Famous Steam Locomotive Comes Home To Colorado

GOLDEN, CO — The famous Rio Grande Southern Locomotive No. 20 has returned to Colorado after spending the past 12 years undergoing restoration. The historic locomotive was transported from Strasburg, Pennsylvania, and rolled into the Colorado Railroad Museum Tuesday.

While the locomotive is 80 percent complete, the remaining work will be done at the museum, curators said.

Originally built for the Florence & Cripple Creek Railroad in 1899, the locomotive was a narrow gauge engine that could climb the winding and steep Phantom Canyon to Colorado’s last gold mining bonanza – Cripple Creek. Christened “Portland,” after one of the area mines, the locomotive was a powerful ten wheeler that weighed 85,000 pounds.

Locomotive No. 20 became a fan favorite in the 1930s and was often requested by tourists or railway clubs for excursions. The locomotive was used in the 1950 film, "A Ticket to Tomahawk." The 1899 engine was redressed to an 1876 look for its role as the Emma Sweeny.

In 2006, the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club transferred ownership of Locomotive No. 20 to the Colorado Railroad Museum.

A generous donation was accepted to bring the locomotive back to operational condition, with the stipulation that it be rebuilt by the Strasburg Railroad in Pennsylvania. Locomotive No. 20 was then sent to Strasburg in 2006 to begin the restoration process.