After nearly 75 years, the Rio Grande Southern No. 20 locomotive will ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge rails once again.
In partnership with the Colorado Railroad Museum, the steam engine will return to Durango for the first time since 1951, said D&SNG Vice President Jeff Johnson. For select days in January and February, No. 20 will provide photographers and train enthusiasts the chance to experience a piece of Colorado’s railroad history.
“This is a culmination of a lot of enthusiasts’ desire and dream to see the locomotive operate in Durango once again,” Johnson said.
According to a news release from the railroad, No. 20 originally worked on the Florence & Cripple Creek railroad, which ran between Cañon City and the mining town of Cripple Creek, until the railroad was destroyed by flooding. No. 20 was then sold to Rio Grande Southern railroad in 1916, and for the next 35 years, ran from Durango to Ridgway via Mancos, Dolores, Rico and Telluride, Johnson said.
“The Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden has been a wonderful partner in putting this together,” Johnson said. “We've been working on this plan for quite a while, and we’re so glad it’s finally coming to fruition.”
Johnson said that No. 20 was made famous through its role in the 1950 film “A Ticket to Tomahawk.” No. 20 was painted to portray the Emma Sweeny, and many of the scenes in the movie were filmed along the railroad between Durango and Silverton. The film was one of Marilyn Monroe’s first major movie roles, and a wooden model of the Emma Sweeny now stands in Santa Rita Park, Johnson said.
No. 20 will run special 60- to 70-seat trips for photographers and enthusiasts of railroad history in early 2026, Johnson said. The train will stop at various locations along the Durango-Silverton route, where photographers will be able to capture this historic locomotive on the rails it once called home. Tickets to ride will likely sell out quickly.
“These trips virtually sell out all of the time with limited seating,” Johnson said. “Word-of-mouth has spread a lot to the railroad enthusiast and photographer communities. A lot of them just stay on the wait list for the next trains to be announced.”
When the Rio Grande Southern railroad was abandoned in 1951, No. 20 was saved from being turned into scrap metal by the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club. It served as a museum exhibit in Golden until 2006, when it began being restored to operating condition. Fourteen years and $2 million later, No. 20 was back in fighting shape and ready to serve once more.
“It sat idle for many, many years as a display in Golden,” Johnson said. “But it was restored to full service throughout a multi year process, and now it’s going to be joining us back in Durango.”
