McCloud Railway 18

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McCloud Railway 18
McCloud Railway No. 18.jpg
MCRR No. 18 at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, California in 1915
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderBaldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number41709
Build dateOctober 1914
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-8-2
 • UIC1'D1'
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia.48 in (1.219 m)
Loco weight178,400 lb (80.9 t)
Fuel typeOil
Boiler pressure180 psi (1.24 MPa)
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size20 in × 28 in (508 mm × 711 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort39,667 lbf (176.4 kN)
Career
OperatorsMcCloud River Railroad (1915–1956);
Yreka Western Railroad (1956–1998);
McCloud Railway (1998-2005);
Virginia and Truckee Railroad (2007-)
LocaleCalifornia
Retired1964 (revenue service)
Restored1998

McCloud Railway No. 18 is a 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works. The locomotive was purchased new by the McCloud River Railway Company in 1914 as a standalone purchase. No. 18 was bought by the Yreka Western Railroad in 1956 and bought back by the McCloud in 1998. It was restored to operation in McCloud during 1998 and operated there until it was sold in 2005 to Virginia and Truckee Railroad. The unit operated on the V&T until it was slated for FRA inspection in 2015. It is currently under restoration at the Virginia and Truckee.

History[]

Early Use[]

McCloud Railway #18 was built in October 1914 at the Baldwin Locomotive Works. The unit was sent to the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco during 1915. The display was jointly sponsored by McCloud Railway, Weed Lumber Company and Red River Lumber Company. The unit was then returned to McCloud, where it lived out most of its life. [1] It has since been used in the film Water for Elephants.

First Retirement[]

In 1956, as McCloud Railway was acquiring newer diesels from Baldwin, they retired their elderly steam locomotive fleet (including 18). The unit was sold (like many McCloud steam locomotives at the time) to Yreka Western Railroad, a small, power-starved railroad also in Northern California. The unit was operated with sister #19 at Yreka until 1964, when the unit suffered a cylinder failure on a special trip and was sidelined. The unit languished in Yreka until 1998, when the McCloud Railway bought the unit to assist 25 in railfan trips. [2]

Restoration and Present[]

The locomotive was restored to operation at McCloud in 1998, and quickly became the favorite unit as it was bigger and stronger than #25 and handled the large grades on the road better. In 2005, with the imminent demise of the McCloud Railway as a financial entity, the unit was sold to Virginia and Truckee Railroad as an excursion unit. They acquired the #18 in 2007, and it has been in use since 2010. It is slated to be renumbered to #31.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ Steam Locomotive Dot Com: McCloud River 2-8-2 "Mikes" in the USA
  2. ^ McCloud Rails - Engine #18
  3. ^ McCloud Rails - Passenger Operations - Locomotive #18

External links[]

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