Spokane, Portland & Seattle #539 - Kalama, WA - Locomotives on Waymarking.com

In the early part of the twentieth century, the Northern Pacific Railway began experiencing an increase in freight traffic. In response, the railroad made a move toward larger 2-8-2 type locomotives for use in both freight and passenger service. Arriving in late 1917, about halfway through an order for 135 of these locomotives, was this one, numbered 1762 by NP.

The Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway was a subsidiary of the Northern Pacific and operated almost entirely with hand-me-down locomotives from NP and its other co-owner, Great Northern. In August 1944, SP&S acquired #1762 and renumbered it #539. In 1957, after almost 40 years of incident-free service (and almost 175,000 miles logged), #539 was donated to the city of Vancouver, WA, where it was placed on static display for the next 40 years.

In the late 1990s, there was interest in returning #539 to operational condition. After two aborted attempts, the second by the Grand Canyon Railway who wanted a larger locomotive for their steam excursions, old #539 finally found a home as the centerpiece in the Port of Kalama’s new Interpretive Center. The only problem is that the building’s not big enough for both the engine and tender. Currently, the tender sits just outside the building on the same set of tracks.

Locomotive Type: (required): Steam Do you need to pay an entrance fee to view this locomotive? (required): No How accessible is this locomotive display? (Required): Display is behind a fence, access is limited to viewing only. If "other" what is the engine type? (optional): Not listed If a fee is required what is the approximate cost for admittance? (optional): Not listed

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