An essential step in firing a steam locomotive is the blow-down. This opens the boiler to atmospheric pressure just above the mudring, allowing the steam pressure above the water to force all of t... (more)

No, someone didn't forget to shut the water off, this crew knows what they're doing! Even at 11AM, the Colorado summer sun had made the water in 491's tender tank nearly too warm to inject, so th... (more)

Preparing for the day's "Dinosaur Train" runs, the crew of D&RGW 491 fill the tender at No Agua tank on a summer morning.

Having been brought off the ready track at the roundhouse, the bulk of Colorado Railroad Museum's largest operating locomotive fills the turntable.

Denver & Rio Grande Western 491 passes No Agua Tank as it circles the grounds of the Colorado Railroad Museum.

Engineer Mike Spera oils around Rio Grande K-37 No. 491 at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden on the night of November 21, 2014. This narrow gauge 2-8-2 has recently been restored to service a... (more)

Rio Grande K-37 No. 491 pulls past Consolidation No. 40 at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden on November 21, 2014. No. 491 is a narrow gauge 2-8-2 that was converted from a standard gauge 2-8... (more)

Engineer Mike Spera looks intently ahead as he eases Rio Grande K-37 No. 491 toward the turntable at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden on November 21, 2014. This narrow gauge 2-8-2 has recent... (more)

Rio Grande 2-8-2 K-37 No. 491 takes a spin on the turntable during the blue hour on the evening of November 17, 2014, at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado. The big Mikado (for three... (more)

During the holiday season this year, Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado, is operating the popular “Polar Express.” Powering the special trains is Rio Grande 2-8-2 K-37 No. 491 that w... (more)

For the first time, the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado, is operating the popular “Polar Express” during the holiday season. Powering the special trains is Rio Grande 2-8-2 K-37 N... (more)

During the blue hour on the evening of November 17, 2014, Rio Grande 2-8-2 K-37 No. 491 simmers on the turntable at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado. The big Mikado (for three-foot... (more)

Denver & Rio Grande Western K-37 2-8-2 no. 491 leading an eastbound extra freight train up Cumbres Pass at Windy Point, New Mexico, in July 1961. Photograph by more)

DRGW 491 looks good. So does the Coors reefer to the right, just a few hundred yards from its home rails.

Welcoming visitors to the museum is 491 and a boxcar from Coors across the street...