Re: Coronado RR - Why 20 inches?

The 20" predates any railroad connection between the mining district and the "outside world." The equipment and the locomotives were wagon freighted to the Clifton area. This might account for the small size.

Within the last year, I read some information about the delivery of the initial locomotive. This might have been on-line. This included quotes from newspapers of the time.

The locomotive was unloaded from the Santa Fe at Las Vegas, New Mexico -- that was as far as the railroad was then serving. It was then hauled by wagon down down through New Mexico and across to Clifton.

BN