on the cost of potential restoration. Lack of budget limited success with the project and it was again transferred, to the Utah State Railroad Museum in 1992. The 223 was stored behind the Shupe-Williams Candy Factory building just to the south of the Union Station, until the candy factory caught fire in 2006 and burned to the ground, taking with it three narrow gauge freight cars. Luckily the cab had already been removed from the engine before the fire. The 223 was then moved from there to its present location at the north end of the Utah State Railroad Museum complex next to the restoration shop. Limited restoration has been underway at its current location, Union Station, Ogden, Utah
, with the tender and cab in the Museum's shop and the remainder sitting outside without boiler lagging.
It has been long believed that during the 1979 move from Liberty Park to the Utah State Historical Society property, the frame and rods were bent badly so that the wheels will no longer turn, even with the rods disconnected. However, through analysis of historical photographs, it has been determined that the rods were in actuallity bent during its display at Liberty Park to prevent it from rolling. The track on which the 223 was displayed sloped noticeably to the west, with no wheel stops or other end-of-track protection. A flat spot can be felt under the main rod 1 on the Fireman's side of the engine where the jack was placed to bend it. The boiler is in very poor condition, having sat outside for fifty years with wet asbestos around it. The tender is being entirely replaced.
Restoration began in 1992 using a boxcar, UP 910261, as a shop. The group soon outgrew this rudimentary shelter and was given the Trainman's Building after the Candy Factory Fire in 2006. Ogden City paid for roof repairs, an alarm system and fluorescent lighting, and the restoration work was moved inside. At the same time the 223 was moved from its place behind the Shupe-Williams Candy Factory to the north end of the platform outside of the shop.
Currently, the wooden cab is completed, the appliances are repaired, and work on the tender is nearing completion. As of 2010, the tender tank was being riveted, with over 3,000 hand-drilled rivet holes. The Golden Spike Chapter works according to the "pay-as-you-go" philosophy, completing work as they obtain the funds, which accounts for the slow, yet steady, progress of the restoration.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
as Grant Steam Locomotive No. 223 in 1979.
2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
, Consolidation type, narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
steam railway locomotives built for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...
by the Grant Locomotive Works
Grant Locomotive Works
Grant Locomotive Works was a manufacturer of steam railway locomotives from 1867 to 1895, first in Paterson, New Jersey and then in Chicago. The company built approximately 1,888 locomotives.-Predecessors:...
of Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson is a city serving as the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 146,199, rendering it New Jersey's third largest city and one of the largest cities in the New York City Metropolitan Area, despite a decrease of 3,023...
in 1881-82. Number 223 was completed in December, 1881, at a cost of $11,553. Baldwin
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
built an additional 25 locomotives in the same class at the same time.
Operational history
Although the Utah State Historical Society suggests that the 223 worked in Utah (the Utah operations of what became the D&RGW were narrow gauge until 1890), and the 223's National Register of Historic Places nomination included this, the Rio Grande Modeling and Historical Society's roster of locomotives does not show it in the Utah section. It was later concluded by Jerry Day that the 223 was never used in Utah.On December 11, 1892, the Denver & Rio Grande's Salida shops and roundhouse caught fire. The fire started in the waste box in the cab of D&RG No.419 and spread to the oil-soaked floor. Due to the city's fireplugs being shut off because of cold weather, the shop burned to the ground, taking the 223 with it. The 223 was rebuilt soon after and placed back in service.
Only 13 years later, the 223 was involved in another roundhouse fire, this time in Gunnison on January 17 of 1905. The 223 again burned along with sister C-16 No. 218. Both locomotives were rebuilt, and the 223's tender tank was replaced in April of the same year.
The Rio Grande Southern Railway was known to lease locomotives from the D&RG. In 1907 the 223 and other C-16s were sent to the RGS, being returned to the D&RG in 1922. On September 12 of that year the 223 collided with C-16 no. 222 in Chama, New Mexico. No records of the damage to either locomotive were kept.
The final location of the 223's operation comes from eight photographs taken by Otto Perry
Otto Perry
Otto Perry was an American photographer and railfan specializing in railroad photos. Perry worked as a mailman in Denver, Colorado, where he met and became friends with Louis McClure, another noted photographer....
on July 4, 1940, showing 223 working the 18 mile Baldwin Branch, with photographs at Gunnison
Gunnison, Colorado
The historic City of Gunnison, a Home Rule Municipality, is the county seat and the most populous city of Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,854. It was named in honor of John W...
, Dollard, Castleton, and Baldwin. The Baldwin Branch was originally built by the Denver, South Park & Pacific (Colorado Southern) and retained its original wooden bridges. Due to the weight restrictions of these bridges, the remaining C-16s were the only locomotives permitted on the branch, and the 223 served on this portion of the D&RGW from 1937 to her retirement.
Most of the C-16s were retired by the late 1920s-mid 1930s; only one stayed in service until the mid 1950s. The 223 was removed from service in 1941.
On to Utah
The railroad leased 223 to Salt Lake City, beginning at the 1941 Pioneer Day celebration, for five years, and donated it to the city in 1952. The locomotive was given a fake diamond stack and an 1880s paint scheme in the Salida, ColoradoSalida, Colorado
The City of Salida is a Statutory City that is the county seat and most populous city of Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. The population was 5,504 at the U.S. Census 2000.-History:800px|thumb|left| Panoramic View of Salida, 1910...
, shops, before being sent to Salt Lake City. A popular myth, caused by the mis-captioning of photographs, is that the 223 was moved on a special train led by four brand-new FT
EMD FT
The EMD FT was a diesel-electric locomotive produced between November 1939, and November 1945, by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division . All told 555 cab-equipped A units were built, along with 541 cabless booster B units, for a grand total of 1,096 units. The locomotives were all sold to...
locomotives. According to Jerry Day, noted Rio Grande historian, it was actually sister locomotive 268 that was shipped on this special train, not the 223. In 1952, upon the dontation to the city, the Rio Grande's Salt Lake City shops removed the diamond stack and box headlight and repainted the 223 in its 1930's "button herald" paint scheme on their own time.
Shipped along with the 223 were a narrow gauge boxcar, caboose, and high-side gondola, which were sent to Pioneer Villiage in the Lagoon Amusement Park
Lagoon Amusement Park
Lagoon is an amusement park in Farmington, Utah, United States located about seventeen miles north of Salt Lake City. It is privately owned...
in Farmington, Utah
Farmington, Utah
Farmington is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 18,255 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Davis County...
. These cars were later stored in Ogden in poor condition alongside the 223 until they were burned in the 2006 Shupe-Williams Candy Factory Fire.
The 223 sat in the open at Liberty Park
Liberty Park
Liberty Park is a popular public urban park in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the city's second-largest public park, at , being surpassed only by Sugarhouse Park which has...
, gradually deteriorating from weather and vandalism until 1979, when the city gave it to the Utah State Historical Society. John Bush, employee of the Roaring Camp & Big Trees Railroad in California, was commissioned to make a report on the cost of potential restoration. Lack of budget limited success with the project and it was again transferred, to the Utah State Railroad Museum in 1992. The 223 was stored behind the Shupe-Williams Candy Factory building just to the south of the Union Station, until the candy factory caught fire in 2006 and burned to the ground, taking with it three narrow gauge freight cars. Luckily the cab had already been removed from the engine before the fire. The 223 was then moved from there to its present location at the north end of the Utah State Railroad Museum complex next to the restoration shop. Limited restoration has been underway at its current location, Union Station, Ogden, Utah
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, with the tender and cab in the Museum's shop and the remainder sitting outside without boiler lagging.
It has been long believed that during the 1979 move from Liberty Park to the Utah State Historical Society property, the frame and rods were bent badly so that the wheels will no longer turn, even with the rods disconnected. However, through analysis of historical photographs, it has been determined that the rods were in actuallity bent during its display at Liberty Park to prevent it from rolling. The track on which the 223 was displayed sloped noticeably to the west, with no wheel stops or other end-of-track protection. A flat spot can be felt under the main rod 1 on the Fireman's side of the engine where the jack was placed to bend it. The boiler is in very poor condition, having sat outside for fifty years with wet asbestos around it. The tender is being entirely replaced.
Restoration
Restoration work is being done by the Golden Spike Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society in the former Trainman's Building at the North end of the Ogden Union Station, which can be accessed from the platform on Track 1. They meet on Saturday mornings.Restoration began in 1992 using a boxcar, UP 910261, as a shop. The group soon outgrew this rudimentary shelter and was given the Trainman's Building after the Candy Factory Fire in 2006. Ogden City paid for roof repairs, an alarm system and fluorescent lighting, and the restoration work was moved inside. At the same time the 223 was moved from its place behind the Shupe-Williams Candy Factory to the north end of the platform outside of the shop.
Currently, the wooden cab is completed, the appliances are repaired, and work on the tender is nearing completion. As of 2010, the tender tank was being riveted, with over 3,000 hand-drilled rivet holes. The Golden Spike Chapter works according to the "pay-as-you-go" philosophy, completing work as they obtain the funds, which accounts for the slow, yet steady, progress of the restoration.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as Grant Steam Locomotive No. 223 in 1979.