Jimmy Booth’s passion for all things railroading comes from his father who was into standard gauge history and modeling. On a railroad pilgrimage visiting Ogden and Salt Lake City, 8-year-old Jimmy found D&RGWRR C-16 locomotive 223 in Tracy Avery Park.  Thus began a focused interest in the Colorado narrow-gauge railroads and a lifelong love for the locomotive he first encountered, 223.

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At a young age Jimmy developed modeling skills that were far superior to someone his age. He was awarded prizes for several models entered into contests. Combined with the skills and an excellent talent to include the upmost finest detail in every model built, Jimmy was well known in the railroad modelling community.

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When Jimmy gravitated into narrow-gauge modeling he started in HOn3 and the first available locomotive was a model of #223. A few years later HOn3 was too small and Jimmy decided to model in On3. On a trip to Denver his dad bought him his first On3 locomotive and it was a C-16 number 223. After a couple of years, it was evident that the ideal scale to model narrow-gauge in was Sn3 and Jimmy bought a C-16 number 223.  As time went on Jimmy’s passion for narrow-gauge combined with his modeling talents led him to be hired by Bill Peter of P-B-L and through the years Jimmy and Bill have built one the most respected narrow-gauge modelling companies.

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In the early 2000’s our mutual friend Ron Schmidt was working with 3 other modelers to build 4 C-16 locomotives in 2 ½” scale to run on 7 ½” gauge track. Ron had extra C-16 casting and gave them to Jimmy hoping that he would build a 2 ½” scale locomotive. These locomotives are operational live steam engines and yes, Jimmy’s locomotive would be a “Best in Scale” model of 223.

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Jimmy was able to efficiently gather documentation for his 2 ½” scale 223 by making multiple trips to Ogden, Utah, where he photographed and measured the actual 223 locomotive. The timing was ideal, as members of the Golden Spike Chapter were actively restoring engine 223, which enabled him to document components that would otherwise have been difficult or impossible to access.

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The restoration activity in Ogden of the full-size 223 locomotive was largely overseen by Maynard Morris, with Jimmy contributing in a manner that was mutually advantageous. Jimmy's dedication to historical accuracy and detailed modeling facilitated the inclusion of authentic features during the cab and tender restoration. Maynard had made CAD drawings of the old tender tank which were used to cut the metal for the new tender tank. Maynard gave Jimmy the CAD drawings which were then reduced to 2 ½” scale and use to cut out the metal for his tender. For you “Rivet Counters”, the original tender, the new reproduction tank, and Jimmy’s model have the exact same number of rivets.

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Under Jimmy’s leadership of the C-16 Society and following the transfer of 223 ownership to Ogden City, it is fitting that he will now assume custodial responsibility for managing the complete restoration of locomotive 223. While the 223 Locomotive Foundation may encounter challenges during this process, successfully restoring a 145-year-old full-size steam locomotive requires adaptability and expertise. Jimmy’s problem-solving skills and ability to bring together knowledgeable collaborators are expected to ensure the most favorable outcome.