Denver & Rio Grande Western No. 473 is one of three surviving K-28 narrow-gauge 2-8-2 locomotives built by the American Locomotive Company in 1923.
The K-28 class consisted of ten locomotives numbered 470 through 479 and was nicknamed the “Sport Model” class by railroad crews.
The “K” designation identified a Mikado wheel arrangement, while the “28” referred approximately to 28,000 pounds of tractive effort.
The class was designed as modern narrow-gauge road power and handled important passenger and freight assignments, including the San Juan and Shavano passenger trains.
No. 473 worked extensively on the Silverton line as well as other portions of the D&RGW narrow-gauge system in Colorado and New Mexico.
During World War II, seven K-28s were transferred north for wartime service associated with the White Pass & Yukon route and were later scrapped. Nos. 473, 476, and 478 remained on the Rio Grande and became the only survivors of the class.
The Silverton branch itself survived the broader collapse of Rio Grande narrow gauge and passed into private tourist operation as the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in 1981.
No. 473 continued as a core operating locomotive rather than becoming a long-term static exhibit.
Durango & Silverton converted 473 from coal to reclaimed fuel oil in 2020 as part of its wildfire-risk and operating-sustainability program.
For TransitSatellite, No. 473 should be shown as a specific K-28 in dated configurations. Early D&RGW green-jacket delivery appearance, later black Rio Grande service, and modern oil-fired D&SNG operation are not interchangeable visual states.