Rio Grande class C-19

Denver and Rio Grande C-19
D&RGW #346 at the Colorado Railroad Museum
Type and origin
Power typesteam
BuilderBaldwin Locomotive Works
Model10-26 E
Build date1881
Total produced12
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte2-8-0
 • UIC1D, 1'D
Gauge3 ft (914 mm)
Leading dia.24'
Driver dia.36'
Wheelbase18 ft 1 in
Axle load19,790 lbs
Service weight74,260 lbs
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity12,000 lbs (coal)
Water cap.2,500 us gal
Valve gearStephenson valve gear
Performance figures
Tractive effortapprox. 19,000 lbf (84.52 kN)
Factor of adh.64,000 lbs
Career
OperatorsDenver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (historically), Rio Grande Southern (historically) Colorado Railroad Museum (current), and Knotts Berry Farm (current)
ClassD&RG: Class 70/74 D&RGW/RGS: C-19
NumbersD&RG: Nos. 400-411 D&RGW: Nos. 340-349 RGS: Nos. 40-41
Retiredc. 1936-1951
PreservedThree: D&RGW #340, #346, and RGS #41
Current ownerColorado Railroad Museum, and Knotts Berry Farm
Disposition3 preserved, 9 scrapped, 1 wrecked in a movie
References:

The Denver and Rio Grande Western C-19 (originally Denver and Rio Grande Class 70 or Class 74) is a class of 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotives built for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG), later the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1881. These engines were built to supplement the smaller and weaker Class 60 2-8-0s (later designated C-16 after the reorganization).

By the end of the 1880s, five of these bigger narrow-gauge engines were converted to standard gauge, but by 1900, they all were converted back to narrow gauge. Two C-19s were purchased secondhand by the Rio Grande Southern Railroad as No. 40 and No. 41 respectively. As of today, only 3 C-19's exist in preservation, D&RGW No. 346 was the first C-19 to be preserved, as it was purchased by Robert W. Richardson, the founder of the Colorado Railroad Museum, while the other two (D&RGW No. 340 and RGS No. 41 respectively) were purchased for operation on Ghost Town & Calico Railroad on Knott's Berry Farm, in Buena Park, California.