7 Places C&S 9 Almost Went

The last book by Dr. Seuss published during his lifetime was Oh, the Places You'll Go.  It's a fitting title for the life of C&S No. 9

Today, C&S mogul No. 9 is on display in Breckenridge on a stretch of track on the original right-of-way of the South Park Line.  After use on a scrap train in June 1938, she was displayed at the 1939 World's Fair, was stored in the CB&Q shops in Illinois, was then run at the 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair, returned to Aurora, and then leased to the Black Hills Central in South Dakota where the engine and her train was on display.  In 1988 the Burlington Northern gave her to Colorado.  She spent many years at the Georgetown Loop, even running for a short season in 2006, until she was put in her most recent setting, Breckenridge.

What many don't know are the many places she came close to being.  While none of these panned out, they were in consideration at one point.

Here are the 7 places C&S 9 almost went:

1. The scrap yard

From at least January to March of 1938, the plan for the New York World's Fair was to display C&S mogul No. 6.  By December, something changed and No. 9 was substituted.  Incidentally No, 6 was scrapped that very month.

2. Central City

In 1940, Vice President and General Manager of the C&S Robert Rice sought to give No. 9 to Central City as they were actively requesting a display engine.  In the end No. 71 was given this honor.

3. More fairs

J.W. Cooper responded to Rice by saying that the Central City option "might be desirable" but that "might preclude the use of the locomotive for display at fairs or other places if requests were received."

4. New York

There was "some talk" of keeping railroad equipment for the World's Fair and putting them on permanent exhibit in New York.

5. The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry

The president of the CB&Q wrote that "serious consideration is being given to placing the old narrow gauge engine and cars" in the museum in Chicago.

6. Denver 

Apparently the CB&Q had offered an engine for display (presumably No. 9, though it may have been No. 6) to Denver, but the city wasn't interested.  

By Kari Sullivan from Austin, TX

7. Colorado Springs

A man named Spence Penrose also wanted one of the C&S narrow gauge engines for display at the
Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, but he died before the engine was procured. 

If Dr. Seuss could write a book for this post I suppose it would be called Oh, the Places You Didn't Go.

The above info is from Daniel W. Edwards' A Documentary of the South Park Line: Vol. 6 from the chapter entitled "South Park Engines in New York and Central City."