by Steve Eshom on December 14, 2011
Last week I wrote about my daughter and I watching the SP&S 700 pull the Holiday Express. As I mentioned she was thrilled to see the 700 out pulling a train. For her though steam is all about the SP 4449. It is her real passion and if you gave her a choice the ’49 would be the clear winner. That all said if there’s steam operating she’s still happy.
After our family train ride and gift shopping on Saturday she and I headed back for some railfanning on Sunday. Just like last week the weather was perfect for steam. Cool and moist and calm. We arrived for the 10am departure and found our photo location. 10am on the dot Doyle whistled off and the whistle echoed off all the surrounding hills. What a wonderful way to start!
Of course on the first run of the day the cylinder cocks were open and the rush of steam was spectacular. The throttle was open to overcome the slight grade coming out of Oaks Park station and I’m sure the reverser was all the way forward. The bark of the exhaust was sharp and Doyle kept the speed down and the train moved south. Slowly the Daylight and its cloud of steam worked past us. All I can say is wow. For some reason that 4 minutes of steam engine sights and sounds was one of the very best I’ve experienced. I literally felt immersed in the sound emitted from the Daylight.
I’m quite certain Haley enjoyed it too. After the train moved north she pointed back to another spot closer to the tracks where we could stand for the next trip at 11am. She wanted more. For the love of the Daylight!
by Steve Eshom on April 18, 2011
Most railfans are familiar with Mt. Rainier Scenic and their beautiful 2007-2009 restoration of Rayonier Willamette #2. Yesterday I was surprised to find MRSR doesn’t have the only operating Willamette in the area! Ok, so the other operating Willamettes aren’t steam locomotives (#2 is the only operating Willamette locomotive). They are however steam powered and they are Willamette products.
These Willamettes are steam donkeys and in the case of these two they were used in logging operations in the area. The larger donkey was hooked up to a spar pole and used to skid logs while the smaller donkey was likely used as part of a static mill operation though no actual record of its use exists. Today the smaller rig is used to demonstrate how log loading is performed at a landing. Both of these donkeys are set up and operate at the Pomeroy Living History Farm. Yesterday as part of the Washington Farm Forestry Association annual meeting these machines operated during a tour of the Pomeroy Tree Farm.
The donkeys operate just like the steam engines we railfans are so fond of. Yes, the boilers are smaller and the cylinders not so massive but the same principles apply. The interesting thing is these rigs don’t have any appliances attached to them. No turbo generator, no air pumps, and no blower. Very simple. When the cylinders stop the machines literally go silent. All you can hear is the crackle of Douglas Fir wood burning in the fire box.
At full speed the exhaust through the 4″ pipe sounds little like a throaty steam locomotive and more like a gas tractor. Boiler pressures are a bit lower, 200 psi for the larger donkey and 125 psi for the smaller but that is enough to get them to do quite a bit of work. Draft is controlled just like on a locomotive though the chain and hooks are probably just a bit more primitive. Firing valve or mechanical stoker? Nope, it is the fireman who splits the firewood and feeds the fire as needed.
Simple, portable, and useful.
I know these aren’t trains but if you have a general interest in steam, logging, machinery, or just love to go, I recommend visiting the Steam Logging Show the first weekend of July. It would an enjoyable outing to see some historical equipment operate.
by Steve Eshom on December 5, 2010
We are so spoiled in Portland. We are the home of 3 fabulous steam locomotives including arguably one of the most beautiful ever built, Southern Pacific 4449 (“The Daylight“). This year the ’49 is the sole locomotive being used to operate the Holiday Express. The annual Holiday Express is great for families, railfans, or those that just want to go for a train ride as it is a simple, relaxing 45 minute train ride through Oaks Bottom.
My daughter Haley is a big Daylight fan so I make a point to get her out so see the 4449 anytime it’s on the road. This year we headed to Sellwood to see the Sunday 10am Holiday Express departure. Instead of hanging out at the station at Oaks Park we stayed south where the train stops and reverses direction to head north. I captured a few photos there while Haley enjoyed the atmosphere of a large steam engine passing. Following the train we walked north on the Springwater Trail eventually meeting up with the train at the Oaks Bottom under pass. Returning south we eventually had one more opportunity to see and enjoy the train as it made its 11am run.
We ride next Sunday at 2pm which I’m sure will thrill Haley to no end. More importantly the ticket purchase will help with ORHF’s annual fundraiser and will help with the effort to build a permanent facility to house the 3 steam locomotives. I encourage anyone who can to buy a ticket and go for a ride if nothing else to make a contribution. Hopefully all of our contributions will incrementally get ORHF closer to their financial goals.
As a final note, I’d like to say thank you to all the volunteers, sponsors, and contributors that make this happen every year. YOU make us spoiled in Portland!
by Steve Eshom on October 9, 2010
Today has been a rainy day here in Vancouver. As a result I’ve enjoyed several inside activities including watching some college football (Go Cougs!). Now, I live in the Northwest so I’m not afraid of the rain. It just felt good to take care of some chores and not worry about having to be outside.
Since we are moving into the rainy season, and all predictions are it will be a wet one, last Sunday’s photo of of a grain train crossing from the Hill to Grain Lead seemed an appropriate post for today. Dark cars on a dark day with dark clouds. That stands to be our Western Washington weather trend for the next 3 months or so. No problem for me as rough weather can be interesting and will give me something different to photograph.
I’d rather end this post on a more sunny note so here’s a photo of the 844 when it was in Portland in mid-September. This was of course on a nice warm evening with fabulous light bathing the side of the engine. Ahh, I can still feel the warmth. Sure, I long for the warm, dry days of summer but I know that without the rain and winter weather we get here in the Northwest that this place wouldn’t be a beautiful as it is.
by Steve Eshom on September 14, 2010
Union Pacific 844 is visiting town this week as part of the 2010 “Portland Rose” tour which is featuring the Pendleton Roundup. As is normal with steam tours there are plenty of photos to be found on the Internet so I haven’t been overly excited about photographing and chasing this train. Additionally work has been very hectic lately so just dropping everything for a few days and heading out on a steam chase wasn’t in the cards.
In typical UP fashion the train is beautiful so there is certainly some incentive to get out and see it. Tonight I wandered down to Albina with my daughter to see if we could get a peek at the engine. What we found was the entire train accessible to the public and the gift shop open. They positioned the train on the mainline just north of CPS901 (Albina) so that the entire west side of the train was next to a parking lot. That made access to the train by the public very easy. Of course a special agent was on hand for our safety (cough). Nice job UP!
With so many photographs to take of this train I chose to focus on a detail. It was one of the first details my daughter noticed when we drove on the lot. Big Wheels.
