Lake Superior and Ishpeming 18

In the 1900s, the Lake Superior and Ishpeming railroad[1] needed locomotives to pull passenger and iron ore trains between West Ishpeming and Marquette.[2] They had a few 1890s-built 2-8-0 consolidation types[3] at the time, which were rated at approximately 43,304 pounds of tractive effort, but the railroad decided to supplement them with a new design of a 2-8-0 consolidation from the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a class B-4 No. 14, replacing an 1880s-built 0-4-0 that was also numbered 14. It proved to be a powerful performer of its time.

In 1909, to replace their fleet of 1890s-built 0-6-0s, the railroad designed and ordered five small 2-8-0s locomotives from ALCO, and they arrived the following year, being numbered 9-13. The 18 was numbered 11 at the time and was among the five that were built. The railroad expected great power from these little consolidations, as the freight traffic was getting heavier. However, the 11 and her sisters had smaller boilers than the B-4s, and they weren't quite as powerful, either, as they were only capable of 34,000 pounds in tractive effort. This was because they weren't without design flaws, one of which was their fireboxes, which were very narrow, as they were tucked in between the rear set of driving wheels. This flaw made the little consolidations lackluster steamers compared to the B-4s, or even the 0-6-0s they were intended to replace. They had a bad habit of stalling on hills or giving up when their trains became heavy to pull, so railroaders often flew curses at them. The 11 and her sisters instead saw use as motive power for mixed trains, stand-by locomotives when there was power needed for extra ore trains, or just use as dock switchers.

When the Pittsburg facility was shut down, and as World War I broke out, the LS&I decided to get locomotives larger and more powerful than what they had, so they designed and ordered three larger locomotives from Baldwin Locomotive Works, and they were numbered 18–20. These proved to be so powerful that the 11 and her classmates might have become redundant with their flaws, and the railroad couldn't afford to rebuild them. In 1924, the LS&I received some additional 2-8-0s, including some more of 11's sister engines, after purchasing the Munising, Marquette and Southeastern Railway, so a renumbering system and reclassification system were in order; the B-4s were reclassified as SC-3s and were renumbered 25–29, 9–13 were reclassified as SC-4s and renumbered 18–25, and 18-20 were reclassified as SC-1s, while being renumbered 32–35. The 11 was renumbered 18, taking its new road number from an SC-1.

With the railroad now having a proper facility in Presque Isle, between 1928 and 1934, No. 18 and all her sisters, with the exception of No. 25, were completely rebuilt to sponge away most of their problems. Their boilers were raised, their fireboxes widened, they received new super heater cylinders with cylinder saddles, feedwater heater systems, and thermic syphons, their smoke stacks shortened, and their domes and bells switched places. These modifications have made their performances and efficiency vastly improve compared to how they did in their older saturated days. As the 1930s progressed, No. 18 was named after an engineer ‘Patrick McCarthy’, taking the name from 1907-built 2-8-0 No. 16. These little consolidations resumed in freight service on the LS&I’s branch lines between West Ishpeming, Marquette, and Negaunee, during the ore seasons until even the LS&I decided to fully dieselize by the early 1960s. No. 18 was retired in 1962.

The following year, the railroad sold twelve of their 2-8-0s, as well as some of their passenger cars, to the Marquette and Huron Mountain Tourist Railroad.[4] This was intended to give the old consolidations another chance on life. However, there are no known records of the 18 pulling any excursion trains for the M&HM. Only some of its sister engines, Nos 19, 22, 23, and 24, were known to pull tourist trains there between Marquette and Big Bay.[5] Instead, the 18 sat with the rest of her sisters in the form of a 'scrapline', facing an uncertain future.[6] The M&HM ran its last train and shut down in 1984, when the line's owner passed away.

In 1985, No. 18 was among a few of the SC 2-8-0s that were sold to the Ishpeming Steel Company. Within just a few months, it was sold several times;[7] like the North American Railroad dealership, and the Harvey Corporation. It was finally sold by the end of 1985 to the Lake States Steam Association,[8] who moved her to the Lumberjack Steam Train and Camp 5 Museum[9] in Laona, Wisconsin. They supposedly did some boiler work on the locomotive, and yet, there are no known records of the locomotive operating for their tourist line.

In 1988, the Grand Canyon Railway,[10] a former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway branch line lying between Williams, Arizona and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, was purchased by Max and Thelma Biegert, a couple from Phoenix. They purchased No. 18, as well as sister engines 19, 20, and 29 to operate on the line. The 18 was originally planned to be the only steam locomotive to operate on the GCRY, since restoration work wasn't going to take very long on a locomotive that was still in such good condition. Nos 19 and 20 only ended up receiving cosmetic restoration for static display.[11][12]

No. 18 left Wisconsin[13] and arrived in Williams on August 20, 1989, for restoration.[14] During the process, No. 18 was given some modifications, including a centered headlight, a mounted bell, and a conversion to oil firing. On September 17, after twenty-eight days of restoration work, the little consolidation was restored to operating condition for the first time in twenty-seven years. That same day, the Grand Canyon line was re-inaugurated for public excursion service.[15]

No. 18 at the Grand Canyon Depot with an EMD gp7u, 1991

In April of the 1990, fellow LS&I sister engine, No. 29 was restored[16] and both consolidations would operate for the new tourist railroad from Williams to the Grand Canyon Village and back. During the early years of GCR operations, steam trains would run year-round with at least one month dedicated to maintenance.

In February 1991, the 18 pulled a three-car special down the Santa Fe's Peavine line to Phoenix[17] to take part in the "Union Station Days"[18] to help promote rail awareness with the Arizona Rail Passenger Association. The engine stayed for three days before the event ended and then returned to Williams.

In 1993, sister engine No. 19 was sold to the MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park[19] in Las Vegas, Nevada. The locomotive is now on display in Frisco, Texas to represent the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway's own fleet of 2-8-0s. In late 1989, the Grand Canyon Railway purchased ex-Chicago Burlington and Quincy 2-8-2 'Mikado' No. 4960. Rebuilding of this engine began in 1993 and ended in 1996, joining Nos. 18 and 29 as an operable stablemate and becoming the railway's flagship locomotive. In 1998, GCR began a six-year overhaul on No. 29, leaving the 18 and 4960 to manage the steam-hauled trains.

No. 18 participated in the National Railway Historical Society's[20] 2002 convention in August along with No. 4960 and guest engine Santa Fe 3751.[21] Highlights of the event included the three engines in a rare tripledheader[22] and night photoshoots.[23] Once the convention was over, the 3751 returned home, and the 18 and 4960 resumed regular service.

Throughout the early 2000s the Grand Canyon Railway passenger trains were becoming longer and exceeding the hauling capacity of No. 18. In January 2003, the 18 was removed from revenue service, and placed on static display[24] in front of the Williams Depot. In 2007, the GCRY acquired Ex-Spokane Portland and Seattle 2-8-2 No. 539 from Brian Fleming with the hopes of restoring it to operation. In exchange, the Fleming received both the 18, and sister engine No. 20. The two consolidations were shipped on flatbeds[25] from Williams to Hood River, Oregon in June of that year. Shortly afterwards, the Grand Canyon Railway company was purchased by Xanterra Travel Collection at an undisclosed cost. Restoration of No. 539 never came to fruition.

In 2007, Fleming moved 18 and 20 to the Mount Hood Railroad,[26] in Hood River, Oregon. On the tourist line, passengers get to have a good view Mount Hood. While the 20 was put on display still in GCRY livery,[27] the Mount Hood Railroad 18 was once again back under steam, and ready to pull more tourist excursions between Hood River and Parkdale. Just one month after her return to steam, however, the 18's time on the MHRR was already cut short. The railroad ceased steam operations, because they, as many other American tourist railroads, just couldn't afford to keep steam locomotives operable or maintained.

In January 2008, the 18 and 20 were being shipped on flatbeds[28] from Hood River South-bound to Alamosa, Colorado, after being sold again to Iowa Pacific Holdings, who decided to operate the 18 on one of their subsidiaries, the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad,[29] a tourist railroad that operated on San Luis and Rio Grande trackage. The 20 was sidelined, possibly as a spare parts provider for No. 18. On May 3, 2008, No. 18 was test fired and was deemed a success,[30] and after that, the little consolidation would operate on the SL&RG in Denver and Rio Grande Western colors,[31] mostly during the summer months, from Alamosa, crossing the Sangre de Christo Mountains West-bound to the town of La Veta.[32] The 18 would also sometimes handle trips from Alamosa South-bound to Antonito where passengers could connect with the narrow gauge Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.[33]

No. 18 when it operated on the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad, 2011

No. 18 climbing out of La Veta, 2009

On the RGSR, the little consolidation would find, yet, another steam powered running mate; Southern Pacific 1901-built 2-6-0 'Mogul' No. 1744, a locomotive that also returned to steam in 2007, but was taken out of service after only four months, as firebox repairs needed to be done. While in operation, the 18 did be part of some occasional late or morning photoshoots either alone,[34] or with the railroad's fp7 and f40ph diesel units.[35] The 18 even occasionally operated during the freezing weather,[36] just like how she often did so on the GCRY. In September 2012, the 18 travelled westbound to Walsenburg for a night photo session[37] alongside Union Pacific 4-8-4 “Northern” 844, which was in the course of pulling “UP 150” at the time.[38]

As the 2010s progressed, however, the RGSR was starting to run into some financial trouble, and much like the MHRR, the Colorado scenic railroad could no longer afford to operate steam locomotives. The 18 made its last run on the SL&RG in September 2013, before it was placed in storage inside the SL&RG locomotive shops. One of the final straws to the RGSR's struggle was a wildfire that badly damaged the Fir Concert Grounds. The railroad ceased all tourist train operations as they declared bankruptcy and shut down in late 2019, and the SL&RG began liquidating the unnecessary assets.[39] The IPH would also go defunct after merging with the Grenada Railroad.

As of 2021, the 18 is stored out of the weather inside the SL&RG's locomotive shops in Alamosa. Sister engine No. 20 was purchased by the City of Allen, Texas, and it recently received a cosmetic restoration and was shipped to Allen to be put on static display in Frisco livery,[40] just like No. 19 in Frisco. No. 1744 was recently acquired by the Pacific Locomotive Association,[41] who is currently restoring it[42] at the Niles Canyon Railway in Sunol, California. The 18 is now the last steamer on SL&RG property, and it is currently up for sale at a current bid of approximately $560,000 on Ozark Mountain Railcar,[43] a company that sells railroad equipment.[44] Whether or not the GCRY will re-acquire their ex-favorite steamer is yet to be determined.