Chris Parker woke up at 6:00 AM and called the room to awaken Bob Riskie and I. Fifteen minutes later, I met Chris downstairs and we walked to the 82nd Street MAX station, taking the next Red Line trolley to the Lloyd Center station. Bob would leave later for his excursion on the Lewis and Clark Explorer from Linnton to Astoria. We walked over to the Doubletree Hotel where we boarded the bus at 6:45 AM and departed at 7:00 AM for the two-and-a-quarter hour drive to Elbe, Washington. On the way there, we went through Morton and I saw the station and the tracks which we partially followed to Elbe. When we arrived there, our special train was being made up the ride to Morton.
The MRSR operated over track originating in Tacoma, on a route founded there over a century ago. In 1887, the Hart brothers constructed a short, three foot narrow gauge railroad originating at 46th Street in Tacoma. In 1890, the railroad was reorganized by another interest as the Tacoma Eastern Railroad, at which time the tracks were converted to standard gauage and extended a distance of six miles. The railroad was acquired in 1900 by yet another group of investors who had financial interests east of Elbe, the Nisqually Coal Fields, thus providing the impetus to extend the Tacoma Eastern from Tacoma to the area where the MRSR runs today. The route was also extended to access stands of virgin timber south of Mount Rainier, eventually reaching Morton.
Despite formal organization under the name Tacoma Eastern, the railroad was controlled by investors far from the Pacific Northwest. The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, reputedly had control of the Tacoma Eastern as early as 1901. In the 1890's, the Milwaukee Road's directors desired a connection from the Midwest to the Pacific coast and the Tacoma Eastern was an appealing investment for the Milwaukee Road. The Tacoma Eastern remained a subsidiary of the Milwaukee Road, owned through stock interest only, until 1918 when the United States Railroad Administration coordinated the Milwaukee Road's absorption of all its subsidiaries into one unified system.
The Tacoma Eastern, though, continued to exist as an independent entity within the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad system, where it was known as the National Park branch. This segment of the system was one of the Milwaukee Road's most profitable lines. As such, it was preserved amidst the Milwaukee Road's bankruptcy in 1980. The Tacoma Eastern was a viable carrier of lumber from stands of timber owned by the Weyerhaeuser Corporation, whose tracts of land still surround the MRSR today and provide commercial traffic on the line.
In the wake of the Milwaukee Road's 1980 bankruptcy, Tacoma lumberman Tom Murray, Jr., sought to open a portion of the line to tourists. MRSR was then created by Tom Murray to operate historic equipment stored in Tacoma. The Weyerhaeuser Corporation allowed the MRSR to operate its equipment on a seven-mile segment of the line from Elbe to Mineral. Weyerhaeuser maintained control of the track until 1998 when the corporation transferred control of all of its rail interests to the City of Tacoma, into what is now known as Tacoma Rail. This transfer of ownership did not affect the MRSR and its tourist operations, nor the availability of the route to commercial shipment.
Pre-Trip ActivitiesWest Fork Lumber Heisler 91 built by Heisler Locomotive Works in 1922. Invented by Charles Heisler in 1892, the design combined the flexibility of a geared locomotive with increased speed, a key advantage over its major competitors, the Shay and Climax. When the Willamette locomotive was introduced in 1922, Heisler was the first victim of this new competitor. The Coos Bay Lumber Company of Coos Bay, Oregon, had ordered a new 3-truck Heisler in early 1922 but cancelled the order when Willamette sold them their first geared logging locomotive.
At first, neither Lima, builder of the Shay, nor Heisler took Willamette's competition seriously but, as the company's business grew, both manufacturers decided they had to do something. Lima developed its Pacific Coast Shay and Heisler its West Coast Special incorporating refinements that were standard in the Willamette, including all-weather cabs, girder frames, super-heaters and piston valves. The West Coast Special was the largest and most advanced Heisler ever built. The Whitney Engineering Company in Tacoma, the West Coast dealer for Heislers, ordered this three truck locomotive in 1929 as stock.
Two years later, Whitney sold the engine to the Kinzua Pine Mills in Kinzua, Oregon, where it was numbered 102. When Kinzua began dieselisation in the 1950's, while its Shays were scrapped, 102 was retained as back-up to the diesels. By the early 1960's, however, the Heisler had outlived its purpose and was sold and shipped to the Vernonia South Park & Sunset tourist railroad in Vernonia, Oregon. However, 102 never steamed at Vernonia. In 1965, it was sold to Clyde Schurman, a machinist who displayed the engine at his machine shop in Woodland, Washington.
In 1978, it was sold to Tom Murray Jr., who donated the locomotive to the MRSR. Renumbered 91 in honour of an earlier three truck Heisler that worked out of Mineral for the West Fork Logging Company, an operation founded by the father of Tom Murray, it was the second engine restored to operation at Mineral.
Hillcrest Lumber Climax 10, ex. Victoria Pacific 10 1980, exx. Hillcrest Lumber 10 1970, nee Hillcrest Lumber 3 built by Climax Locomotive Works in 1928. It was the penultimate Climax built and worked at Mesachie Lake on Vancouver Island. In 1968, when the Mesachie Lake mill shut down, 10 was the last Climax in regular operation in the world. That year, it was sold to a collector who planned to use it on the Victoria Pacific tourist railroad in Victoria, but the operation never started. In 1979, the locomotive was bought by the MRSR, restored and became the first steam engine to operate for the railroad.
Pickering Lumber 10, ex. Standard Lumber Company of Standard, California 10 1922, nee Blue Jay Lumber Company "P.J. Lynch" of Raleigh, West Virginia built by Heisler in 1912. It was the first 3-truck Heisler and the only 78-ton Heisler ever built. After Standard Lumber became Pickering Lumber in 1926, 10 worked for nearly another forty years before retiring in 1963. The engine was then shipped with two other Pickering locomotives to a scrap yard in Stockton California, where it sat until 1966.
At that time, Gus Peterson of Klamath, California, was building a tourist railroad on part of his timber holdings in the California Redwoods. He moved the steam engine to Klamath and by late 1967, the engine was steaming on the Klamath & Hoppow Valley Railroad. In 1982, it was bought by the MRSR and is now on static display outside the Elbe depot.
Making up the normal excursion train for this Saturday was Hammond Lumber Company 2-8-2T 17 1942, nee Crossett Western 11 built by American Locomotive Company in 1929. That year, much of the Crossett timber lands suffered a series of major fires known as the Tillamook Burn and 11 worked through the 1930's and early 1940's hauling out timber salvaged from the burn. In 1945, fire destroyed a series of trestles while the locomotive was at a logging camp known as "The Gap" and it was decided the cost of rebuilding the trestles was too great and 17 sat at the camp unused for twenty years.
During that time, in 1956, Hammond Lumber was acquired by the Georgia-Pacific Corporation. In 1965, a local mill owner named Gus Peterson bought 17 from Georgia-Pacific. He built a road into the old campsite, dismantled the engine, trucked it out piece by piece and then started work restoring it to operation. On 27th September 1966, 17 made its debut on Peterson's Klamath & Hoppow Valley Railroad, a short-lived four mile lumber line in northern California which, from 1969, also operated as a tourist line. Klamat was off the beaten track and quite a distance from major population centres and, during the early 1970's, the petrol crisis reduced tourist interest and led to the railroad's closure. As a result, 17 was mothballed again.
In 1980, 17 was sold, with Pickering Lumber 10 and 11, to Tom Murray Jr., who had 17 disassembled and shipped by truck to Tacoma and then sent to the shops of the MRSR in Mineral. During the 1980's, the engine sat outside the shops while restoration progressed on other locomotives. Work finally started on 17 in 1994 and then, in January the following year, it was fired up and joined the other locomotives operating on the MRSR.
Our train reversed then came forward.
Our train passing Hammond Lumber Company 17.
The Climax was an interesting locomotive to not only see, but also to hear.
The crew of Hammond Lumber 17 did a great inspection of this fine example of a steam locomotive.
Our train awaiting departure. I visited the gift shop for a Mount Rainier Railroad T-shirt before boarding and my park bench ticket allowed me to ride in Southern Pacific bay window Caboose 1751, where I rode the entire trip in the bay window.
The TrainOur train to Morton had Heisler 91, Climax 10, Milwaukee Road caboose 00194, Southern Pacific caboose 1751, open car 681, coach 902 "Mineral", coach 685 "D'Arcy", coach 582 "Morton", coach 584 "Eatonville", open window 541 "Clopen" and observation 100 "Nisqually River".
We departed at 10:00 AM.
We crossed Elbe at Milepost 45.4 on Washington Highway 7 before passing through forests and private residences.
Near MP 47.5, there was a meadow where Joe Harper, the official videographer of this convention, was filming our train's passage. I sat in the bay window enjoying the smells, sights and sounds of our double-headed steam special. Minutes later, we reached Park Junction and turned south, crossing the Highway 7 for the last time.
We crossed the first bridge across the Nisqually River at Milepost 48.5, which once carried the waters under the tracks until the river relocated its course further south in 1996.
The crossing of the Nisqually River at the new bridge at Milepost 48.4, a combination of steel and timber which carries the railroad over a second channel of the river and constructed by the Corps of Engineers.
The view looking up the river. On a clear day, one can easily see Mount Rainier.
Passing through the very lush and unspoilt Washington forest as we followed Mineral Creek before crossing over it at Milepost 50.1. Seven-tenths of a mile later, a spur next took off for the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad shops and the Murray Pacific mill complex, once known as the St. Regis reload log facility, and we passed through the Mineral yard at Milepost 51.8, where there is a balloon track for turning the regular excursion train.
The town of Mineral with Mineral Lake behind the buildings and trees.
As we started up the grade to Divide, a rear view of our train. We stopped to inspect the engines and off to our left was a track that was relocated when a bridge was washed out and a new bridge was built. After about ten minutes, we continued on the journey.
The engines worked hard as they climbed the grade towards Divide, blasting the leaves off the overhanging trees by their exhaust.
At Divide, Milepost 56.1, everyone detrained for a photo runby.
The engines reversing.
Photo runby one. After the train reversed for the second runby, I crossed the tracks for a view from that side. Joan Reed-Nickerson, the General Mananger of the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad, asked if anyone wanted to use the bed of her truck for some elevation. I took her up on the offer and she reversed right behind the photo line, where aother person joined me.
Photo Runby two with a last view going away. The view and sounds of our engines were incredible.
Once we all were reboarded, our train began the descent towards Morton.
The first spectacular curved wooden trestle at Milepost 60 over 19 Creek. We then continued to twist and turn down the grade.
After MP 60, we crossed the second curved wooden trestle at Milepost 62.7, the East Fork of the Tilton River, then continued down the grade as we neared the valley to Morton. Photographers were out in force following our special train and minutes later, we arrived at Morton.
Westport Timber Company Heisler 91 cut off from our train to be wyed.
Once the Heisler had cleared, we pulled towards where our train would be unloaded.
We passed the Heisler as we pulled forward while it was still being wyed.
We arrived at the unloading area and I detrained from the caboose onto the first bus that took us to the Morton Community Center where I enjoyed a picnic chicken lunch and met Joe Harper. After lunch, he drove me back to the Morton Depot which we toured.
The Chicago, Milwaukee. St. Paul and Pacific Morton depot, built in 1910 and had been the subject of a major television program.
The Heisler returned to the rear of our train to pull it clear so the Climax could escape and run to the wye, then lead our train back north.
It was now Hillcrest Lumber 10's turn to wye. I recorded the train's consist before reboarding Southern Pacific 1751 and worked on the story before the train reversed to the boarding area. Chris Parker joined me in the caboose for the return journey and we departed at 2:45 PM with a trainload of happy and well-fed passengers.
On our way out of Morton before we began the climb towards Divide.
The smoke proved our engines were hard at work.
A few minutes later we were crossing the second curved wooden trestle again.
The next highlight was the crossing of the first wooden curved trestle. Another stop was made to service our two steam engines then we ran to the yard at Mineral and our timing was perfect as the regular excursion train had just finished going around the balloon track. Our crew called him on the radio to ask him to run by us so the passengers of both trains could have a photo runby and cameras were clicking away on both trains.
Hammond Lumber 17 put on a fantastic show for our passengers. Once completed, the excursion train ran back to Elbe and we made our way to the switch to the shop where Hillcrest 10 cut off and reversed into the shop lead. Once our train pulled clear of the switch, the Climax coupled to our rear end and took the train towards the shop.
Approaching the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad shops, where I detrained and took the front seat in the bus for the return trip to Portland.
I jumped off the bus for this last quick photograph Hillcrest Lumber 10 then Chris Parker joined me on the bus and we arrived at Portland at 7:15 PM, ending a fantastic convention hosted by the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. I had dinner at Quizno's before riding MAX back to 82nd Street and the Days Inn. About an hour later, Bob returned to the hotel and we shared how our day went. One word said it all for me, "Fantastic!" We called it a night.
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