On my first visit to Colorado to ride narrow gauge trains my parents took me to Central City in hopes of riding the only operating C&S engine, 2-8-0 No. 71. Put on display there in 1941, it was brought back to life in 1986 and began running in 1987 on the second tourist railroad to run in town (the first didn't use No. 71). We parked and walked up to the boarding platform and station in Central City in the summer of 1990 to find...nothing moving. Alas, I missed riding behind that engine by a few months due to the bankruptcy of the line.
I have only seen one other video of 71 in action. Last month another video, one I hadn't seen before was posted on Youtube show her pulling her train in 1989, including combine No. 20 , gondola 4319 , and another excursion car, possibly one of the C&S former boxcars-turned flatcars brought back from the White Pass & Yukon by Dan Quiat. I know there were a great deal of problems with the Blackhawk and Central City Narrow Gauge Railroad, but it is still breathtaking (and a little heartbreaking considering the brevity of the line) to see C&S 71 under steam.
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