Southern Pacific Railroad 'S10' class 0-6-0 switcher No. 1210. Built by Baldwin circa 1915 as a class of 15 oil-fired locomotives, all withdrawn by 1958.

A 'switcher' is a small locomotive used for manoeuvring railroad cars inside a rail yard in a process known as switching (US) or shunting (UK). 1210 is pictured at Stockton, California in 1938 but does not appear to be doing much 'switching'! Stockton is about 80 miles east of San Francisco.

© Steve Armitage Collection