On September 4, 1967 McCloud River RR 25 was in service pulling the Shasta Huffen Puff excursion train from McCloud to Mt. Shasta City. The train stopped at the Howard water tank only to find the tank empty. This necessitated a call to the Southern Pacific for permission to get water from their tank in Mt. Shasta. The SP was still maintaining the water tank and column for steam rotary snowplow service. While the water column was most likely used after this date for snowplow support this is probably the last time it serviced a steam locomotive. The short tender on the 25 really taxed the flexibility of the spout. That is probably veteran engineer/fireman Ray Piltz at the water valve. His signature white engineers cap gives him away.