Following the Civil War, railroads pushed west across the United States, unifying the country economically. New towns flourished along the rail lines and some died when the railroads changed their routes. Trains were pulled by mighty locomotives—steam engines in the nineteenth and nearly half of the twentieth century, and by diesel and electric locomotive in the twentieth century. Many museums have exhibits featuring the history of the railroads. Shown below are some of the exhibits of locomotives.
Interpretive Center, Port of Kalama, Washington
Kalama, Washington is located on the aboriginal lands of the Cowlitz Indians. In 1871, it became the terminus of the Northern Pacific Railway. The Interpretive Center at the Port of Kalama has a large steam locomotive and its tender.
The SP&S 539, operated by the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway in 1917 originally cost $40,995 (that would be more than $900,000 today). The engine and tender are more than 80 feet long, weighs 533,600 pounds, and has 4,700 horsepower.
World Forestry Center, Portland, Oregon
On display in front of the World Forestry Center in Portland, Oregon, Peggy is an old-style Lima Shay-geared locomotive that hauled an estimated billion feet of logs. Built in 1909 by Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio, Peggy worked in the forests of Washington and Oregon.
According to the display:
“Shay locomotives used vertical steam cylinders and gears all the wheel. The wheels are mounted in pairs called trucks that can pivot to follow the curved of the track. This design delivers equal torque directly to all wheels on both sides of the engine at the same time. The trucks move independently and therefore have very little difficulty following poorly constructed railroad tracks. For their size and weight, Shay locomotive are very powerful, but also very slow.”
The concept of the Shaw locomotive began with sawmill owner Ephraim Shay (1839-1916) and most were built by Lima Locomotive works.
Fort Missoula, Missoula, Montana
At Fort Missoula, in Missoula, Montana, there is a display of a logging train as a part of a large forestry exhibit. Engine Number 7, a steam locomotive manufactured in 1923 by Willamette Iron and Steel Works in Portland, Oregon, is at the center of the exhibit.
Engine Number 7 is a Shay-type, gear-driven locomotive which is ideal for the rough trackage, steep grades, and sharp curves found on logging railroads. The engine was originally purchased by the Western Lumber Company of Milltown, Montana, and later sold to the Anaconda Copper Mining Company where it was used to haul logs on the Big Blackfoot Railway until 1947. In 1954 it was restored for the filming of the movie Timberjack. It was donated to the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula in 1989.
Transportation Center, Carillon Historical Park, Dayton, Ohio
The 1835 John Quincy Adams is the oldest existing locomotive manufactured in the United States. It was used mainly between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. It is known as a grasshopper engine because of the angle and movement of its long piston rods.
Carillon Historical Park, Dayton, Ohio
This narrow gauge, saddle tank steam locomotive was built in 1898 by the H.K. Porter Company, the nation’s largest and most well-known manufacturer of light industrial locomotives used around the world for mining, logging, and steel production.
Old Prison Museums, Deer Lodge, Montana
Shown below are two locomotives which are adjacent to the Old Prison Museums in Deer Lodge, Montana. The E70 Electric Locomotive shown above was built by General Electric Company for the Soviet Trans-Siberian Railroad in 1947. In 1950 it became part of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad and operated between Harlowton, Montana to Avery, Idaho from 1950 until 1974.
World Museum of Mining, Butte, Montana
Whitefish Railroad Museum, Whitefish, Montana
San Bernardino County Museum, Redlands, California
Miracle of America Museum, Polson, Montana
Powerland Heritage Park, Brooks, Oregon
Nevada City Living History Museum, Montana
LeMay Family Collection, Tacoma, Washington
Museums 301
This series presents similar exhibits from several museums.
Museums 301: Women's Sidesaddles (photo diary)
Museums 301: Medicines (photo diary)
Museums 301: Jails and prisons (photo diary)
Museums 301: Telephones (photo diary)
Museums 301: Quilts (photo diary)
Museums 301: Washing machines (photo diary)
Museums 301: Pump Organs (photo diary)
Museums 301: Bathrooms (photo diary)