PALISADE, Colo. – A speeding car careened off a road and crashed into the Mammoth Locomotive Works, starting a devastating fire and killing the driver of the car. A full-size replica of a Rio Grande Southern steam locomotive under construction sustained minor damage, although much of the shop’s machinery was extensively damaged by fire and water.
Palisade is located along the Colorado River about 11 miles east of Grand Junction.
John Braun, owner of the Mammoth Locomotive Works, told a local television station that he estimated damages to his equipment at $200,000 from the May 12 incident. He said that he would have to move to a different location while repair work was underway.
While most of Braun’s work has been in building live steam and park equipment, he was constructing a full-size replica of Rio Grande Southern Railroad No. 36, an 1879 Baldwin 4-4-0, for the Ridgway Railroad Museum. The project was to have been completed this year, but the fire will certainly delay its completion.
Karl Schaeffer and Chris Weiser, who are having the replica built, said in a statement, “Due to the recent fire at the shop, there will be a small delay in the construction of RGS 36. There was only minimal damage to the locomotive. The major damage is to the shop itself. The shop owner is very busy cleaning up the mess and getting back into production. The world will simply have to wait to see the final product.”
For more information on the museum and the locomotive project, go to www.ridgwayrailroadmuseum.org.
