Helping Out

Hope Christmas was good and Santa brought lots of toys.

The past couple weekends (apart from working) I helped with the Christmas Trains. The event was put on (mostly) by the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation.

The trains were pulled by steam locomotives. Two weekends ago, by the Spokane, Seattle and Portland #700 and last weekend by the Southern Pacific #4449. Both engines are what is known as a 4-8-4 locomotive (4 small leading truck wheels, 8 big driver wheels, and 4 small trailing truck wheels). The SP&S #700 is the third largest operating steam locomotive in North America (the second largest is the SP 4449).

The SP 4449 is a streamlined locomotive (in excess of 80mph is claimed). It was a "daylight" locomotive for Southern Pacific and is considered one of the "most beautiful locomotives every built. It was specially rescued from static display at Oak Parks for restoration about 1976 to pull the American Freedom Train for this countries bicentennial.

If you get the chance to see a big Northern steam locomotive in action, don't miss it; as the world is slowly forgetting good things about steam for a faster/cheaper/electric existence.....