Sunday, March 9, 2008 - Well, today was the day. Quite possibly for the last time ever, an unpatched Rio Grande unit left Denver, CO. DRGW 5371 - which came into Denver on Thursday morning on the MRONY-04 - departed north today on the MNYNP-08 as the 6th of 6 units. All expectations are that the unit will indeed be officially retired by Union Pacific once it arrives in Cheyenne.
The 5371 was originally going to head north yesterday on the MNYNP-07, but air troubles prevented it from making the trip. That worked out well for me as there was no way I would have been able to miss work to get some pictures. Since it just happened to land on a Saturday, I was able to spend the afternoon chasing it north from North Yard to La Salle along the no-so-scenic Greeley Subdivision.
I typically try to refrain from posting similar images over and over from any given day. However, considering the content of these pictures, I didn't think that anyone would care! So, without further delay, here are 15 pictures of the last active Rio Grande unit in the world headed north toward its fate!
Enjoy! Farewell old friend. Made you find a successful after-life that doesn't include a cutting torch.....
Kevin Morgan
Webmaster, ColoradoRailfan.com
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