The Last Rio Grande Southern Train Out Of Durango, 11/27/23

I “Chase and Paced” the last RGS train out of Durango before it returned to Knott's Berry Farm. The D&S took the RGS #41 and employees and families to Cascade for a final test run Monday 11/27/23.
RGS locomotive #41 was 70 years old when purchased by Knotts Berry Farm in 1951 for the Ghost Town & Calico Railroad in Buena Park, CA. and has spent the last 72 years running clockwise around the less than a mile circle. I first rode the #41 at 5 in mid 1950's, again in the mid 90's and mid 2000's. It was awesome to hear, see her running straight at 20+ MPH and pulling a grade. In Feb. 2022 the #41 was trucked to Durango for a complete rebuild and has been off limits to unauthorized photographs and videos till now.
The #41 was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1881 as a 2-8-0 Consolidation, for the D&RG as #409 "Red Cliff", sold to the RGS and renumbered #41 in 1916 and classified as a "C-19" in 1921.