Southern Pacific #18 Working Hard

Published Jul 12, 2019 By Robert Blue

Breath taking scenery AND a steam locomotive! It doesn’t get any better than this!

The Durango & Silverton’s Winter Photographers Special was no disappointment again this year. In what turned out to be a photographers dream, the Animas Valley and Canyon provided the perfect backdrop for some splendid scenes.

Southern Pacific’s #18 exerts maximum effort in traversing the snow in harsh winter conditions. On loan from from Independence, California, the locomotive is helping to train the crews on oil burning instead of coal.

Some quick facts about Southern Pacific #18

Builder: Baldwin Locomotive Works
Locomotive type: Passenger oriented built for the Nevada-California-Oregon Railway
Build date: 1911
Wheel configuration 4-6-0
Tender weight: 87,000 pounds
fuel: oil
Tractive effort: 17,800lbf

Let us know if you have had the chance to take this scenic excursion on the Durango & Silverton Railroad! We would love to hear about your experience!