Rio Grande 315

Specifications
Specifications
Configuration:;
• Whyte	2-8-0
• UIC	1′D n2
Gauge	3 ft (914 mm)
Driver dia.	38 in (965 mm)
Adhesive weight	64,000 lb (29.0 t)
Loco weight	72,000 lb (32.7 t)
Fuel type	Coal
Cylinders	Two, outside
Cylinder size	16 in × 20 in (406 mm × 508 mm)

Type and origin
Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Builder	Baldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number	14352
Model	10-26 E
Build date	1895

Rio Grande 315
Rio Grande 315
	No. 315 at the C&TS in 2008
Power type
Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Builder	Baldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number	14352
Model	10-26 E
Build date	1895
Configuration:;
Specifications
Configuration:;
• Whyte	2-8-0
• UIC	1′D n2
Gauge	3 ft (914 mm)
Driver dia.	38 in (965 mm)
Adhesive weight	64,000 lb (29.0 t)
Loco weight	72,000 lb (32.7 t)
Fuel type	Coal
Cylinders	Two, outside
Cylinder size	16 in × 20 in (406 mm × 508 mm)
Tractive effort
Performance figures
Tractive effort	18,000 lbf (80.1 kN)
Operators
Career
Operators	Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad; Denver and Rio Grande Railroad; Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad; Durango Railroad Historical Society; Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad (leased);
Class	D&RG: Class 72; D&RGW: C-18;
Numbers	F&CC 3; D&RG 425; D&RGW 315;
Retired	1950
Restored	August 2007
Current owner	Durango Railroad Historical Society
Disposition	Operational
	References:
	Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Locomotive No. 315
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	479 Main Ave., Durango, Colorado
Area	less than one acre
Built	1895
Architect	Baldwin Locomotive Works
Architectural style	Narrow gauge Consolidation
NRHP reference No.	08001008
Added to NRHP	October 24, 2008

Denver and Rio Grande Western 315 is a C-18 class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type narrow-gauge steam locomotive that was originally built for the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1895. It was purchased by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) in 1917 and later became known as No. 315. It was retired in 1949 and had been on display at City of Durango parks until the Durango Railroad Historical Society restored the locomotive from 2001 to August 2007. It was operational from then until September 2021. On March 8, 2023, it returned to service, following its FRA federally mandated 1,472-day boiler inspection and overhaul. Most "sister" locomotives to No. 315 were scrapped, but two others survive today: D&RGW No. 318, on display at the Colorado Railroad Museum; and F&CC No. 10, currently in storage at the Nevada Southern Railroad Museum. The designation C-18 followed the D&RGW class-naming format from 1924 of a letter, “C” for Consolidation type, and a number “18” for its rated tractive effort of approximately 18,000 pounds.