I saw Water for Elephants last night and have a few questions. It was easy to spot TVRM 610, but what locomotive was used for the one marked as #18 - was this 610 is disguise? And what is the story behind the coaches used for exterior shot? Were these props? The elephant car was clearly a steel box car, but others were not so easy to figure out.

The director appeared to borrow some scenes from Polar Express: the roof top shots and the long views of the stone bridge. The rail photography was great, overall the film was a bit uneven and somewhat predictable, but worth the price of the ticket.

Wesley

The #18 is McCloud River Railroad #18, Baldwin 90-ton logging mikado built in 1914. #18 worked on McCloud River, Yreka Western, and McCloud Railway before being picked up by the public commission rebuilding a portion of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad in western Nevada. The movie people trucked the #18 from Nevada to the Fillmore & Western last summer for the filming- there are several videos of the #18 on the F&W up on Youtube. I can't help you with the passenger cars.

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

Orange Empire Railway Museum rented a Santa Fe stock car for use in the filming. This was one on many Santa Fe rebuilds from box cars. It is now getting a long needed paint job that the rental has helped pay for.

One of the OB boxcars was an ex-M&St.L. aquired surplus from the Western Railway Museum in Rio Vista, CA. Two of the "passenger" cars were re-dressed flats previously used in the "Wild Wild West" movie from a few years ago. Also two of the double sheathed boxcars used are ex-WP/SN.

That was M&SL 28124, originally RF&P 2383. Built 1918 by Pressed Steel Car Company.
To M&SL 1939, retired 1944, sold by dealer (Hyman Michaels) to U.S. Navy.