Steam & Excursion > TRAINS Announces Steam Program at Snoqualmie.

As was hinted here a couple weeks ago the railroad museum at Snoqualmie has selected 2 steam engines for restoration.

TRAINS Magazine has now publicaly announced the start of a steam program at the NW Railway Museum at Snoqualmie, WA.

The 2 engines selected are Canadian Collieries 4-6-0 #14 and ex NP #924, an 0-6-0 last used by Inland Empire Paper Co. in Spokane.


Here is a link to the TRAINS article (for TRAINS subscribers):

http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2014/07/18-snoqualmie



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/14 15:55 by LoggerHogger.

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Outstanding news, Martin! You can never have too many steamers here in the Pacific NW. So cool that two more lokies will be resurrected from the "saved" line at Snoqualmie. Mrs. Squatch and I took a fall ride behind SCPC #2 a few weeks ago and it was a great little ride, with lots of photo possibilities on the subsequent chase. Lots happening up at Northwest Railwat Museum in Snoqualmie, and lots of fun to be had there too. Even a great brewpub in town for end-of-ride toasting, and a neat hardware full of fun stuff nearby that will bring back memories. If you're planning a visit, buy tickets ahead of time for for the ride, and the restoration shop tour while you're there; really impressive and sizable facility. These guys are poised to grow! Now about those mallets up there...

-Tom

Boy - that's great news! Their article is factual except for the last operating date of 92. She actually last ran for the Inland Empire Paper Co. in 1957 instead of the 1969 date as given. At that time she was used to relieve their oil-electric switch engine which was broke down. She got blamed for starting a fire in their log "cold deck" at that time and was stored unserviceable at the plant until donated to the museum in 1969.
Pete

Thanks for posting this update, Martin.

Looking forward to Stathi's next string of hits! Will be an excellent addition to the Pacific Northwest stable of preserved steam.

-M

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

Wow, great news!

Steve Mitchell
http://www.yardgoatimages.com

This is great news!!!
Projects like this are exciting and enrich us all!!!
I am very happy to see that some more steam locomotives will be brought back to life.
Congratulations to the Northwest Railway Museum and to Stathi and the crew!!!
We can't wait to see photos and news on the project!!

John

LoggerHogger Wrote:
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> The 2 engines selected are Canadian Collieries
> 4-6-0 #14 and ex NP #924, an 0-6-0 last used by
> Inland Paper Co. in Spokane.

Martin, as Pete noted the company's name is Inland Empire Paper Company ( http://iepco.com/ ) for which I operated hydraulic-powered pulpwood grinding millstones in 1965. Although a certain portion of the Southern California population thinks the term Inland Empire belongs exclusively to them they apparently have no knowledge that it has been used to promote commerce almost forever by the commercial interests located in the Eastern Washington/North Idaho area.

I watched that cold deck fire that Pete mentioned which occurred east of the mill along the south bank of the Spokane River. It was pretty spectacular. Having seen the ex-NP class L-5 #924 at the IEPC mill while I was employed there I made an inquiry to see about getting it donated to the Vernonia, South Park & Sunset Steam Railroad located in Banks, Oregon for which I had been a volunteer since the very early '60s. Progress was being made until all of a sudden the door closed when I was told it was being donated to another organization. I was never told why but I suspected that the IEPC wanted to keep the steamer in Washington State if possible. I think I remember reading that Harold Borovec operated it for awhile but I don't know whether it was at its present location at Snoqualmie or somewhere else.

Jim,

I have some photos of Harold operating #924 in Chehalis years ago when it was stored there. I think that was in the late 1970's.

Martin

Jim.
Harold took a lot of responsibility for getting her donated to the Snoqualmie group and he led a group of us to partially restore her and actuaslly had it running in Chehalis on Port of Chehalis property.
Pete