Portland’s Historic Steam Locomotives
In 1958, three historic steam locomotives — Southern Pacific 4449, Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700, and Union Pacific 3203 — were donated by the the railroads to the City of Portland. The locomotives were placed on outdoor display at Oaks Amusement Park in Portland, Oregon, where they were exposed to the elements for many years.
Efforts to preserve and restore the locomotives began in 1974. Over the next two decades, the locomotives were relocated from Oaks Park to the roundhouse at the Brooklyn Railyard in southeast Portland. Since 2012, all three have been housed at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center.
Today, ORHC serves as the steward of these historic locomotives, ensuring their preservation and operation for public enjoyment and education. Thousands of volunteer hours have gone into preserving and restoring these remarkable engines. Southern Pacific 4449 and SP&S 700 are fully operational, while restoration work continues on Union Pacific 3203 to return her to service.
Each of these locomotives represents a different railroad, era, and type of passenger service in the Pacific Northwest. Their preservation allows future generations to experience the power and history of steam railroading.
Southern Pacific 4449
SP 4449 is one of the most famous steam locomotives in the U.S., built to haul Southern Pacific’s premier passenger trains, including the Coast Daylight between Los Angeles and San Francisco, later extending to Portland. The 4449’s red, orange, and black “Daylight” livery made her one of the most recognizable locomotives in history.
Retired in 1957, the 4449 was donated to Portland and displayed at Oaks Amusement Park. In 1974, she was restored for the American Freedom Train, touring all 48 contiguous states to celebrate the U.S. Bicentennial. Since then, SP 4449 has remained an active excursion locomotive and an enduring symbol of rail preservation. She is the only remaining GS-4 class locomotive, out of 28 built between 1941 and 1942.
Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700
Built in 1938, SP&S 700 was among the last steam locomotives purchased by the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway, a smaller railroad jointly owned by Great Northern and Northern Pacific. She originally pulled the Empire Builder, one of America’s premier transcontinental trains. When diesel power replaced steam in the late 1940s, SP&S 700 was reassigned to passenger service on the North Bank Limited and other trains until her retirement in 1956.
Unlike many steam locomotives that were scrapped after retirement, SP&S 700 was donated to Portland in 1958 and placed on display at Oaks Park. Restoration efforts began in the 1980s, and by 1990, SP&S 700 returned to steam, running excursions across the Pacific Northwest. She remains one of the largest surviving operational 4-8-4 Northerns in the country.
Union Pacific 3203
Formerly Oregon Railway & Navigation 197
UP 3203, formerly named OR&N 197, is a classic Pacific-type locomotive that served the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company (OR&N), a vital part of the Union Pacific system in the Pacific Northwest. Designed for passenger service, the locomotive connected communities along the Columbia River, Eastern Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, helping develop the region’s transportation network.
Retired in 1958, she was placed on display in Oaks Park alongside SP 4449 and SP&S 700, forming the foundation of Portland’s historic steam collection. Today, volunteers at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center (ORHC) are working to restore the 3203, with the goal of returning her to operational condition.
Other Locomotives
Alongside the three locomotives owned by the City of Portland, the Oregon Rail Heritage Center features several additional engines that are on display. Both the Polson Logging Company #2 and BNSF 3613 are in service and operate our train excursions.
BNSF 3613
Built in 1972 by Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of General Motors, BNSF 3613 is a diesel switcher locomotive. The SW1000 model was purchased by Burlington Northern and was in service in the Pacific Northwest until 2020, including in Portland, Oregon, at BNSF’s Willbridge Yard, SP&S 12th Street District, and Guild’s Lake Industrial Park. In 2018, 3613 was the last end-cab switcher in revenue service on BNSF. She was restored by Albany & Eastern Railroad and donated to the Oregon Rail Heritage Center. BNSF 3613 can be found in use on the Center’s train excursions.
Mount Emily Shay #1
The Mount Emily Shay #1 is a classic geared steam locomotive, designed for steep, rugged terrain and heavy loads. Built in 1923, Shay #1 originally worked for the Mount Emily Lumber Company in Eastern Oregon, hauling logs from the Wallowa Mountains to sawmills. Retired in 1958, she was donated to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). In 1970, the locomotive was loaned to the Cass Scenic Railroad in West Virginia, where she operated for over two decades. The Shay was returned to Oregon in 1994, where she was placed in the care of the City of Prineville Railway for excursions and fundraising events.
Now housed at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center (ORHC), Mount Emily Shay #1 remains a working example of steam-powered logging history. Our goal is to have her operational and to be used as motive power on some of our train excursions.
Polson Logging Company #2
Polson Logging #2 is a 2-8-2 “Mikado” logging locomotive, built for power and durability rather than speed. Designed to haul massive timber loads over steep, rugged terrain, she exemplifies the tough, hardworking locomotives that kept the Pacific Northwest’s logging industry moving.
The locomotive was originally built in 1912 as Saginaw Timber Co. #2 in Brooklyn, Washington. In 1924, she was traded to the North Western Lumber Co., and then added to the Polson Logging Company’s growing steam roster in 1939.
When Rayonier Inc. purchased Polson Logging in 1948, #2 continued to work under her new owner. She remained in active service until the end of steam in March 1962, participating in the company’s final steam operations at Railroad Camp, Washington.
Today, Polson Logging #2 resides at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, on loan from the Albany & Eastern Railroad, for use on our steam train excursions.
Union Pacific 96
Union Pacific 96 is a diesel-electric switcher locomotive. She was originally built in 1950 as an EMD SW7 and numbered 1821. In 1982, the locomotive was rebuilt by Union Pacific into an EMD SW10 and was one of 55 EMD switchers rebuilt by UP in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
As UP 1243, the locomotive was used in passenger service and later became part of Union Pacific’s Heritage Fleet, serving as the steam shop switcher in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In 1998, she was renumbered to 96. After retirement in 2014, the locomotive was donated to the Oregon Rail Heritage Center by Union Pacific. UP 96 is in use at the ORHC as one of our switch locomotives, providing motive power for some of our excursion train rides.