Sumpter Valley Ry. #18 Goes Wandering

I sure wish someone had recorded the back story on this set of photos. We see that Sumpter Valley Ry. mikado #18 left the rails and plowed up some brush. This was likely somewhere along the Powder River between Baker and Sumpter as this is the only stretch of the railroad with river bottom vegetation. Note in the last shot that there are chains around the steam dome and a block with cables is attached. If we had a wide angle shot, we would no doubt see the railroad's wrecker #070. It also looks like there are some slack cables rigged lower, perhaps to hold it when the angle becomes too steep as it is lifted. Whatever the case, #18 served the SVRy up to its retirement after the arrival of the big power, that is 250 and 251. #18 was sold in 1945 to the government of Peru and had a second career. No information has come forward to indicate when it was retired in South America. The scan is from the SVRR Archive.