I visited the D&RGW #268 at the Gunnison Pioneer Museum,in Gunnison, Co. back in June of 1990. She was painted in a black/white paint scheme. These days, she's still there, sitting with a flanger, a gondola,and a caboose(same as in 1990). She's painted once again in her 1949 Chicago Railroad Fair Autumn Gold paint scheme like she is in this film. It's important to note that the paint scheme that she wears in this video is not the paint scheme that she wore for the majority of her working career. This paint scheme was originally applied in 1949 for the Chicago Railroad Fair that celebrated 100 years of American Railroad history, where she steamed on a daily basis to the delight of the rail fans. She also appeared in the 1952 film "Denver And Rio Grande" wearing the Bumblebee paint scheme. She was joined by locomotive #319, and also locomotive #345( also painted in Bumblebee colors), which was renumbered as the #268. Both locomotives #319,and #345 were on their way to the scrapper, so the decision was made to wreck the #319 and the renumbered #345 in the head on collision scene. The #268 was never wrecked as depicted in the film. She continued her work on the D&RGW , even working as the locomotive that was used to scrap the track until being replaced by another locomotive She was retired in 1954 , and donated in 1955 to the Gunnison Pioneer Museum,which is located in Gunnison, Colorado.Where she still resides to this very day, It is also important to note that the #268 is a Baldwin 2-8-0 Consolidation locomotive. She was constructed in 1882,and went on to become the longest working steam locomotive on the D&RGW Narrow Gauge Railroad. A working life of some 72 years. Not bad for an old girl like the #268 ! During her working career, she was painted either black with a graphite painted smoke box or black with a silver(maybe white. It's difficult to tell in the black and white photographs that I found online)smoke box. I do know that back in 1990,she was painted black, with a white painted smoke box, and white trim on all the wheels, the top half of the diamond smoke stack, both the steam/sand domes, and tender.
I lived in Gunnison in the mid to late 1980's and did a lot of exploring of the old railroad routes there. The 268 was called "Cinder-ella" by many of the locals, and has a 'sister' the 278 that is on display (or was the last time I heard) on a steel bridge spanning the creek that flows from Cimmeron down to the Black Canyon just were the highway starts to climb to Cerro Summit. I always thought the local community should have tried to re-establish some of the old line for tourism purposes. I suppose they could as there is an effort at Como to do just that. Como was a helper town on the Denver South Park and Pacific which for a brief time also serviced Gunnison. As a note of irony, shortly after the Rio Grande abandoned Marshall Pass to Gunnison, there was a seam of uranium discovered that was within a few hundred yards of the railbed on Marshall Pass..... too bad they didn't have rail service any more to haul the ore out...
I knew Sarah Trine from Gunnison. Her parents operated Johnson's Restaurant in Gunnison but by the time I first visited the area in the 1970's, there was nothing to see of the former railroad.
One of my most favorite Narrow gauge railway in my opinion, but it's just disappointing that there gone, I really wish D&RGW Narrow gauge railroad would've have been the world's largest Narrow gauge railway system but without modern technology or diesels, their all run by steam, but it's sucks they scrapped it, but thankfully Durango & Silverton and Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad are still in preservation and still running thier steam locomotives and Im proud they made it through. I made a fictional narrow gauge railroad is called Alberta & San Juan Western railroad , but only for Century of steam developed by Mark aka Hyce.
It makes me sad. I can't really say nostalgic, since this line was abandoned before my time, (I was born in 1965.) but sad for the American Railroad in general. Sure, steam engines are inefficient, but they're _cool!_ In the same way that antique cars and trucks are cool. All these small independent railroads ought to band together somehow. It would be difficult in the present day, what with so much trackage and right of way lost. How would you portage your freight from one small RR to the next, for instance? The corporate giants own the world, and they buy and sell people's livelihoods for amusement. It's just sad what happened to the railroads, and the electric railways too, gone like a fast freight...
I wish I had the money to take a trip out west to see Colorado steam trains, Devils Tower, Crazyhorse, Yellowstone and coal trains traveling the joint N and S line along The Powder River Basin.
I know of four, three for a movie, of which two were wrecked for a scene. 268 is on static display, initially in Bumblebee scheme, but has since been painted black. The fourth was 473, which has worn it for a charter then a whole season with D&S, not sure if it wore it while still owned by Rio Grande.
I visited the D&RGW #268 at the Gunnison Pioneer Museum,in Gunnison, Co. back in June of 1990. She was painted in a black/white paint scheme. These days, she's still there, sitting with a flanger, a gondola,and a caboose(same as in 1990). She's painted once again in her 1949 Chicago Railroad Fair Autumn Gold paint scheme like she is in this film.
It's important to note that the paint scheme that she wears in this video is not the paint scheme that she wore for the majority of her working career.
This paint scheme was originally applied in 1949 for the Chicago Railroad Fair that celebrated 100 years of American Railroad history, where she steamed on a daily basis to the delight of the rail fans.
She also appeared in the 1952 film "Denver And Rio Grande" wearing the Bumblebee paint scheme. She was joined by locomotive #319, and also locomotive #345( also painted in Bumblebee colors), which was renumbered as the #268.
Both locomotives #319,and #345 were on their way to the scrapper, so the decision was made to wreck the #319 and the renumbered #345 in the head on collision scene. The #268 was never wrecked as depicted in the film. She continued her work on the D&RGW , even working as the locomotive that was used to scrap the track until being replaced by another locomotive
She was retired in 1954 , and donated in 1955 to the Gunnison Pioneer Museum,which is located in Gunnison, Colorado.Where she still resides to this very day,
It is also important to note that the #268 is a Baldwin 2-8-0 Consolidation locomotive. She was constructed in 1882,and went on to become the longest working steam locomotive on the D&RGW Narrow Gauge Railroad. A working life of some 72 years. Not bad for an old girl like the #268 !
During her working career, she was painted either black with a graphite painted smoke box or black with a silver(maybe white. It's difficult to tell in the black and white photographs that I found online)smoke box. I do know that back in 1990,she was painted black, with a white painted smoke box, and white trim on all the wheels, the top half of the diamond smoke stack, both the steam/sand domes, and tender.
I lived in Gunnison in the mid to late 1980's and did a lot of exploring of the old railroad routes there. The 268 was called "Cinder-ella" by many of the locals, and has a 'sister' the 278 that is on display (or was the last time I heard) on a steel bridge spanning the creek that flows from Cimmeron down to the Black Canyon just were the highway starts to climb to Cerro Summit.
I always thought the local community should have tried to re-establish some of the old line for tourism purposes. I suppose they could as there is an effort at Como to do just that. Como was a helper town on the Denver South Park and Pacific which for a brief time also serviced Gunnison.
As a note of irony, shortly after the Rio Grande abandoned Marshall Pass to Gunnison, there was a seam of uranium discovered that was within a few hundred yards of the railbed on Marshall Pass..... too bad they didn't have rail service any more to haul the ore out...
There's a third sister to 268, #223 in Utah, and she's being restored to running condition
I knew Sarah Trine from Gunnison. Her parents operated Johnson's Restaurant in Gunnison but by the time I first visited the area in the 1970's, there was nothing to see of the former railroad.
What a shame all this is gone. 😢😢
One of my most favorite Narrow gauge railway in my opinion, but it's just disappointing that there gone, I really wish D&RGW Narrow gauge railroad would've have been the world's largest Narrow gauge railway system but without modern technology or diesels, their all run by steam, but it's sucks they scrapped it,
but thankfully Durango & Silverton and Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad are still in preservation and still running thier steam locomotives and Im proud they made it through.
I made a fictional narrow gauge railroad is called Alberta & San Juan Western railroad ,
but only for Century of steam developed by Mark aka Hyce.
It makes me sad. I can't really say nostalgic, since this line was abandoned before my time, (I was born in 1965.) but sad for the American Railroad in general. Sure, steam engines are inefficient, but they're _cool!_ In the same way that antique cars and trucks are cool. All these small independent railroads ought to band together somehow. It would be difficult in the present day, what with so much trackage and right of way lost. How would you portage your freight from one small RR to the next, for instance? The corporate giants own the world, and they buy and sell people's livelihoods for amusement. It's just sad what happened to the railroads, and the electric railways too, gone like a fast freight...
Filming & developing in color was SO expensive back then !! WOW
Excellent video.
Actually, the #268 in the movie was the #345 in disguise.
They should keep at least one of all the many Rio Grand locos in the bumblebee livery. Looks kinda neat........
268 is still preserved in bumblebee
@@War1109 It is, but it's not running. They should paint 315 in the Bumblebee livery.
I wish I had the money to take a trip out west to see Colorado steam trains, Devils Tower, Crazyhorse, Yellowstone and coal trains traveling the joint N and S line along The Powder River Basin.
I wish I could own this train movie on either DVD or vhs, that would be nice.
Actually you can, we have this on DVD - www.greenfrog.com/bumblebee_dvd.shtml
(Self reminder) 5:25
I’d like to know how many of those “bumblebee” engines were there along with Their origins, what lines they worked on, and what happened to them all
I know of four, three for a movie, of which two were wrecked for a scene. 268 is on static display, initially in Bumblebee scheme, but has since been painted black. The fourth was 473, which has worn it for a charter then a whole season with D&S, not sure if it wore it while still owned by Rio Grande.
There is one is in Gunnison
268 Was the only one to wear it in actual service.
Outstanding. 💙 T.E.N.
The Bumblebee paint scheme needs to return.
King of the Creeps there is a great amount of truth in that statement
268 is actually still painted in bumblebee
268 is in preservation and is still in its AWESOME bumblebee scheme.
I like the Whistle of k-36 480
What chime was on 268?
About the only evidence today that this railroad existed is the faint appearance of right-of-ways in the region.
Gunnison, the town Dread 107 haunts
THE BEE
What happened to 268?
Static display at gunnison pioneer museum.
An absolutely fabulous museum. In terms of travels it is one of my favourite overlooked museums.
The
🚂