223 Locomotive Foundation Background
Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad locomotive 223 has a long history of retirement and restoration efforts dating from 1941 to 2019 which are documented in the history page
In 2022, the C16 Society was established to collaborate with the conservators responsible for the three remaining D&RGW C-16 locomotives to support restoration efforts for #223 and its sister engines. Initial work included coordination with the Golden Spike Chapter of the R&LHS, advocates who had worked on restoring #223 until 2019 when ownership discrepancies were identified. At that time, ownership of locomotive #223 was uncertain between Ogden City and the Utah Historical Society. While #223 had been in Ogden since 1992, it became apparent that Ogden City had never received legal ownership of the locomotive. Instead, #223 was held by the Utah Historical Society, potentially under a co-ownership arrangement with Salt Lake City.
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From 2022 to 2024, the C16 Society's 223 team, Jimmy Booth and Ray Bjerrum, collaborated with the Utah Historical Society and the Golden Spike Chapter to support restoration analysis efforts for engine #223. In 2024, after Salt Lake City relinquished any ownership claims, the Utah Historical Society completed its assessment and formally transferred ownership of the locomotive to Ogden City.
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Following the transfer of ownership to Ogden City, city officials reviewed the locomotive's history to determine possible actions moving forward. They addressed three main issues: determining the physical status of the locomotive, given its current disassembled state; evaluating its historical significance to Utah's railroading history; and gathering perspectives from Ogden’s community as well as the broader narrow-gauge historical community regarding the future preservation of the locomotive.
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Ogden City engaged John Bush to conduct a thorough inventory and establish an organized storage system for the locomotive parts. The C16 Society contributed funding via the Narrow Gauge Preservation Society and also volunteered their time to assist with documentation efforts. City officials sought feedback from various narrow-gauge organizations and hosted a public forum and survey to further gather input.
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The C16 Society has remained actively involved, providing recommendations to Ogden and assisting with discussions as needed. Should Ogden retain ownership and choose to lease the locomotive to an independent foundation, the C16 Society offered its support in establishing such a foundation.
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Ogden concluded that the locomotive should be restored to operational condition and placed in a reputable museum in Colorado. The Colorado Railroad Museum was determined to be the best option for the #223. However, CRRM's long-term commitments and ongoing projects made it impossible to immediately acquire the disassembled #223 or fund the #223's restoration. Ogden contacted the C16 Society to potentially provide a foundation for bridging the timeline needed for a rebuild, with the eventual goal of transferring the locomotive to CRRM. Since acquiring #223 was outside the C16 Society's mission, Jimmy Booth and Ray Bjerrum determined that establishing a foundation solely dedicated to acquiring and restoring #223 was the appropriate course. They collaborated with Ogden to develop an agreement for creating the 223 Locomotive Foundation with a specific focus on the project.
The 223 Locomotive Foundation was established as a charitable non-profit corporation in the state of Colorado on July 16, 2025. Ogden City, the Colorado Railroad Museum, and the Foundation are collaboratively developing a strategic plan to return Locomotive #223 to Colorado and restore it to operational condition. The 223 Locomotive Foundation has applied to the IRS for recognition as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity. The Board of Directors invites your support, both through financial contributions and by encouraging others to join the effort to see Locomotive #223 restored and operating once again.
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223 Locomotive Foundation Board of Directors​
Three Originating Incorporator Directors
Jimmy Booth – President
Ray Bjerrum – Treasurer
Jeff Taylor – Secretary
Additional Directors
John Bush - Director
Marc La Chey - Director
To learn more about our Directors visit page
223 Restoration
By Jeff Taylor
The rebuilding or restoration of a steam locomotive isn’t easy. It takes passion, dedication, and hard work. The Golden Spike chapter of the Railway & Historical Locomotive Society certainly had all of that and more. They put in the hard work for many years, and their efforts have prepared us for our next step.
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To finish 223 to operation most of the remaining work will be on the locomotive with some finishing on the tender. This work on the locomotive, however, is the most time consuming, precise, and critical portion of the restoration. We are looking forward to completing the restoration and bringing the locomotive back to life!
Tender
The tender was essentially completely replaced. The cistern had rusted away so badly that it was only good as a pattern for a new one. The wooden frame was just as bad, and all new wood was required to build the frame. Hardware from both the cistern and frame were reused, like handrails, the ladder, brackets, bolsters and the trucks. This is very typical of 1880s narrow gauge locomotives that have lived outside for so long. From here the tender will only need some minor work and additions to be FRA compliant.
The Boiler
The boiler is the heart of it all, providing steam to breathe life into the locomotive. The boiler is also the most critical in terms of safety and requires precise mathematical calculations to ensure a proper safety factor. Hours of hard work by skilled and experienced people go into ensuring the boiler meets the required certifications.
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223's boiler has been exposed to the elements with little protection for more than 80 years. The harsh winters in Utah and no maintenance for 50 years took their toll. The boiler will require extensive inspection internally and externally. The old boiler tubes will need to be cut and removed from the boiler. The boiler will then need to be mapped out in a grid pattern and hundreds of Ultra-sonic test measurements will be taken to determine the thickness of the metal. Thin, deteriorated or damaged sections can be pad welded or cut out and new material welded in place by a certified welder. Some areas might require the new material to be riveted in just as it was originally. The firebox experiences a great deal of stress when under pressure and because of this it is held in place by hundreds of stay bolts. These bolts need to be inspected and replaced as needed. The firebox sheets also will be inspected and repaired or replaced if necessary. Once the major boiler work is complete the new tubes can be installed. With new tubes in place the boiler can be hydrostatically tested. This is pressurizing the boiler with warm water to safely test it for any issues. If no issues are found during the hydrostatic test the boiler is essentially ready to go. Many other things must be done to reach this point but I’m trying to keep this simple.
The Frame and Running Gear
The frame is the foundation of it all to which everything is attached, the cylinders, wheels, suspension, and of course the boiler. Most of the small 1880s era locomotives from the D&RG had a hard life and were involved in their fair share of accidents. The Golden spike chapter has already removed 223's frame and disassembled it into the bare bones. A thorough inspection will need to be conducted of each frame rail, its braces, pedestals, drawbar pocket, front frame extensions, the cylinder castings and its connections to the frame. Damaged areas might need straightening, cut out and new material welded in, cracks welded up, and more. The cylinders may need to be bored or sleeved; the valves will need to be reconditioned and lapped. The pistons will need new rings; the piston rods will be checked for proper diameter and roundness. New ones will be fabricated if needed. Similarly, the crosshead guide bars will be checked for proper size and thickness and machined or replaced as needed. The drivers will be inspected, crack detection being critical, tires will be tuned if they are thick enough, the axles if undersized at the bearing surface will be entirely replaced. The crank pins are likely to all be replaced. Driver boxes and crown brasses(axle bearings.) will be evaluated. Suspension and brake rigging will be another challenge. New springs can be custom made if needed, hangers and equalizers can be reused. The hangers often require cutting and customizing to the right length to get the suspension to sit just right. The brake rigging will be measured and calculations made to determine proper and equal brake forces. 223s side and main rods have seen better days. At least one main rod was damaged by a crane. It was straightened in 2016 but will need to be stress relieved. The remaining rods will be checked for straightness. The pony or lead truck will be completely rebuilt and the wheels and axle inspected.
Everything Else
There are many other components that go into locomotive restoration. The Golden spike chapter had already built a new wood cab for 223 and again reused original hardware when possible. They also had some of the accessories rebuilt professionally, like air compressors, and water injectors. Other accessories will need rebuilding or replacing as the restoration progresses.