I worked in Guatemala for three different employers, and I was the last guy to get anything steam related out of the country. This happened 30 years ago when I brought the tenders from the Sumpter Valley articulateds back to Oregon, for use with their original locomotives, SVRy #19 & #20. As I have explained several times on this forum, STEAM LOCOMOTIVES CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM GUATEMALA because they are covered by national patrimony law. PERIOD. I only got those tenders out by describing them as "railroad water cars" on the sales contracts and customs documentation, and by scrupulously avoiding the words "steam locomotive". They cost $6,000 for the pair, less shipping, etc, which wasn't a rock bottom price back then.

I've only been to El Salvador once, in 1988, and they weren't exactly overflowing with steam power. So far as I'm aware, they have two heavy 2-8-0s which were operable 20 years ago, and a few smaller engines on display. If it's like Guatemala, the locomotives might be operable, but have a long list of defects and ailments, and would cost a fortune to bring up to FRA standards. I can't tell you anything about whether or not they have national patrimony laws prohibiting export. They DID have a national railroad museum, as does Guatemala, last I knew.

What I CAN tell you is that a three foot gauge engine in Colombia was advertised several years ago on this site, with a fresh rebuild for $1.5 million. What the ad failed to mention is that, yes, you could buy that engine legally, but you couldn't take it out of the country with you. All it takes is one guy on the dock with a gun and a badge.

Aside from Sammy's very good reasons, you missed the whole point. C&TS is not necessarily suffering from a shortage of operable steam at the moment. What they are trying to do is to conserve the number of serviceable days on their locomotives and to have reliable emergency "road" power available at the flip of a switch if and when necessary. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic is long devoted to keeping alive the former fleet of the Denver & Rio Grande, and I would reckon that if money trees grew trackside, you'd see most of the K-37's in line for restoration before anyone went shopping south of the border.

There's an historical note here which you all seem to be missing. During World War II the Army(?) reallocated some D&RGW engines to the WP&Y to assist in building the Alaska highway et c. I don't believe they were ever returned. It seems appropriate the the two remaining narrow gauge portions of the D&RGW are obtaining surplus power from the White Pass.

There you go --- If the C&TS already has a bunch of derelict, worn out, D&RGW locomotives, they would not be doing themselves any good by looking elsewhere for the same thing from a different RR.

If Central or South American surviving steamers are anything like the last survivors of steam in Cuba before many/most of them were mercifully scrapped, I'd rather stay a few towns away if and when they attempted to fire one up.................

Seriously. Go new build, or sacrifice a couple extant cadavers for complete rebuild with new welded boilers, oil firing, the works.

I met Major Withun while working for Ferrovias Guatemala, and asked him about visiting Cuba. He advised me that I'd be too scared to get close enough to take pictures, much less firing or driving... and I was damn near killed several times in Guatemala !!!

Today's Trains Magazine Newswire report on this story includes one other detail not highlighted before:

LOL That's priceless!

Add me to the list of people who approve of this purchase. These locomotives are getting old enough to be preservation candidates.

I haven't heard any strong objections to the "M-7" center-cab Diesel at the EBT that kept them going for awhile, and still gets used on lighter ridership days. These are tourist railroads that have to operate in the real world, not museum recreations, but they do strive to keep the historic appearance as much as possible. I'm sure C&TS will repaint their Diesel in a tasteful D&RGW-ish period paint scheme, imagining what a D&RGW narrow gauge Diesel might have looked like. Save the most valuable operating assets for those of us who truly appreciate seeing them operate on special occasions for decades to come.

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I would never define the C&TS as a “tourist railroad” and they advertise themselves as the “most authentic steam railroad in North America.” This definitely makes them less authentic than they were before, that is not up for debate.

Authenticity? With the previously stated new build coach stock, smooth rails, and locomotives in good condition? If you want truly authentic you’ve got a lot of things that would not be acceptable with today’s service requirements.

It’s necessary for these railroads to have a solid contingency option, and that comes with diesels. If there is an issue of let’s say fire danger, I’d rather the diesel operate than nothing at all.

I’m honestly surprised that the C&TS only invested in one. If I were them I’d grab a couple of more just in case.

A truly authentic narrow gauge shortline experience would involve track conditions more like those on a certain Argentinian line. Not to mention wood cars with coal stoves and oil or Pintsch gas lighting, which makes for a great combination in derailments.

At the end of the day we all have to live within our budgets, and it sounds like this new diesel is going to help the C&TS to better accomplish this in the long term.

The other point is that the diesel electric motors are insurance for those days when they cannot operate the steam locomotives due to extreme fire danger. Cancelling trains is not optimal for business. Fires can get out of control extremely fast in hot, dry conditions. The putt putt they run behind the train and tanker are basic level fire protection, but nothing more.