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ODbscrucr Special
7 j Edition
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August 17, 2011
Historic Locomotives to Get New Home
Rail Heritage Center coming to site near OMSI
A new, permanent home for Portland's heri
tage steam engines is steaming ahead. The first
phase of Portland’s new Engine House and Rail
Heritage Center could be completed within a
year according to a schedule approved by the
Portland City Council.
Portland is unique as America's only city that
owns two operating steam locomotives - the
Southern Pacific 4449 and the Spokane Portland
Seattle 700; along with a third - Oregon Railway
& Navigation 197 - currently under restoration.
Portland Parks and Recreation owns the three
steam engines, secured by donation in 1958.
Beginning in 1980, each moved for restoration
to the Brooklyn Roundhouse in southeast Port
land. It took three decades and thousands of
volunteer hours to restore two of them into
operating condition. The Oregon Rail Heritage
Foundation has been instrumental in working
on the steam engines.
Thanks to the July 27 city council vote, in
less than a year the historic trains will move out
of the Brooklyn Roundhouse into a new home
near the Oregon Museum of Science and Indus
try (OMSI). The permanent maintenance and
display facility will provide space for locomo
tive maintenance and restoration, as well as
direct public access.
A new Portland-Milwaukie light rail bridge
across the Willamette River will deliver street
cars, light rail, cyclists and pedestrians right to
the center’s front door.
The city is not required to invest much money
in the operation. The city council has agreed to
extend the terms of an existing $978,598 loan to
the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation, a non-
___________
profit organization that raises funds to help The historic steam locomotives Southern Pacific 4449 and Spokane Portland
maintain the locomotives.
Seattle 700 will have a permanent new home in Portland.
For Tickets V is it spiritmountain.com
Hwy 18, Grand Ronde, OR ~ spiritmountain.com - 1.800.700.7977
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