Re: "Denver & Rio Grande".....

I persuaded my mother to let me take a day off from grade school to attend the world premier of the Denver & Rio Grande in Denver. The 268 had been brought to Denver and was placed on some trackage in the old Wazee Market with a diesel unit on the track in back of it for a comparison of the old and new. The 268 was under steam for the several days it was on display as I remember. This was during the Korean war, and my family always returned to Denver when my father was overseas in the Army.
The actual premier was at the Denham Theater on 17th St (fuzzy memory here) and most of the cast was introduced and came out on stage before the movie was run.
The 268 then went back to Gunnison for the rest of its working career except for another excursion to Denver for display in the Civic Center as part of the 1959 Colorado/Denver Centennial celebrations. It was a little incongruous to have it parked next to displays of ballistic missiles, but it did draw crowds. Each time it was hauled to Denver, the engine had a nice new paint job. The D&RGW may have used it for other such events, but I'm not aware of them.