The year was 1999, and the Royal Gorge Bridge Company was approached by the Durango Silverton Railroad to make a trade for locomotives. The No. 486 who had proudly sat at the Royal Gorge entrance for many years was an engine that could be recovered from its retirement. The D&S had another of the same type, No. 499, which was unusable, and they proposed they could rehabilitate old No. 486, and No. 499 would look beautiful sitting still at the entrance to the famous park.

Begin at the beginning: The chasm that split the hogbacks surrounding it, and the various uprisings of granite and other hard rock, was a major consideration when the railroad plans were first laid. The story of the Royal Gorge Railroad War has been told many times in many places. The railroad has been an integral part of the Royal Gorge and the Bridge and Park since those first ties were laid, walls were blasted and tracks shipped in from CF&I Steel Mill in Pueblo to complete the narrow-gauge road to the riches of the Gold Fields. The symbol of the RR Engine at the entrance to the Royal Gorge Bridge area was a great addition.

When Ann Swim was on the Cañon City Council, and they were approached to trade their train engine for another, seemed like a good, neighborly thing to do and the process began. Negotiations and plans were talked over at length, but eventually, in the spring of 1999, the Durango and Silverton Railroad became the owner of the No. 486 Engine that sat unmoving at the Gorge, and in its place another picturesque but inoperable Engine No. 499 would take its place.

The moving of a railroad engine is no small enterprise. The equipment needed just to get it moved from the rails it sat on, over to a waiting semi-trailer took considerable creative thought. The engine had to be secured to the trailer bed in a way it could be removed when it arrived at its destination. It constituted an oversize load, so had to have pilot cars, and extra flags, etc. It was successfully loaded and moved.

Next time you visit the Royal Gorge Bridge, take special time to look at the old Narrow Gauge Railroad Engine sitting at the entrance. No. 499 is proudly showing off for all those tourists that need to know the history of this region.