

Northern Pacific #1364
Description
Baldwin
4-6-0 Wheel configuration
Vauclain compound drive cylinders
Superheaters
S-4
Standard gauge
History
Built in 1902 by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Pennsylvania for the Northern Pacific Railway. This locomotive spent most of its career in the northwestern region of the railroad. In 1931, #1364 served between Arlington and Black River. In 1942, this locomotive was transporting three railcars of mail from Seattle to Auburn. When the train arrived in Auburn, the brakeman twisted his ankle. In 1947, #1364 was used in Yakima and Toppenish to switch railcars of sugar beet out of the Utah & Idaho plant. This locomotive also had a derailment in Yakima. When freight trains were getting longer and needed more power, more powerful locomotives replaced the ten-wheeler locomotives for long mainline runs. However, the ten wheelers such as this locomotive, were used for switching or branchline service. As diesel electric locomotives replaced the steam locomotives slowly but surely, the Northern Pacific Railway wanted all the money they could while they retired and scrapped their steam locomotives. For,tunately in 1954, this locomotive retired and was donated to the City of Tacoma instead of getting scrapped. The Northern Pacific Railway made a full refurbishment in Auburn before sending it to the park. Sure, this locomotive was saved from getting cut up, but the weather conditions chewed into the wood and boiler. A fourteen-year-old at the time named Jack Anderson recognized this issue and sent a letter to the Tacoma City Parks. With the park department acknowledging and agreeing with Jack, he gathered some of his friends to scrape and repaint the locomotive. A sixteen-year-old at this time named Steve Thomson misunderstood what the group was doing, thinking that they were vandalists, but joined in when he realized that it was a group of boys helping restore the cab. This task took ten months to complete. A new ferry terminal was placed where the park was, which meant retired #1364 needed to be moved. Jack Anderson was a part of the Trains Inc group, and they had the idea of operating this locomotive again. It was moved to a siding at Nally's Valley for restoration in 1974. As the group began to disassemble the locomotive, they discovered the damage caused by the weather conditions while it was on static display in Tacoma. In 1979, the lease went out, and the restoration group had to move the locomotive to the Tacoma tide flats. Horrible location due to salt in the air. Without anywhere to preserve this locomotive, it moved to the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad, where it just rusted away in 1985. With the boiler still sitting on the frame and above the drivers, any small parts were in cardboard boxes left out in the rain, and pipes were stacked in piles of ferns, with the majority of them being reusable. Only the metal components of the cab were salvageable. The rest of the components were stored in a boxcar. The tender in the tank was rusted and not holding water. In 1994, this locomotive was moved one last time to the Northern Pacific Railway Museum in Toppenish, where it is being restored as of today.





