Polson Logging Company 2 is a “Mikado”
steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...
built in December 1912 by the
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railway locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, Eddystone in the early 20th century. The com ...
. It was originally built for the Saginaw Timber Company to pull logging trains. After that, it went through several ownership changes throughout both the steam era and the preservation era, before it was purchased by caretaker Skip Lichter in 1982. Lichter restored Polson Lumber 2 to operational condition and loaned it to the
Mid-Continent Railway Museum
The Mid-Continent Railway Museum is a railway museum, railroad museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin, North Freedom, Wisconsin, United States. The museum consists of static displays as well as a round trip ride aboard preserved railroad cars.
Hi ...
in
North Freedom, Wisconsin
North Freedom is a village along the Baraboo River in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. Population was 603 as reported by the 2020 census.
Etymology
North Freedom's name is rooted in ideal of freedom alongside its position north of Barab ...
. The engine was later removed from service in 2000 to undergo a federally-mandated rebuild. Disagreement over who should cover the restoration costs ultimately led to an arbiter finding in Lichter's favor.
After a 16-year restoration process, Polson Logging 2 returned to full steam in 2016. It was moved to the
Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad
The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad is a heritage railway, heritage railroad, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, operating in Oregon (U.S. state), Oregon, US, primarily between Garibaldi, Oregon, Garibaldi and Rockaway, Oregon, Rockaway Beach, w ...
the next year to operate on the railroad in
Garibaldi, Oregon
Garibaldi ( ) is a city in Tillamook County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The population was 830 at the 2020 census.
History
The indigenous Tillamook people have lived along the Oregon coast –including the Tillamook Bay– for about 12,000 y ...
. As of 2023, it is owned by Rick Franklin, and it is stored at the
Oregon Rail Heritage Center
The Oregon Rail Heritage Center (ORHC) is a railway museum in Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon. Along with other rolling stock, the museum houses three steam locomotives owned by the City of Portland: Southern Pacific 4449, Spokane, Portland a ...
(ORHC) for use in pulling their Christmas trains to
Oaks Park. It was set be moved to the Albany and Eastern Railroad some time in 2023, until a boiler tube leak prompted ORHC to commence the 15-year overhaul of the locomotive's boiler.
History
Revenue service
The Saginaw Timber Company was formed in 1908, and its purpose was to operate
logging trains through forests along the
Chehalis River in the
state of Washington
Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...
.
Initially, the company used geared
Shay and
Climax
Climax may refer to:
Language arts
* Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work
* Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance
Biology
* Climax community, a biological community th ...
engines to pull the trains.
However, Saginaw Timber decided they needed a larger and more conventional engine with greater power and speed to handle their logging loads.
Hence, in December 1912, the
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railway locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, Eddystone in the early 20th century. The com ...
of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
constructed a brand new
2-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and two trailing wh ...
''Mikado'' for Saginaw Timber, which was No. 2.
It was designed with four flangeless center drivers, in order for it to negotiate with tight 30-degree curves, and it was built as an oil burner, in order to prevent
forest fires A forest fire
A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a bushfire ( in Au ...
normally caused by
coal ash
Coal combustion products (CCPs), also called coal combustion wastes (CCWs) or coal combustion residuals (CCRs), are byproducts of burning coal. They are categorized in four groups, each based on physical and chemical forms derived from coal combust ...
.
No. 2 had a design flaw on the
equalising beam
An equalising beam, equalising lever or equalising bar (British: compensating beam) links the suspension of two or more adjacent axles of a vehicle, especially a railway locomotive.
On steam locomotives
On steam locomotives, the beam is co ...
s between the rear trailing axle and the drivers, which were prone to breaking. This flaw was later fixed, when the beams were modified with thicker materials.
Once No. 2 was delivered to Washington, Saginaw Timber put the locomotive into use on pulling their logging trains on the company's route.
In 1924, Saginaw Timber agreed to trade No. 2 for a larger steam engine with the North Western Lumber Company, and No. 2 was subsequently moved to North Western Lumber's location in
Hoquiam, Washington
Hoquiam ( ) is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, Grays Harbor County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It borders the city of Aberdeen, Washington, Aberdeen at Myrtle Street, with Hoquiam to the west. The two cities share a ...
.
From there, No. 2 was reassigned to pull the North Western's logging trains in and out of Hoquiam until 1939.
That year, the Polson Logging Company, which also ran out of Hoquiam, struck a deal with North Western Lumber, and despite their financial struggle from the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, Polson succeeded to purchase No. 2.
The Polson Company already owned two other mikado engines that were based on No. 2's design, Nos. 70 and 101, but they didn’t perform as well as No. 2 did.
No. 2 was reassigned again to take logs from New London, a logging area that earned the nickname ''Log City'', to the company's
lumber mills in Hoquiam.
In 1948, the Polson Logging Company was bought out by
Rayonier Incorporated, which inherited Polson's steam engines. Rayonier continued to use the engines to pull logging trains, until the early 1960s.
By which time,
diesel engines
The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the die ...
have replaced steam power in most commercial railroads, and most logging companies in the Pacific Northwest have switched to shipping logs by
truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...
.
Early preservation
In March 1962, No. 2 was sold to the Grand Traverse Northern Corporation of
Marquette, Michigan
Marquette ( ) is the county seat of Marquette County, Michigan, Marquette County and the largest city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. Located on the shores of Lake Superior, Marquette is a major port known primarily for shippin ...
, which was in search for a steam engine to use on their new tourist operation, the
Cadillac and Lake City Railroad of
Cadillac, Michigan
Cadillac ( ) is a city in and county seat of Wexford County, Michigan, Wexford County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,371 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second most-populated city in the Northe ...
.
No. 2 was towed from Hoquiam, Washington to Cadillac for over 2,300 miles on mainline trackage owned by the
Northern Pacific Northern Pacific may refer to:
* Northern Pacific Airways, an upcoming airline
* Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference, an NCAA Division I conference
* Northern Pacific Hockey League, an American Tier III junior ice hockey league
* Northern Paci ...
and
Soo Line Railroads.
After a subsequent restoration process was completed in May 1965, No. 2 began pulling the C&LC's 4-mile
tourist trains between
Lake City
Lake City may refer to:
Places
*Lake City, Arkansas
* Lake City, California (disambiguation)
*Lake City, Modoc County, California
* Lake City, Nevada County, California
*Lake City, Colorado
*Lake City, Florida
* Lake City, Georgia
* Lake City, I ...
and Cadillac.
It also ran alongside other steam engines on the C&LC, namely, Ex-Kelly Island Lime and Transport
saddle tank engine No. 11, which the C&LC also owned, and
Canadian Pacific 1278
Canadian Pacific 1278 is a preserved G5d class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Canadian Locomotive Company for the Canadian Pacific Railway. After being retired from revenue service, the locomotive was purchased in 1965 by F. Ne ...
, which was on temporary loan from
Steamtown, U.S.A.
Steamtown, U.S.A., was a steam locomotive museum that ran Excursion train, steam excursions out of North Walpole, New Hampshire, and Bellows Falls, Vermont, from the 1960s to 1983. The museum was founded by millionaire seafood industrialist F. N ...
in the early 1970s. However, the C&LC was facing a slow decline in ridership, and it led to the railroad discontinuing their Michigan operations in 1971.
No. 2 was subsequently sold to Carl U., who was the son-in-law of Richard Hinebaugh, the owner and operator of the Kettle Moraine Scenic Railway in
North Lake, Wisconsin.
Carl was allowed to operate No. 2 on the Kettle Moraine for two years, before mechanical problems sidelined it. The engine was later sold again to H. Stuart Kuyper of
Pella, Iowa
Pella is a city in Marion County, Iowa, United States, with a population of 10,464 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census. Founded by immigrants from the Netherlands, it is forty miles southeast of Des Moines. Pella is the home of Central Colleg ...
, who wanted to use No. 2 to pull his own dinner excursions. Kuyper had No. 2 moved to the
Illinois Railway Museum
The Illinois Railway Museum (IRM, reporting mark IRMX) is the largest railroad museum in the United States. It is located in the Chicago metropolitan area at 7000 Olson Road in Union, Illinois, northwest of downtown Chicago.
Overview
...
in
Union, Illinois
Union is a village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 551 at the 2020 census.
History
A post office called Union has been in operation since 1852. The village was named for the federal union of the United States.
...
for restoration, but before restoration work could be completed, Kuyper died in 1980.
Career on the Mid-Continent Railway Museum
In October 1982, No. 2 was purchased by steam engine enthusiast and
Mid-Continent Railway Museum
The Mid-Continent Railway Museum is a railway museum, railroad museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin, North Freedom, Wisconsin, United States. The museum consists of static displays as well as a round trip ride aboard preserved railroad cars.
Hi ...
member Roland “Skip” Lichter, who thought No. 2 was a good candidate for use to pull tourist trains.
Lichter had No. 2 moved to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum of
North Freedom, Wisconsin
North Freedom is a village along the Baraboo River in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. Population was 603 as reported by the 2020 census.
Etymology
North Freedom's name is rooted in ideal of freedom alongside its position north of Barab ...
. A long-term loan was signed where No. 2 would be operated by the Museum alongside their own engines, such as
Chicago and North Western No. 1385 and
Western Coal and Coke Company No. 1.
Work began by Lichter and Mid-Continent crews to repair the engine and bring it back to service.
Lichter also had the engine repainted to resemble its first livery from the Saginaw Timber Company.
Restoration work was completed in 1987, and No. 2 began pulling the Museum's tourist trains on their Ex-
Chicago and North Western
The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...
line between North Freedom and Quartzite Lake.
Such trips include the yearly Snow Train in February and the Autumn Color Train in the fall.
Crews and visitors of the MCRM began to refer No. 2 as the "Saginaw Engine".
In the early 1990s, however, tension was beginning to grow between Lichter and the MCRM; Lichter sued the Museum, alleging they were not maintaining or cleaning the engine, and they were not repaying him for maintenance costs.
In 1999, No. 2 was relettered to Polson Logging Company, out of respect for the third operator in the engine’s history. In February of the following year, No. 2 pulled the MCRM's annual Snow Train before it was removed from service, since the engine was in poor mechanical condition, and it had to be rebuilt to comply with the new
FRA
Fra is a title of a friar.
Fra or FRA may also refer to:
Codes
* fra, the ISO 639-2 code for the French language
* FRA, the ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code for France
* FRA, the IOC country code for France at the Olympics
* Framingham station, Amtra ...
steam standards.
Beginning in 2001, the engine was disassembled with the boiler shipped to a shop complex in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
to be rebuilt.
While Lichter and his crew began giving the engine a thorough overhaul, a court-approved stipulation was made in 2003 where the MCRM would lease and operate No. 2 for 15 years after the engine's rebuild was finished.
Ever since No. 2 was taken out of service in 2000, the MCRM was left with no operational steam engines on their property, which lost the Museum their critical tourist draw; the only exception was during one week in August 2011, when the museum borrowed
Flagg Coal Co. 75 for a small series of events.
The thorough rebuild on No. 2 took more than 14 years to complete.
On October 10, 2014, No. 2 was towed out of the Museum’s building to undergo a boiler test-fire, and it was deemed a success.
Additional work was performed on the engine, before it made a small series of test runs on the MCRM's trackage, and it became FRA certified to run again in May 2016.
Shortly afterward, however, the MCRM's board of directors started to express financial concerns over leasing and operating Lichter's engine; the MCRM’s President, Jeff Bloohm, explained that the board’s primary concern was that the Museum would be immediately responsible for all costly repairs made to No. 2, and Lichter would not be required to give them warranties for the workmanship of repairs.
The Museum was also committed to restore their No. 1385 engine to service by 2018, (No. 1385 is still undergoing restoration, as of 2023.) so the Museum could easily run their own steam power, as opposed to engines owned by private individuals, like Lichter; they believed they could not operate two steam engines at the same time, because of high costs.
Therefore, the MCRM's board of directors voted on December 10, 2016, that the Museum would not be operating No. 2, despite the engine being ready for service again.
Lichter was distraught over the museum making the decision without any input from him.
He wanted to see his engine run again near his home, but the MCRM would not operate it for him.
He also felt the need for warranties was unnecessary, as he and his crew performed the work on No. 2 themselves.
An arbitrator by the name of William Parker was asked to settle the dispute between Lichter and the MCRM over lease terms and restoration costs.
On February 10, 2017, Parker founded in Lichter's favor and ruled that the MCRM had to pay Lichter $200,000 in restoration costs.
He explained that the Museum violated the 2003 lease agreement by not running No. 2.
Parker also ruled that the Museum had to pay Lichter for legal fees and for the cost of shipping No. 2 to another location in the Continental United States that Lichter desired.
From there, Lichter and his family, albeit sad to leave North Freedom behind, began seeking other places in the country to move to while taking No. 2 with them.
Over 20 different museums and tourist railroads in different states were considered for the engine to operate on.
By July 2017, Lichter struck a deal with the
Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad
The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad is a heritage railway, heritage railroad, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, operating in Oregon (U.S. state), Oregon, US, primarily between Garibaldi, Oregon, Garibaldi and Rockaway, Oregon, Rockaway Beach, w ...
, which owns and operates
McCloud Railway 25 and
Heisler engines No. 2 and No. 3 on the Ex-
Southern Pacific
The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the names ...
Tillamook Branch.
Lichter expressed that the OCSR was willing to be partners with him, and that was what he was after, as opposed to management making decisions without his blessing.
No. 2 would have had to be shipped to the Railroad's location in
Garibaldi, Oregon
Garibaldi ( ) is a city in Tillamook County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The population was 830 at the 2020 census.
History
The indigenous Tillamook people have lived along the Oregon coast –including the Tillamook Bay– for about 12,000 y ...
from North Freedom for over 2,000 miles by truck, and it was estimated that it would cost the MCRM around $75,000.
On October 2 and 3, with the help of crews from the OCSR, No. 2 was lifted and loaded onto a truck trailer, with its tender loaded onto a second one, and some spare wheels and parts were loaded onto a third one a few days later.
Career in Oregon

By the end of October 2017, No. 2 was loaded back onto rails upon arrival in
Tillamook, Oregon
The city of Tillamook ( ) serves as the county seat of Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on the southeast end of Tillamook Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The population was 5,231 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...
, and it was temporarily stored inside a shed building for some minor repairs to take place. The engine was placed into service on the OCSR in May 2018, and it began pulling yearly tourist trains between Garibaldi and
Rockaway Beach. It also took part in occasional photo charters, such as a March 2019 charter that was dedicated to
Columbia River Belt Line Railway No. 7 "Skookum" returning to service. During the offseason, #2 would be displayed inside the
Tillamook Air Museum
The Tillamook Air Museum is an aviation museum south of Tillamook, Oregon, United States. The museum is located at a former U.S. Navy Air Station and housed in a former blimp hangar, known as "Hangar B", which is the largest clear span wooden ...
, safely out of the weather. On November 10, 2021, Skip Lichter died at the age of 79, and a trust that consisted of his three children, Dan Lichter, Jill Keeker, and Sue Barker, inherited ownership of No. 2.
The trio intended to respect their father's wishes and keep No. 2 operational.
They considered selling the engine to another owner to take care of it. In August 2022, No. 2 was sold to Rick Franklin, the owner and operator of the Albany and Eastern Railroad, where only one steam engine,
Santa Maria Valley
Santa Maria Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) which straddles the boundary of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties in California's multi-county Central Coast AVA. It was established on August 5, 1981, by the Bureau of Alcohol ...
No. 205, is based.
No. 2 and its tender were once again loaded onto separate truck trailers for shipment to the Albany and Eastern's location, but the engine first landed at the
Oregon Rail Heritage Center
The Oregon Rail Heritage Center (ORHC) is a railway museum in Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon. Along with other rolling stock, the museum houses three steam locomotives owned by the City of Portland: Southern Pacific 4449, Spokane, Portland a ...
, while a two-stall barn would be built at the Albany and Eastern to eventually house both Nos. 2 and 205.
The
Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation operates
Southern Pacific No. 4449 and
Spokane, Portland and Seattle No. 700 to pull Christmas trains on the
Oregon Pacific Railroad through Oaks Park in December every year.
However, their long wheelbases caused damage to the rails, and by 2022, the Oregon Pacific restricted the operation of the giant
4-8-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and four trailing wheels on two axles. The type wa ...
's to Oaks Park.
The ORHF compensated by obtaining ownership of
Mount Emily Lumber Co. 1 from the
Oregon Historical Society
The Oregon Historical Society (OHS) is an organization that encourages and promotes the study and understanding of the history of the State of Oregon, within the broader context of U.S. history. Incorporated in 1898, the Society collects, pres ...
, but that engine requires some certified maintenance in order to run again.
As the president of the ORHF, Rick Franklin decided to have No. 2 moved to the heritage center for use as a stand-in for the 2022 Oaks Park Christmas Trains.
In March 2023, No. 2 was used by the ORHF again to pull a train for
Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.
Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chris ...
.
In August 2023, a leak on one of #2's boiler tubes was discovered, prompting Oregon Rail Heritage Center to commence the 15-year overhaul of the locomotive's boiler. This rebuild has been completed as of November 2023, and the locomotive is once again in operational condition. Once Mount Emily 1 is operational at the ORHF, No. 2 will be moved to the Albany and Eastern.
See also
*
Southern Railway 630
Southern Railway 630 is a Ks-1 class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive built in February 1904 by American Locomotive Company's Richmond Works of Richmond, Virginia for the Southern Railway (SOU) as a member of the Ks-1 class. It was p ...
*
Norfolk and Western 475
Norfolk and Western 475 is a 4-8-0 "Twelve-wheeler" type steam locomotive built in June 1906 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works as part of the Norfolk and Western Railway's (N&W) first order of M class, Nos. 375–499. It was first assigned to haul ...
*
Soo Line 1003
Soo Line 1003 is a class "L-1" 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in March 1913 as a member of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad ("Soo Line") L-1 class. It was retired from ...
*
St. Louis-San Francisco 1630
*
Great Western 90
Great Western 90 is a preserved 12-42-F class 2-10-0 "Decapod" type steam locomotive owned and operated by the Strasburg Rail Road (SRC) east of Strasburg, Pennsylvania. Built in June 1924 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, No. 90 originally pulled ...
References
{{Reflist
Baldwin locomotives
2-8-2 locomotives
Preserved steam locomotives of Oregon
Individual locomotives of the United States
Railway locomotives introduced in 1912
Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States
Freight locomotives