Historic Train Restoration
at Santa Rita Park

When the City of Durango needed someone to restore one of the most beloved landmarks at Santa Rita Park — a vintage 1930s movie prop train — they called Rocky Top Painting. It's the kind of project that doesn't come along often, and our team took it seriously.

The Project

The locomotive and accompanying cars had been a fixture at Santa Rita Park for decades, delighting generations of Durango families. But years of exposure to Colorado's intense UV, freeze-thaw cycles, and mountain weather had taken their toll. The paint was peeling, rust had set in on exposed metal surfaces, and the historic character of the piece was starting to fade.

Rocky Top was brought in to do a complete restoration — not just a coat of paint, but a proper rehabilitation that would preserve the train's historical appearance while protecting it for years to come.

The Process

Before any paint touched the surface, we addressed the rust. Every affected metal surface was mechanically treated — wire brushing, grinding, and where necessary, applying a rust converter to stop any active oxidation in its tracks. Only once we were confident the metal was clean and stable did we prime.

Color matching was the most interesting challenge. We worked to identify historically appropriate colors for a 1930s locomotive — researching period documentation and working with the City's historic preservation contacts to get as close as possible to what the original would have looked like. The goal was authenticity, not approximation.

The final coatings were selected for exterior durability in Colorado's demanding climate: high-UV-resistance topcoats, rust-inhibiting primers on all metal, and careful attention to any joints or seams where moisture could work its way in.

The Result

The completed restoration drew immediate positive response from the community. The train looks the way a 1930s movie locomotive should look — bold, colorful, and clearly cared for. It's the kind of project that reminds us why we got into this work: not just to make things look better, but to preserve things that matter to people.

Santa Rita Park is one of Durango's most-visited public spaces, and we're proud to have contributed to it. If you have a historic, unusual, or particularly challenging project — that's exactly where Rocky Top shines.

"Not just to make things look better — but to preserve things that matter to people."

Need a Specialty Project Completed?

Rocky Top Painting & Construction has tackled everything from standard residential interiors to unique commercial landmarks. If you have a project that requires more than just a paint brush — we'd love to hear about it.