Rio Grande No. 487

C&TS No. 487 is a K-36 class 2-8-2 "Mikado" type narrow gauge steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, PA in August 1925. It was built especially for use on the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) and the locomotive is still in use today on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TS) between Chama, NM and Antonito, CO restored in tourist excursion service in 1973. As of today, it is one of four operational class K-36 locomotives on the C&TS, the others being Nos. 484, 488, and 489, the latter of which was converted to burn oil in early June 2021. On August 3, 2022, the C&TS announced that another one of their K-36 class locomotives would also be converted to burn oil instead of coal over the 2022-2023 winter season. It was later confirmed that 487 had been chosen for the conversion. The extensive firebox work and oil conversion was recently completed on August 9, 2024 and it moved under its own power for the first time since October 2021. It eventually made its official debut on the C&TS as an oil burner in late June 2025.

Trivia[]

No. 487 was used in the music video for "Heartbreak Station" by Cinderella.
No. 487 is the only class K-36 locomotive on the Cumbres & Toltec to always be seen with a snowplow attached to its front pilot.
No. 487 has worn three different whistles during its operating career on the C&TS, those being a D&RGW 5-chime that is modified with a 5-inch bowl, a Reading 6-chime, and a Rizzoli Locomotive Works D&RGW 5-chime. Right now, it currently carries the modified original D&RGW 5-chime.
No. 487 can be seen in Herron Rail Video's Narrow Gauge Glory Volume 1 DVD.
During a test run from Antonito, CO to Osier, CO on June 18, 2025, No. 487 had its snowplow front pilot temporarily replaced with a wooden board front pilot, which is against United States railway regulations.
487 has appeared in lots & lots of videos by various Railroad Video Producers over the years, as examples include:
1. Steam Rotary
2. Steam in the West
3. Rotary Snowplow Through the Rockies
4. Rio Grande Steam Freights
5. Rio Grande Steam '92
6. Tripleheader Rotary
7. Chama Freight Turns
8. Rio Grande Rotary Spectacular
9. Rocky Mountain Snowplow
10. Choo Choo Christmas
11. Riding the Narrow Gauge in the 1950s
12. Reflections
13. Rio Grande Steam in the 1960s
14. Last Steam Freights 1968
15. Rio Grande's Third Division
16. Special Trains on the C&TS
17. Passenger Trains on the C&TS
18. Snow Busting on the C&TS
19. Rio Grande Vintage Steam
20. 463 on the C&TS
21. Rio Grande Steam Passenger Trains
22. Rio Grande's 4th Division
23. Rotary Snowplows Through Cumbres Pass
24. The Rotary
25. Steam & Snow-Rotary OY on Cumbres Pass
26. Extreme Steam 2
27. Over Cumbres Pass
28. Snowstorm in the San Juans volume 2
29. Freights to Cumbres
30. A Day with 487
31. Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Rotary Snowplow OY
32. Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Passenger Trains
33. Tripleheader to Cumbres Pass
34. America's Historic Steam Railroads-the Cumbres & Toltec
35. Narrow Rails Still Shine
36. Cumbres!
37. Steam Around the World Volume 3-American Steam in the Rockies
38. Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Freight Trains
39. Colorado Steam Mecca
40. In Search of Narrow Gauge Mikados
41. Cavalcade of Steam
42. K-36 over Cumbres Pass
43. Colorado's Scenic Train Rides
44. Rotary on the Rio Grande
45. The Chama Turn
46. Top Frog Volume 1
47. Rocky Mountain Steam Trains
48. The C&T in '73
49. Rotary OY Returns
50. Rio Grande Rotary OY-Snow Fighting on Cumbres Pass
51. Lots & Lots of Trains volume 1
51. Lots & Lots of Big Steam Trains Galore
52. The Cumbres & Toltec-With a little help from its friends
53. Lots & Lots of Really Big Steam Trains

Rio Grande No. 487

Trivia[]

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