The 18 was fired up last January to 40 psi. The state wants to widen hwy 395 which sits about 15 feet from the locomotive, therefore the engine has to be moved. The group is currently working on getting a few acres of land on the south side of Independence. They have a very nice building that would be reassembled on that site and they have about 2 miles of 90lb rail and ties, they would like to lay a couple thousand feet of track on that land. D&RGW cattle car 5771 and the Plymouth diesel and two silver flat car at Laws would also be moved there.
As far as work on #18, the boiler is in excellent shape, but it will still need tubes removed to have the state certify it. The running gear is in good shape as well. The snake head needs work (it fired horribly when it was steamed). The air brakes need work also including new main reservoirs.
The overall plan is to be able to run the engine a few times a year for the community. If you are in Lone Pine stop by the Napa auto parts store and talk to Dave Mull, he's the co-founder of the group and loves to chat about the S.P.