A long way from home. As I was exploring the local area around the Grand Canyon Railway Depot in Williams, AZ, I came upon something I really didn't expect to see. There, right in front of the Fred Harvey Restaurant, sits one of the Pikes Peak Cog Railway locomotives....quite some distance from home! After talking to the railroad's CMO, I learned the back story behind this unusual display. As most of us knew, the Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway shut down back in 2017. After a period of negotiations, the City of Manitou Springs agreed to help the railway fund repairs, and in fact, the entire railway will be completely rebuilt. The old equipment will be sold off or donated and new equipment will be brought in. The rebuilt railway is currently forecast to re-open in 2021. The railway's current owner is Phillip Anschutz. He also happens to own Xanterra Parks and Resorts....which owns the Grand Canyon Railway. Apparently, the Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway wanted to hang on to this historic steam engine, but during the construction effort, there was just no place to store it.....so it was trucked to another one of Mr. Anschutz' properties, and placed on display, at least until the railway re-opens and has a place to house it.
The locomotive you see here is one of 7 steam locomotives built for the Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway between 1890 and 1906, all by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. This particular engine was the 2nd #4 on the railroad's roster, replacing a similar engine that was wrecked and scrapped in 1896. Like all American cog locomotives, it has an inclined boiler, to keep it somewhat level on the steep grades. It also has two sets of cylinders, which drive cogwheels....as opposed to the regular wheels which merely support the locomotive on the rails. But unlike the engines on the Mt. Washington Line, this engine and its sisters are Vauclain Compound locomotives. Steam from the boiler is first circulated to a set of high-pressure cylinders, and then to a set of low-pressure cylinders. It's similar to what happens on an articulated engine, except that in this case, both sets of cylinders drive the same connecting rods. The engines on Pikes Peak also have an 0-4-2 configuration, and use the Abt Rack System (vs. the Marsh Rack that is used on Mt. Washington). Instead of a trailing tender, they carry their water in side tanks and their fuel in a bunker behind the cab. Originally designed as coal burners, some of these engines were also converted to oil firing. Four of these engines survive. This one is unique, because a few years ago, the railroad restored it to operating condition and ran it on special occasions for a short distance up the line, with a historic coach. Unfortunately, with no water support on the line, the steam engine can no longer make trips to the summit. As of now, the future plans for it are still undecided. Since the re-built MPP line will apparently be using a new rack system, the engine would need modifications if it is to run again, even for demonstration purposes.
