Mount Rainier Railroad and Logging Museum

Mt. Rainier Railroad and Logging Museum
	A view of Mount Rainier from the railroad line
Overview
Headquarters	Elbe, Washington
Reporting mark	MSRR
Locale	Lewis & Pierce counties, Washington, U.S.
Dates of operation	1980–Present
Technical
Track gauge	Standard; 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Length	7 miles (14 miles round-trip)

Hammond Lumber Company No. 17 under steam in the summer of 2004

The Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad or MRSR, formerly the Mt. Rainier Railroad and Logging museum (MRRR), is a steam-powered heritage railroad operating in the U.S. state of Washington between Elbe and Mineral. The railroad travels on trackage that passes through thick forest just south of Mount Rainier. The depot, gift shop and ticket office are located in Elbe. The train travels to the Logging Museum exhibits located in Mineral. The MRRR ran its collection of vintage rail equipment over seven miles of track, part of Tacoma Rail's Mountain Division.

The railroad has three steam engines, as well as a diesel locomotive in regular service, along with several other locomotives of both types of engines. Most of the railroad's engines are geared steam engines. These specialized types of steam engines — Shay engines, Heisler engines, Climax engines and a Willamette engine were used in the early 20th century for logging. Compared to conventional steam locomotives, geared locomotives were better-suited for the steep grades, sharp curves and uneven profiles of hastily laid track typical of logging operations. Thus, the MRRR sought to preserve and operate historic geared locomotives and related logging technology in order to present visitors with a sense of a bygone logging era critical to the development of the Pacific Northwest.

Prior to 2016, steam operations were run based on availability of volunteer operators, who comprised the great majority of railroad personnel. However, after being purchased by American Heritage Railways in 2016, the railroad's operations were run by professional staff. The MRRR's regular schedule ran weekends from Memorial Day to late October, with special event Polar Express trains November through December. In May 2020, American Heritage Railways announced that the railroad would cease operations "for the foreseeable future" due to financial losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The last Polar Express train ran from November to December 2019.^[1] On September 15, 2022, it was announced that the railroad would resume operations by 2025, including the restoration of track to Eatonville that will add 9 miles to the railroad.^[2]^[3] On August 1, 2023; the railroad announced a resumption of service to begin in the fall season.^[4]

History[edit]

The MRRR operated over track originating in Tacoma, on a route founded there over a century ago. In 1887, the Hart brothers constructed a short, 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad originating at 46th Street in Tacoma, Washington.^[5] In 1890, the railroad was reorganized by another interest as the Tacoma Eastern Railroad, at which time the tracks were converted to standard gauge 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 MRRR runs today.^[6] 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, also known as the "Milwaukee Road", reputedly had control of the Tacoma Eastern as early as 1901.^[6] In the 1890s, the Milwaukee Road's directors desired a connection from the Midwest to the Pacific coast.^[7] 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.^[6] 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.^[8] MRSR was then created by Tom Murray to operate historic equipment stored in Tacoma.^[6] 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. In mid 2016, due to decline and poor management, MRSR was sold to American Heritage Railways, which also owns the world renowned Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, rebranding the MRSR as the Mount Rainier Railroad and Logging Museum.

American Heritage Railways operated the Mount Rainier Railroad & Logging Museum from 2016 to 2020, when it was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. American Heritage Railways then sought a new owner for the operation before the newly revived Western Forest Industries Museum acquired the railroad in 2022. In 2023, the railroad began offering a rail cycle experience from New Reliance between Elbe and Eatonville. On August 1, 2023, following a deal to run excursions on the Chehalis–Centralia Railroad falling through due to the latters' financial difficulties, it was announced that the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad would resume service.^[9]

The Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad resumed train operations with a limited excursion schedule in September and October, 2023. After a hiatus since 2019, the historic steam engine “Polson 70” proudly pulled two vintage passenger cars, an open-air car, and a specially outfitted baggage car, serving as a concession and gift shop. The excursions included express trips from Elbe to Mineral. These long-awaited excursions mark the first under the new ownership of Western Forest Industries Museum (WFIM), a local nonprofit organization that assumed control of the railroad in August 2022, after its closure by its former for-profit operator, American Heritage Railways. With a storied history that dates back to 1980, Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad has played a vital role in the economic prosperity of southern Pierce County, as well as in preserving the region’s rich local history. Having served over 1.6 million passengers, the railroad is now poised to embark on a new journey under WFIM’s vision.^[10]

Locomotives[edit]

Number	Builder	Model	Works Number	Built	Acquired	Image	Description
No. 2	Willamette Iron and Steel Locomotive Works	3-truck geared steam tender locomotive	#34	1929	2002	No. 2 under steam at Mineral, WA.	Built for the J. Neils Lumber Co. in Klickitat, Washington in 1929; sold to Rayonier, Inc., in 1949 for operation in Sekiu, Washington until 1962; design closely resembles a Shay locomotive;^[11] the only operational Willamette engine in the world, also the final locomotive built by Willamette; stored inoperable.^[12]
No. 10	Climax Locomotive Works	3-truck Climax steam tender engine	#1693	1928	1979		Built for Hillcrest Lumber Co. in Vancouver Island, British Columbia.; second to last Climax engine ever built in 1928; last Climax engine built to standard gauge; first operating steam locomotive on MRSR;^[13] stored inoperable.
No. 11	Lima Locomotive Works	3-truck "Pacific Coast" Shay tender engine	#3327	1929	1981	No. 11 laying partially dismantled in the "House of Gears"	Built for Forest Lumber Co. of Pine Ridge, Oregon in 1929; sold to Pickering Lumber Corp. of Standard, California, in 1940; one of only five surviving "Pacific Coast" Shay engines;^[14] stored inoperable.
No. 91	Heisler Locomotive Works	3-truck "West Coast Special" Heisler tender engine^[15]	#1595	1930	1980	No. 91 under steam at Expo 86	Originally Engine No. 102, built for Whitney Engineering Co. of Tacoma, Washington, which was a locomotive dealer at the time; sold to Kinzua Pine Mills of Kinzua, Oregon, in 1930; donated to the museum by Tom Murray in the late 1970s.^[16] Re-numbered by the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad to Engine No. 91 in honor of another 3-truck Heisler engine than formerly ran out of Mineral; stored inoperable.
No. 10 (PLC): R.J. "Bud" Belly	Heisler Locomotive Works	3-truck "West Coast Special" Heisler tender engine	#1252	1912	1970's or 1980's	On display next to the Elbe depot	Built in 1912, and on display by the Elbe depot. It was operated by the Pickering Lumber Company and was known as "PLC #10"; MRSR has renamed it 'R.J. "Bud" Kelly'; on display.
No. 70	Baldwin Locomotive Works	2-8-2 tender engine	#55355	1922	1992	No. 70 under steam at Mineral, WA.	Built for Polson Brothers Logging Company of Hoquiam, Washington in 1922; purchased by Rayonier Corp. in 1945.^[17] Retired and purchased from Rayonier by Maynard Lang in 1963, operated in Snoqualmie for the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association from 1966 until it was rendered inoperable in 1983. Sold to MRSR in 1992 after Lang's death. Restored to operable condition in 2011. Put out of service due to lead truck issues, returned to service in 2017; currently operable.
No. 45	Baldwin Locomotive Works	2-6-2 tender engine	#27311	1906	1998		Built for Polson Logging Company of Hoquiam, Washington in 1906; purchased by Rayonier Corp. in 1945; the locomotive has been sold to a private owner. Polson Museum is the owner of this engine as of 2015^[update];^[18] stored Inoperable.
No. 5	H.K. Porter, Inc.	2-8-2 tender engine	#6860	1924	1985	No. 5's distinct Vanderbilt style tender	Built for the Carlton & Coast Railroad of Carlton, Oregon in 1924; one of the largest Porter locomotives ever built^[19] Restored in the early 1980s beginning in 1986 and operated as MRSR's workhorse until 2003 since being a switch engine; stored inoperable.
No. 17	American Locomotive Company	2-8-2 Tank Engine	#68057	1929	1980	No. 17 switching in Elbe, WA.	Built for the Crosset Western Co. in Wauna, Oregon in 1929; sold to Hammond Lumber Co. of Samoa, California, in 1942^[20]. Purchased by MRSR in 1980 and operated from 1995 to 2011 until taken out of service for 1,472 day inspection and rebuild. Returned to service in 2013; stored inoperable.
No. 1 "C.F. White"	H.K. Porter, Inc.	0-4-2 Tank Engine	#681	1885	2013		This locomotive is historically significant as it was one of only four standard gauge Porter 0-4-2T's built for the logging industry in Washington State, and was the first conventional (rod type) steam locomotive in Mason County. Originally named "Currie," then later the "C.F. White," the #1 hauled logs and performed other switching duties for several railroad entities, all of which were components of the Simpson Logging Company, which exists today as the Simpson Timber Company. Satsop RR #1 became the Washington Southern Railroad #1 in 1891, then the Peninsular Railway #1 in 1895, followed by the Shelton Logging Co. #1 in 1899. Three years later, the #1 was once again a Peninsular Railway Co. engine, but renumbered to #6. Finally in 1935, the #6 became Simpson Logging Co. #1. After 60+ years of service, the Porter was placed on display at Simpson's Camp Grisdale as Satsop #1, the "C.F. White." The story didn't end there, as Simpson engineer and prolific live-steam locomotive manufacturer Mr. Dave Skagen, together with Mr. Bill Parsons, acquired the #1 in 1985. The #1 was moved to Mr. Parsons' shop where the boiler was re-tubed. The #1 was then relocated to Mr. Skagen's shop where the rest of the locomotive was rehabilitated to serviceable condition. Mr. Skagen constructed about 1,500 feet of standard gauge track on his property and occasionally operated the Porter at his home or on Simpson trackage. Mr. Skagen also constructed a small, 4-wheel "bobber" style caboose to pull behind the #1. Finally, in 1995, the Satsop RR. #1, caboose and a 4-wheel, center-dump ballast car were sold to the Super Mall of the Great Northwest, located in Auburn, WA, and moved there for display outside the south entrance to the mall. In 2013, the #1 was moved by truck to the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad's Mineral, WA restoration/repair facility, and cosmetically restored to its Satsop RR appearance.; stored inoperable after a cosmetic restoration.
No. 481^[21]	General Motors Electro-Motive Division	EMD NW2 Diesel-electric	#5336	1942	2001		Built for the Great Northern Railway in 1942; stored inoperable.
No. 7012A^[22]	General Motors Electro-Motive Division	EMD F9 Diesel-electric	#21108	1956	1982		Built for the Northern Pacific Railway in 1956; currently operable
No. 41	American Locomotive Company	ALCO RSD-1 Diesel-electric	#69570	1941			Damaged by grease fire in electrical cabinet and traction motor in 1941; stored inoperable.
No. 7134	American Locomotive Company	ALCO S-1 Diesel-electric					Currently Operable.
No. 9120	General Motors Electro-Motive Division	EMD GP10 Diesel-electric	#20758	1955	2017		Built for the Illinois Central Railroad in 1955 as an EMD GP9. Still owned by American Heritage Railways. Currently operable.