Clearing the line up to Rico. In a steady, moderate snow, the Rio Grande Southern's most famous locomotive hauls a flanger outfit into the high country between Dolores and Rico, keeping the line clear for the freight traffic.
This little re-enactment was staged for photographers on Colorado's Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad during a February 2026 photo shoot organized by Lerro Photography. Rio Grande Southern 10-wheeler #20, an 1899 product of the Schenectady Locomotive Works, was with the railroad from 1915 until its retirement in 1951. She was ultimately preserved by the Colorado Railroad Museum and after years as a static display, restored to operation in 2020. Her restoration was done to FRA standards enabling her to travel occasionally to FRA railroads. This 2026 appearance at the D&SNGRR supported a number of private charters as well as events organized by the railroad. On this particular day, she ran with D&RGW Flanger OF, re-lettered for the RGS, and RGS Caboose 0404, the latter being owned by the Colorado Railroad Museum. The flanger outfit is pictured here at a location known on the D&SNGRR as Gladle's Gap, near MP 470.3, just north of Rockwood, CO.
