RGS 20

Keeping No. 20 Running

For about 13 years, No. 20 chugged up and down Phantom Canyon, until the flood of July, 1912 ripped out much of the track and brought a halt to F&CC operations.

In 1916, F&CC’s No. 20 was sold to the Rio Grande Southern (RGS) for $2,500 and was moved to the Denver and Rio Grande shops in Alamosa for a complete overhaul at a cost of $1,415.

The rebuilt No. 20 arrived in Durango in March of 1916 and began service on the RGS line and spent the next 35 years on the Silver San Juan Route. In 1951, the RGS went bankrupt and

No. 20 was retired.

The Rocky Mountain Railroad club purchased No. 20 for $2,400. The club has spent considerable amounts of money over the years to keep it in top-notch cosmetic shape, resulting in its placement on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

Heavy Ten-Wheeler

No. 20 was a 4-6-0 Ten-Wheeler weighing in at 33 tons. This weight, greater than typical for the time, provided increased track adhesion which allowed it to haul heavier loads over the steep Colorado Rocky Mountain grades.

Back when it operated on the F&CC line, it could travel on the line because the track was built to high standards using 45-pound rail and tie plates. The F&CC was able to use locomotives that would have been too heavy for many other narrow-gauge railroads.

In fact, the RGS only had 30-pound rail from Ridgway to Telluride so they had to upgrade the track before No. 20 could travel on it. A Close Call for No. 20

On August 31, 1943, Locomotive No. 20 and Locomotive No. 40 were pulling a heavy freight load up grade. The lead No. 40 derailed on the inside of a curve at milepost 142 near Cima and pulled No. 20 over as well.

No. 20 had a flat spot on its boiler, but it wasn’t seriously damaged so it was hauled back to Ridgway for repairs. That spring, No. 20 was back on the track.

A Ticket to Tomahawk

No. 20 became a star when, in 1949, it was cast in the movie A Ticket to Tomahawk, produced by 20th Century Fox.

This fictional film was a Western Comedy about the Tomahawk & Western Railroad and co-stared Dan Daily and Anne Baxter.

Although the script was written for an 1875 Baldwin engine, none remained in existence.

Because of its antiquated looks, the producers

of the movie decided that No. 20 would be

adequate with a few modifications. The props

department added a large balloon stack, wood

pilot, fake Baldwin plates and a kerosene headlight with antlers. It was also painted in shades of red, green and gold and a fully-rigged clipper ship was painted on the sides of the tender.