Golden Colorado USA - The famous Rio Grande Southern Locomotive No. 20 will be rolling into the Colorado Railroad Museum today after undergoing restoration in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, for the past 12 years.
 
While the locomotive is 80 percent complete, the remaining work will be done here at the Colorado Railroad Museum under the supervision of Jeff Taylor, Curator of Rolling Stock and Equipment.
 
Originally built for the Florence & Cripple Creek Railroad in 1899, locomotive No. 20 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 4-6-0 Ten-Wheeler measuring 49 feet from engine to tender and weighing 85,000 pounds.
 
By the late 1930s, locomotive No. 20 had become a fan favorite and was often requested by tourists or railway clubs for excursions.
 
Hollywood discovered the locomotive and in 1949 it was used in the 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 No. 20 to the Colorado Railroad Museum.
 
A generous donation was provided to bring No. 20 back to operational condition with the stipulation that it be rebuilt by the Strasburg Railroad in Pennsylvania.
 
No. 20 was then sent to Strasburg in August of 2006 to begin the restoration process.
 
Author unknown.