McCloud Railway No. 19, also known as Yreka Western No. 19, or Oregon, Pacific and Eastern No. 19, is a preserved

2-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and two trailing wheel ...

"Mikado" type

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

in the United States that worked on the Caddo and Choctaw Railroad,

United States Smelting, Refining and Mining Company United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

McCloud River Railroad The McCloud Railway was a class III railroad operated around Mount Shasta, California. It began operations on July 1, 1992, when it took over operations from the McCloud River Railroad. The MCR was Incorporation (business), incorporated on April ...

Yreka Western Railroad The Yreka Western Railroad Company is a shortline railroad operating freight trains between the Union Pacific Railroad interchange at Montague and the City of Yreka, California. Railmark Holdings acquired the Yreka Western Railroad in 2017. Th ...

, and the Oregon, Pacific, and Eastern Railway. It was purchased new from the

Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades t ...

(BLW) in 1915. Shortly after retirement, the engine operated on the Yreka Western before being moved up to

Cottage Grove, Oregon Cottage Grove is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. Its population was 10,643 at the 2020 census. It is the third largest city in Lane County. It is on Interstate 5, Oregon Route 99, and the main Willamette Valley line of the CORP railr ...

to run on the OP&E. In the late 1980s, #19 was sent back down to

Yreka, California Yreka ( ) is the county seat of Siskiyou County, California, United States, near the Shasta River; the city has an area of about , most of it land. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 7,807, reflecting a meager increase fro ...

to run on the YW. In April of 1994, the engine returned to

McCloud, California McCloud is a small town and census-designated place (CDP) in Siskiyou County, California, United States. Its population is 945 as of the 2020 census, down from 1,101 from the 2010 census. Commerce and tourism Located in the Shasta Cascade area ...

to run a series of excursions on the McCloud, Railway. It has since been used in the films ''

Emperor of the North Pole ''Emperor of the North Pole'' is a 1973 American action adventure film directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Keith Carradine, and Charles Tyner. It was later re-released on home media (and is more widely known) under ...

'', ''Bound for Glory'', and '' Stand By Me.'' As of 2022, No. 19 is being restored at the

Age of Steam Roundhouse The Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum, Sugarcreek, Ohio, United States, is a museum roundhouse housing steam and diesel locomotives, passenger cars and other railroad equipment. History The roundhouse was built by Jerry Joe Jacobson, former CEO of ...

Sugarcreek, Ohio Sugarcreek is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. It includes the community formerly known as Shanesville. The population was 2,220 at the 2010 census. It is known as "The Little Switzerland of Ohio." In the center of town stands one of the ...

History

Revenue service

No. 19 was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in April 1915 as Caddo and Choctaw Railroad No. 4. It was Baldwin's 42,000th locomotive produced. The locomotive was also christened with the name of R.L Rowan; an engineer on the railroad. In the early 1920s, No. 4 was sold the Choctaw River Lumber Company while still retaining her No. 4. The engine worked in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

until 1920, when the locomotive was sold off to the

, based out of Boston, Massachusetts. The engine was then sent to

Pachuca, Mexico Pachuca (; ote, Nju̱nthe), formally known as Pachuca de Soto, is the capital and largest city of the Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo. It is located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca (municipal ...

, a silver rich region northeast of

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

. The locomotive was repainted and re-lettered "Cia de Real del Monte y Pachuca" as their No. 105. Around the time that the engine was sent to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, it was apparently converted to burn

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

instead of

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

. It was also while the engine was in Mexico that it got its nickname, Pancho. Legend goes that No. 19 had a run in with Mexican revolutionary,

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (,"Villa"
''Collins English Dictionary''. ; ;

, hence, her nickname was born. After a four-year stint in Mexico, No. 105 was again sold to the

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

, which renumbered it to No.19 as they had an identical locomotive to No. 19, No. 18. It was also revealed that when the crews in

, were fixing and repainting the locomotive in 1920, bullet holes were discovered in the locomotive's cab and exterior. The engine worked in regular service on the McCloud River Railroad until purchased by the

three decades later in 1958.

Excursion service

After its retirement from the Yreka Western in 1963, the railroad decided to tap into the steam excursion potential and took out both Numbers 18 and 19 for runs between

Yreka Yreka ( ) is the county seat of Siskiyou County, California, United States, near the Shasta River; the city has an area of about , most of it land. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 7,807, reflecting a meager increase fro ...

and Montague. While owned by YW, No. 19 was leased for summertime excursion service in

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

on the Oregon, Pacific, and Eastern Railway of

. In 1988, the OP&E was abandoned and No. 19 returned to the Yreka Western. In April 1994, No. 19 returned to

, to operate on the

McCloud Railway The McCloud Railway was a class III railroad operated around Mount Shasta, California. It began operations on July 1, 1992, when it took over operations from the McCloud River Railroad. The MCR was incorporated on April 21, 1992. The MCR provi ...

. No. 19 returned to Yreka and operated on the railroad until 2008, when the engine was taken out of service. However, that would be the last time No. 19 operated on the Yreka Western.

Custody battle

Since the Rocky Mountain Mining Railway took control of the Yreka Western Railroad, they had issues with paying off debts. No. 19 was eventually seized by the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office because of the Yreka Western refusing to pay its debts.

Age of Steam Roundhouse

In October of 2016, the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office sold the No. 19 locomotive at an auction to the

in Sugarcreek, Ohio for $400,000. As of 2022, the engine is being restored to operational condition.

Gallery

File:YW 19 Crossing Row River Aug 1971 on OPExRP - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg, OP&E No. 19 crossing the Row River File:Yw nov 1 2008 (8096137127).jpg, YW No. 19 in 2008 File:YW 19 Entering Dorena Aug 1971xRP - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg, #19 on the OP&E File:MCRR 19 crossing Lake Britton BMAy1994rxRPx - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg, #19 on the

Lake Britton Lake Britton is a reservoir located in Shasta County, California. It is known for its wide variety of bass and trout. Its main body is situated to the west of State Route 89, and is mostly surrounded by PG&E Land, Forest Service Land, and McArt ...

Bridge in

Burney, California Burney is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Shasta County, California, United States. Its population is 3,000 as of the 2020 census, down from 3,154 from the 2010 census. Burney is located on State Route 299, about 4 mi ...

File:YW 19 at Cottage Grove Station Aug 1971xRP - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg, #19 in

File:OP&E 19.jpg, #19 in the 1970s

References

{{reflist 2-8-2 locomotives Individual locomotives of the United States Standard gauge locomotives of the United States Railway locomotives introduced in 1915 Preserved steam locomotives of Ohio Baldwin locomotives Freight locomotives