Southern Pacific #18 – December and January 2026

Its the final few days of the year, if you need a last minute tax deductible donation please consider the SP18! And if you need to get a head start on 2026’s donations, that is okay too.

As we look ahead to 2026, we have a few goals we would like to achieve this coming year. First off, we expect to see our boxcar 1C restoration completed. Secondly, we plan to hold a couple of operational days in Independence with #18 (exact dates to come soon). Additionally, we will continue with our ongoing support of the museum yard enhancement projects and signage. And lastly, we have a couple new projects we are looking to embark upon which we will announce later this year.

All of us at the Carson and Colorado hope that you have had a wonderful 2025, and look forward to having a prosperous 2026.

Southern Pacific #18 – October and November 2025

Late October contained picture perfect weather in the Owens Valley as we gathered to work on #18 and boxcar #1C. The perfect weather also allowed for a little Right of Way exploration!

East side of Mt. Montgomery

Work on #18 consisted of lapping and machining of the main fountain valve, constructing a couple new washout plugs, and constructing new tank leg plumbing. Meanwhile on track 1, work was pushing ahead on the boxcar in the form of putting up siding. Thanks to Bob, Jon, Beverly, Scott, and Randy all remaining siding was put up, trimmed to finish size, and hand nailed into place! By rough count, that’s over 1200 nails that were hand driven. Why hand nail this siding you ask? Simple, because the car is being held to Department of Interior restoration standards which means work and materials are done in-kind to what the original had.

We look forward to the next gathering later this year. Please consider a tax deductible, end of year donation. And a big THANK YOU for your ongoing support and donations. Its your support that allows us to achieve what we do!

Weather over the Sierra’s near Kearsarge Station