By Dan Peters
There are still a few of us around, who remember when “locomotive” was synonymous with “steam engine”. Big, noisy, smelly, labor-intensive, and almost alive. A machine with all the working parts on the outside, where you can see and hear them.
We used to be able to see working steam engines in our part of the country. But one by one, they’ve fallen by the wayside. The logging demonstration at the Tacoma zoo – gone. The Royal Hudson passenger excursion to Whistler – gone. The Lake Whatcom line – replaced by a short little speeder ride. The Mt Rainier Scenic excursion line in Elbe – still closed and up for sale ( while their current owner the Durango & Silverton tries to avert bankruptcy ). The Tolt River Railroad ( 2 ft narrow gauge ) at Remlinger Farms – gone. The steam engine at the Chehalis and Centralia Railroad – gone.
All is not lost. There is one last steam engine still running in our area. Starting in 2014, the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie restored Northern Pacific steam engine number 924 to operation. At the same time, they converted it to run on wood instead of coal, so it could continue running while compliant with current environmental regulations.
https://trainmuseum.blogspot.com/2020/07/924-testing.html
Even when we’re not in the middle of an epidemic crisis, this piece of living history only operates 3 times a year : on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Snoqualmie Railroad Days.
Snoqualmie Railroad Days, the 140-year-old town’s historic and cultural festival, will be moved from the third weekend in August to the fourth weekend this year, as life starts to return to normal. What does that mean? The number 924 will be in operation this coming weekend! That’s right. Steam engine 924 will be running on August 28th and 29th, 2021.
This is your chance to see a real steam engine running under its own power. It will not be powering the passenger excursion trains ( which are still diesel powered ). But, it will be providing “steam demonstration runs” ( as in, photo run-by’s ) all weekend. Parking is free.
You may have one or more steam locomotives on your layout. Maybe a vintage Lionel tinplate model. Maybe a rare brass import. Maybe a modern model with DCC and a state-of-the-art sound system. Now is your chance to renew the inspiration you had when you got that steam model in the first place.
Tell ’em George Stephenson sent you.
Uh, the Chehalis operation steam locomotive is NOT “gone,” it’s just through a boiler rebuild. Anyone familiar with steam knows that can take quite a while. Number 15 WILL be back eventually.
On the day the Chehalis steam engine rolls out of the shop under a full head of steam, I’ll be glad to offer you and everyone else an apology.
Meanwhile, if you want to see a steam engine moving under its own power, you’re going to have to drive to Snoqualmie.
Dan – Thanks for your well-written article, and thanks for the timely notice about this weekend!
For all you Chehalis fans :
I thought my phraseology “operating steam engines” was clear enough. Guess not.
To explain, the Snoqualmie steam engine was stored, stone cold and “dead in the water”, from 1979 until it was next fired up in 2020. The boiler is still not “certified” yet, which is why it cannot be used to pull a passenger excursion, only for photo run-by’s. It took an estimated 2,000 work-hours, over the course of 6 years, and over half-a-million dollars, just to get to this point. No way for me to guess what it might take before it next pulls an excursion train.
The Chehalis steam engine was removed from service in 2019. I have no way of knowing whether it’s on static display while awaiting repairs, or it’s locked up hidden away in a workshop somewhere. But if it takes 41 years to rebuild it, I’ll put in my reservation now to watch it make a photo run-by in the year 2060. 😉
At that time, I’ll move it from “large iron paper-weight” back into the category of “operating steam engine”.
Meanwhile, I’ll be in Snoqualmie this weekend. Watching an “operating steam engine”. The only one in our area.
Hope to see everybody else there.
Maybe you should have done the most basic of research before making your posts then. THIS is exactly what you posted: “The steam engine at the Chehalis and Centralia Railroad – gone.”
NO, not gone. Still there. A simple question to them or even a Google search woukd have gotten you that information.
It isn’t just poor information, as some might incorrectly think number 15 is down for good or even isn’t there anymore.
Yeah, that’s actually a very important distinction.