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A: Locomotive 315

The Lives, Times, and Rebirth of an 1895 Steam Engine
George F. Niederauer
Proceeds benefit Durango Railroad Historical Society

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This is the extraordinary story of an ordinary little steam engine that survived to steam again when the odds were completely against it.
As a new Consolidation engine from the Baldwin Locomotive Works, it began work in Colorado's richest mining district, hauling ore, freight, and passengers through narrow canyons and over steep grades. It was the best in its class, but over time better locomotives supplanted it. The 315 ended up switching cars in a rail yard on the other side of the Rocky Mountains, then enjoyed a brief period of glory when Hollywood came calling. Its working days over, it was saved from the scrap heap only to end up in a city park for fifty-seven years, exposed to the elements.
The relic was a sorry sight when a small group of optimistic, determined railroad buffs decided to refurbish it. As their work proceeded, they shifted from restoring the 315's appearance to returning it to a fully operational locomotive. After seven years, and $450,000, the little steam engine once again travels the narrow gauge tracks of the former Denver & Rio Grande Western in Southwest Colorado and northern New Mexico.
This book is a celebration of accomplishments: the advent of steam-powered locomotives, the role of railroads in opening up Colorado, the inventiveness of the builders who continuously changed and improved locomotives, and an indefatigable group of men who would stop at nothing to bring the 315 back to life.