Denver & Rio Grande Western No. 476 is a K-28 narrow-gauge 2-8-2 built by the American Locomotive Company in 1923.
It was one of ten 470-series locomotives designed to give the Rio Grande’s three-foot-gauge network more modern and faster road power.
Like its sisters, 476 handled both passenger and freight work and became closely associated with the surviving Durango–Silverton route.
The K-28s used outside frames and compact but sophisticated running gear suited to narrow-gauge clearances.
Seven members of the class were removed from the Rio Grande during World War II and did not survive; 476 remained with 473 and 478.
After the Silverton branch was sold in 1981, 476 became part of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad fleet.
The locomotive spent a long period out of regular operation before a major rebuild returned it to service in the late 2010s.
Durango & Silverton’s mechanical program emphasizes repeated rebuilding rather than treating century-old locomotives as untouched museum artifacts.
No. 476 was converted from coal to oil firing in 2021, following No. 473’s conversion.
For TransitSatellite, the page should distinguish “original locomotive” from “original condition.” No. 476 is the historic 1923 machine, but a century of boiler, running-gear, appliance, fuel, and safety work has necessarily changed components and details.