The railroad returned to operation Thursday with coal-fired Rio Grande Mikados after a wildfire closed the popular tourist railroad for six weeks. County officials lowered the fire danger rating, and railroad officials stepped up fire patrols, including the use of helicopters.
In the roundhouse shop, K-37 No. 493, last run in 1968 and long on display in Silverton, is under restoration with plans to debut the engine as an oil burner in 2019. Officials also say they plan to buy two new 85-ton road diesels for use in 2019 and will look at converting one of the railroad’s K-36 Mikados to oil firing for the 2020 season. The sourcing for the new diesels was not clear as it has been since 1969 when the now defunct Montreal Locomotive Works built a narrow gauge diesel has been built for a North American railroad, Alaska’s White Pass & Yukon.
D&S has four diesel switchers and used diesel power on short trips between Rockwood and Cascade during a portion of the fire closure, but determined they are not adequate for long trips, steep grades, and tonnage trains.
D&S last ran a K-37, No. 497, in the 1980s, but traded it to the nearby Cumbres & Toltec Scenic for a smaller K-36. D&S also owns No. 498 but there are no plans for it.
