On May 5, 1942 army recruit Guy L. Dunscomb was on leave in the narrow gauge country of Colorado. Fortunately for us, he decided to ride a freight from Durango up to the end of the branch at Silverton, CO behind D&RGW #453, one of the famous "Mudhens" in use by the D&RGW during the war years.
Here we see Guy's train stopped at the power house at Tacoma with her huge plow attached, ready for any snow she might find on the way to Silverton.
By December 1953 this engine had served out her last winter on the Silverton Branch of the D&RGW. She was withdrawn from service and in July 1954 her boiler was sold to a lumber mill in Durango and the rest of the engine cut up for scrap.
We will always remember her on this Spring day on the Silverton Branch during the darkest days of WWII pulling freight necessary for the U.S. war effort.
Martin