In the 1880s, the Denver & Rio Grande rapidly expanded following the conclusion of the Royal Gorge War, with major construction projects along the San Juan Extension, the Chili Line, and the affiliate Denver & Rio Grande Western Railway building a line through the Utah Territory.

[15] As they aged, the C-16s were gradually relegated to lower priority train services and branch line work, having been supplanted by more modern locomotives.

The locomotive was given a fake diamond stack and an 1880s paint scheme in the Salida shops, before being sent to Salt Lake City.

Shipped along with 223 were a narrow gauge boxcar, caboose, and high-side gondola, which were sent to Pioneer Village in the Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, Utah.

223 sat in the open at Liberty Park, gradually deteriorating from weather and vandalism until 1979, when the city gave it to the Utah State Historical Society.

[20][21] John Bush, then an employee of the Roaring Camp & Big Trees Railroad in California, was commissioned to make a report on the cost of potential restoration.

223 was then moved from there to its present location at the north end of the Utah State Railroad Museum complex next to the restoration shop.

Limited restoration has been underway at its current location, Union Station, Ogden, Utah, with the tender and cab in the Museum's shop and the remainder sitting outside without boiler lagging.

However, through analysis of historical photographs, it has been determined that the rods were in actuality bent during its display at Liberty Park to prevent it from rolling.

A flat spot can be felt under the main rod 1 on the fireman's side of the engine where the jack was placed to bend it.

[2] Until 2020, restoration work was being done by the Golden Spike Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society in the former Trainman's Building at the north end of the Ogden Union Station.

Ogden City paid for roof repairs, an alarm system and fluorescent lighting, and the restoration work was moved inside.

[4] In 2019 the R&LHS crew was locked out of the shop by Ogden City and refused to allow continued work on the locomotive at Union Station.

[29] The State of Utah has expressed interest in moving the locomotive to a static display in Salt Lake City.

Steve Jones head of the R&LHS Golden Spike chapter criticized the ownership transfer in a quote published in the Standard-Examiner saying "Ogden City has not been very good at maintaining any of the collection.