$1.3M Mott Foundation Grant To Help Rebuild Rio Grande 2-8-2 No. 464
Published: February 18, 2026
By: Adam Burns
Crossroads Village & Huckleberry Railroad—one of Michigan’s best-known living-history attractions—has received a major financial boost aimed squarely at keeping steam-era railroading alive for future generations. A $1.3 million grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation will fund critical work on steam locomotive No. 464, the railroad’s 1903-built 2-8-2 “Mikado” that has been out of service awaiting heavy repairs.
The project centers on the kind of behind-the-scenes investment that can make or break a steam program: boiler and mechanical renewal work that must be completed to modern safety standards before the locomotive can pull passengers again. While No. 464 is widely recognized as the “star” engine at Crossroads Village, the reality is that steam operations depend on continuous, expensive maintenance cycles—especially for a locomotive that’s now more than a century old.
In this view of #464 the 2-8-2 leads a Huckleberry Railroad excursion near Flint, Michigan on July 22, 2009. Drew Jacksich photo.Locomotive Rebuild
According to details released with the award, the grant is being provided to the Genesee County Parks & Recreation Commission to support critical maintenance on Huckleberry Railroad Engine 464 at Crossroads Village. The work will include boiler repairs, the single most consequential (and costly) component in returning a steam locomotive to operation.
That emphasis is significant. Steam locomotives are governed by strict inspection and maintenance requirements, and the boiler is essentially the locomotive’s pressure vessel “heart.” Boiler work can involve extensive internal inspections, repairs or replacement of worn components, and upgrades needed to ensure safe, reliable operation for public excursions. The grant, in practical terms, helps secure the long-term future of No. 464 as a working exhibit rather than a static display.
Local officials have also framed the funding as an investment in regional heritage. In Genesee County’s own year-in-review messaging, the award was described as ensuring “this piece of living history” can be enjoyed by future generations—language that underscores the broader mission behind the project: preservation through operation.
Rio Grande 2-8-2 "Mudhen" #464 (K-27)
For many visitors, No. 464 is simply “the steam engine” that powers the Huckleberry Railroad. For historians and rail preservationists, it’s something more: Denver & Rio Grande Western (D&RGW) No. 464, a member of the famed K-27 class of narrow-gauge Mikados—nicknamed the “Mudhens.” Only two K-27s survive today, and No. 464 is one of them—making this locomotive a rare representative of a class that helped define Rocky Mountain narrow-gauge railroading in the early 20th century.
Built in 1903 by Baldwin Locomotive Works, No. 464 was part of a 15-engine fleet constructed for the Denver & Rio Grande’s narrow-gauge system, numbered 450 through 464. As a K-27, the locomotive was designed for demanding mountain service where curves were sharp, grades were steep, and rail infrastructure often favored the lighter, cheaper-to-build narrow gauge.
Over the years, the K-27s evolved mechanically. Historical documentation notes that the class was originally built as Vauclain compound locomotives and later converted to conventional single-expansion operation, with multiple engines ultimately receiving superheaters, piston valves, and Walschaerts valve gear during subsequent upgrades—improvements that reflected the railroads’ drive for greater power and efficiency.
No. 464’s own story is notable even within the class: it was the last K-27 to remain in D&RGW service, reportedly working at Durango, Colorado, before being retired in 1962. After retirement, the engine spent time on display and then entered the theme-park world when it was sold to Knott’s Berry Farm in California in the 1970s.
The locomotive’s next chapter began in the Midwest. Accounts of the engine’s preservation path indicate the Huckleberry Railroad acquired No. 464 in 1981, undertook a lengthy restoration effort, and ultimately returned it to service later in the decade. Over time, No. 464 became the signature steam locomotive at Crossroads Village—an eye-catching Colorado narrow-gauge Mikado hauling excursion trains through a Michigan county park.
More recently, No. 464’s operational timeline entered another familiar phase for steam preservation: the engine last operated in the late 2010s/early 2019 timeframe and has since awaited a major overhaul—precisely the kind of expensive, specialized work that the new Mott Foundation grant is intended to address.
The Huckleberry Railroad
The Huckleberry Railroad is a narrow-gauge heritage railway located in Genesee Township near Flint, Michigan, and it operates as a key attraction of Crossroads Village, a living-history museum owned and maintained by the Genesee County Parks & Recreation Commission.
What visitors experience
Crossroads Village is built around the idea of stepping into a Great Lakes community from the turn of the 20th century, featuring dozens of historic structures and period experiences. The Huckleberry Railroad complements that mission by offering a working rail experience—steam (when available), vintage coaches, and the sights and sounds that make rail history feel immediate rather than distant.
The railroad itself traces its name to a long-told bit of rail folklore: the line was supposedly slow enough that someone could hop off, pick wild huckleberries, and hop back on without much trouble.
Roots in Michigan railroad history
While the modern Huckleberry Railroad is a heritage attraction, its story connects to earlier rail development in the region. Summaries of the corridor’s past describe rail activity that developed in the late 19th century, with expansions that ultimately created a longer route between communities—followed by abandonments in the early 1930s.
The heritage operation associated with Crossroads Village opened in 1976, aligning with the debut of the village attraction itself—an origin date that makes the Huckleberry Railroad one of the longer-running heritage operations in the Midwest.
Today’s locomotive lineup
In recent years, official park materials have noted that No. 464 has been out of service undergoing renovation, with other locomotives (including steam No. 152) handling day-to-day operations when steam is running. That context helps explain why restoring No. 464 is such a big deal: it isn’t merely a cosmetic project, but a return of a marquee locomotive that adds capacity, flexibility, and historical “pull” to the attraction’s operating season.
To learn more about the Huckleberry Railroad and the Crossroads Village please click here to visit their website.
Recent Articles
-
Skunk Train Fall Foliage & Redwood Ride (2026)
Aug 14, 26 11:52 PM
Fort Bragg & Willits Skunk Train through coastal redwoods—year-round Pudding Creek & Wolf Tree rides plus autumn pumpkin-patch trains. Book skunktrain.com. -
Pikes Peak Cog Railway Fall Foliage Train Ride (2026)
Aug 14, 26 11:37 PM
Broadmoor Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog—year-round summit trains with late September–mid-October aspen color. ~3-hour RT from Manitou Springs. Book cograilway.com. -
Osceola & St. Croix Valley Fall Colors Trains (2026)
Aug 14, 26 11:28 PM
Named Fall Colors trains from Osceola, WI through the St. Croix River Valley—~90 minutes, weekends mid-Sept through late Oct. Book trainride.org. -
Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad Fall Foliage Train Rides (2026)
Aug 14, 26 11:18 PM
Elbe–Mineral steam excursions through Cascade foothill forests—~75-minute scenic trains into autumn. Adults from ~$34. Book mtrainierrailroad.com. -
Conway Scenic Pumpkin Patch Express (2026): Dates, Tickets & Tips
Aug 14, 26 11:01 PM
Conway Scenic Railroad Pumpkin Patch Express—North Conway to White Mountain Cider Co. / Glen area pumpkin pick, family October special, 2026 booking tips. -
Black River & Western Pumpkin Trains (2026): Dates, Tickets & Tips
Aug 14, 26 10:46 PM
Black River & Western Pumpkin Trains—Ringoes/Flemington family pumpkin package, steam #60 when rostered, maze and wagon activities, 2026 booking tips. -
Halloween Train Rides (2026): Pumpkin Patch, Haunted & Spooky Trips
Aug 14, 26 10:02 PM
2026 Halloween train rides—pumpkin patch trains, haunted excursions, and family fall specials at tourist railroads across the U.S. National hub with state directory and planning tips. -
Vermont Scenic Train Rides (2026): A Complete Guide
Aug 14, 26 09:35 PM
Vermont tourist trains—Green Mountain Railroad / Champlain Valley Dinner Train, Shelburne Museum context, foliage and lake-country planning. 2026 guide. -
Virginia Scenic Train Rides (2026): A Complete Guide
Aug 14, 26 08:04 PM
Virginia tourist trains and rail museums—Virginia Scenic Railway, Buckingham Branch context, VMT Roanoke, C&O Heritage Center, O. Winston Link Museum. 2026 planning guide. -
Scenic Train Rides (USA 2026): State Guide to Tourist Railroads
Aug 14, 26 07:44 PM
Find scenic and tourist train rides in every U.S. state—heritage railroads, steam excursions, dinner trains, and fall foliage. National hub with history, what to expect, and state-by-state guides. -
Rhode Island Scenic Train Rides (2026): A Complete Guide
Aug 14, 26 07:01 PM
Rhode Island tourist trains—Newport & Narragansett Bay Railroad and the Rhode Island Railroad Museum. 2026 Ocean State guide. -
Commuter Rail (USA): Definition, History & Systems Directory
Aug 14, 26 06:36 PM
American commuter rail—private suburban trains to public agencies (LIRR, Metro-North, NJ Transit, Metra, Metrolink, and more). History, vs light rail, and a national systems directory. -
New Jersey Scenic Train Rides (2026): A Complete Guide
Aug 14, 26 06:23 PM
New Jersey tourist trains—Black River & Western, Woodstown Central, Cape May Seashore Lines, Delaware River Railroad, Pine Creek, Whippany. 2026 guide. -
Rail Tours (USA & Canada): Luxury Trains, Cruise Trains & History
Aug 14, 26 06:11 PM
North American rail tours explained—luxury multi-day trains vs Amtrak packages vs tourist excursions. Rocky Mountaineer, Chepe Express, historic AOE, New River Train, and directory of AR profiles. -
Massachusetts Scenic Train Rides (2026): A Complete Guide
Aug 14, 26 04:23 PM
Massachusetts tourist trains—Cape Cod Central, Berkshire Scenic, Edaville, Shelburne Falls Trolley. 2026 Bay State scenic and heritage guide. -
Amtrak Unique Trainsets: TurboTrain, Turboliner, Metroliner & More
Aug 14, 26 03:44 PM
Amtrak’s distinctive trainsets—United Aircraft TurboTrain, French RTG and Rohr RTL Turboliners, German ICE and Swedish X2000 tests, and Budd Metroliners on the Northeast Corridor. -
Amtrak Locomotive Roster: Historical & Current Power
Aug 14, 26 01:55 PM
Amtrak motive power—heritage E/F/SDP40F/F40/Genesis roster research plus mid-2020s ALC-42 Chargers, state SC-44s, ACS-64 electrics, NextGen Acela, and Airo ALC-42E dual-modes. -
Connecticut Dinner Train Rides From Essex
Aug 14, 26 01:55 PM
Connecticut's rail heritage can be traced back to the industry's earliest days and a few organizations preserve this rich history by offering train rides. The Essex Steam Train also hosts dinner-theme… -
Virginia Dinner Train Rides From Staunton
Aug 14, 26 01:41 PM
If you’ve ever wished you could pair a classic scenic train ride with a genuinely satisfying meal—served at your table while the countryside rolls by—the Virginia Scenic Railway was built for you. -
Discontinued Amtrak Trains: Lost Named Services & Routes
Aug 14, 26 01:25 PM
List of discontinued Amtrak and Amtrak-era named trains—Broadway Limited, Floridian, Pioneer, Desert Wind, Metroliners, North Coast Hiawatha, and dozens more with route and date notes. -
Illinois Dinner Train Rides From The MRM
Aug 14, 26 01:11 PM
The Monticello Railway Museum (MRM) is one of those places that quietly does a lot: it preserves a sizable collection, maintains its own operating railroad, and—most importantly for visitors—puts hist… -
Georgia Dinner Train Rides From Nashville
Aug 14, 26 01:05 PM
If you’ve ever wished you could slow down, trade traffic for jointed rail, and let a small-town landscape roll by your window while a hot meal is served at your table, the Azalea Sprinter delivers tha… -
Amtrak Ridership by Year (1971–2025): Passengers, Miles & Revenue
Aug 14, 26 01:03 PM
Amtrak fiscal-year ridership tables 1971–2019 from American-Rails.com research, plus FY2024–FY2025 record years from Amtrak public reports. -
Amtrak (USA): History, Routes, Ridership, Fleet & The National Network
Aug 14, 26 12:21 PM
Amtrak history and network—Railpax 1970, May 1 1971 startup, Northeast Corridor and long-distance trains, ridership through FY2025 records, Superliners to NextGen Acela and Airo, ALC-42s, and route di… -
Kentucky Dinner Train Rides Departing From Bardstown
Aug 14, 26 11:10 AM
The essence of My Old Kentucky Dinner Train is part restaurant, part scenic excursion, and part living piece of Kentucky rail history. -
Railroad Infrastructure (USA): Track, Bridges, Signals, Yards, History
Aug 14, 26 10:54 AM
American railroad infrastructure—what it means (track, ballast, ties, bridges, tunnels, signals, yards, towers), T-rail and standard gauge roots, and a full directory of fixed-plant topics. -
Arizona Dinner Train Rides From Williams
Aug 14, 26 10:48 AM
While the Grand Canyon Railway does not offer a true, onboard dinner train experience it does offer several upscale options and off-train dining. -
Railroad Maintenance-of-Way Equipment: Machines, Track Work, History
Aug 14, 26 12:22 AM
Railroad maintenance-of-way (MOW)—section gangs to mechanized track work: ballast, tampers, undercutters, Jordan spreaders, spike machines, Sperry defect cars, and a full equipment directory. -
Railroad Freight Cars (USA): Types, History, AAR Codes, Modern Designs
Aug 14, 26 12:10 AM
American freight cars—from Granite Railway tram flats and B&O gondolas to boxcars, hoppers, tanks, reefers, autoracks, well cars, AAR type codes, and a full car-type directory. -
Maine Scenic Train Rides (2026): A Complete Guide
Aug 14, 26 12:03 AM
Maine train rides offers the public incredible views of the state's back country with experiences including narrow-gauge operations, trolleys, and more. -
Passenger Train Cars (USA): Types, History, Pullman & Streamliners
Aug 13, 26 11:53 PM
American passenger cars—from stagecoach-style coaches and B&O’s Imlay cars to Pullman sleepers and diners, heavyweights, air-conditioning, streamliners, and a full type directory (coach, dome, RPO… -
Electric Locomotives (USA): History, Models & Preservation
Aug 13, 26 10:41 PM
American electric locomotives—from B&O’s 1895 Belt Line and Sprague’s streetcars to PRR GG1s, Milwaukee Little Joes, Virginian rectifiers, NEC power, and a roster of preserved classic motors. -
Steam Locomotive Terms & Definitions: Glossary of Parts, Types & Talk
Aug 13, 26 09:14 PM
Steam locomotive glossary—articulated, Mallet, superheater, feedwater heater, cab-forward, camelback, Shay/Heisler/Climax, duplex-drive, pop valve, quartered drivers, and more shop and type terms used… -
Steam Locomotives (USA): History, Types, Whyte Notation & Builders
Aug 13, 26 08:47 PM
American steam locomotives—from Trevithick and Stephenson to Tom Thumb, Super Power Berkshires, Big Boys and Challengers, How steam works, Whyte types, Baldwin/Alco/Lima, dieselization, and living ste… -
Locomotive History (USA): Steam, Electric & Diesel Power
Aug 13, 26 04:50 PM
How American trains are powered—steam, electric, and diesel-electric locomotives from Tom Thumb and Stourbridge Lion through B&O’s Howard Street motors, EMD FT, and today’s Progress Rail &am… -
Interurbans & Streetcars (USA): Definition, History & State Guides
Aug 13, 26 04:09 PM
American interurbans and trolleys—what an interurban was, peak ~15,580 miles (1916), Hilton & Due, Midwest epicenter, decline, survivors (South Shore, Iowa Traction), and links to state traction h… -
Maryland Scenic Train Rides (2026): A Complete Guide
Aug 13, 26 03:09 PM
Maryland tourist trains—Western Maryland Scenic, Walkersville Southern, B&O Railroad Museum, streetcar museums. 2026 mountains-to-Baltimore guide. -
Streamliners (USA): History, Famous Trains & Why They Mattered
Aug 13, 26 02:51 PM
American railroad streamliners—UP M-10000, Burlington Pioneer Zephyr, Hiawatha, Super Chief, California Zephyr, Art Deco design, diesel power, and the decline into Amtrak. Full named-train directory. -
Michigan Dinner Train Rides From Owosso
Aug 13, 26 02:28 PM
The Steam Railroading Institute is best known as the home of Pere Marquette #1225 and even occasionally hosts a dinner train! -
Minnesota Dinner Train Rides From Duluth
Aug 13, 26 01:02 PM
One of the best ways to feel the region's history in motion today is aboard the North Shore Scenic Railroad (NSSR), which operates out of Duluth’s historic depot. -
Delaware Scenic Train Rides (2026): A Complete Guide
Aug 13, 26 12:58 PM
Delaware tourist trains—Wilmington & Western Railroad steam and specials in the Red Clay Valley. 2026 planning guide. -
Connecticut Scenic Train Rides (2026): A Complete Guide
Aug 13, 26 12:42 PM
Connecticut tourist trains—Essex Steam Train & Riverboat, Naugatuck Railroad, Danbury Railway Museum, Connecticut Trolley Museum, Shore Line Trolley. 2026 planning guide. -
North Carolina Dinner Train Rides From Spencer
Aug 13, 26 12:15 PM
Tucked into the Piedmont town of Spencer, the North Carolina Transportation Museum is the kind of place that feels less like a typical museum and more like a living rail yard that never quite stopped… -
West Virginia Railroads: History, Map, Coal Lines & Today’s Network
Aug 13, 26 12:09 PM
West Virginia railroad history—B&O, C&O, N&W, Virginian, Western Maryland; coal and logging heritage; abandonments; CSX, Norfolk Southern, short lines; Amtrak Cardinal; Cass and mountain tourist train… -
Railroad Bridges (USA): History, Types, Trusses & Famous Spans
Aug 13, 26 11:51 AM
History of American railroad bridges—from stone viaducts and wooden trestles to Howe, Pratt, and Warren trusses, plate girders, movable spans, and landmarks still carrying freights and Amtrak today. -
California Dinner Train Rides From Sacramento
Aug 13, 26 11:47 AM
Just minutes from downtown Sacramento, the River Fox Train has carved out a niche that’s equal parts scenic railroad, social outing, and “pick-your-own-adventure” evening on the rails. -
New Jersey Dinner Train Rides From Woodstown
Aug 13, 26 11:42 AM
For visitors who love experiences (not just attractions), Woodstown Central’s dinner-and-dining style trains have become a signature offering—especially for couples’ nights out, small friend groups, a… -
Texas Dinner Train Rides On The TSR
Aug 13, 26 11:38 AM
Today, TSR markets itself as a round-trip, four-hour, 25-mile journey between Palestine and Rusk—an easy day trip (or date-night centerpiece) with just the right amount of history baked in. -
Iowa Dinner Train Rides From Boone
Aug 13, 26 11:07 AM
If you’ve ever wished you could pair a leisurely rail journey with a proper sit-down meal—white tablecloths, big windows, and countryside rolling by—the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad & Museum… -
Railroad Landmarks (USA): Famous Bridges, Tunnels, Passes & Grades
Aug 13, 26 11:04 AM
U.S. railroad landmarks hub—Horseshoe Curve, Tehachapi Loop, Hoosac and Moffat tunnels, Starrucca and Thomas viaducts, mountain passes, cutoffs, and railfan hot spots. Engineering feats still carrying…
