Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway 700, Steam locomotive at Oregon Rail Heritage Center, Portland, United States
The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway 700 is a 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in May 1938. It is the oldest and only surviving E-1 class Northern, and the only surviving original SP&S locomotive. It burns oil rather than coal and is kept at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland.
Baldwin Locomotive Works built this engine in 1938 for the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway, where it served passenger routes across the region. After being retired in 1956, it was later added to the national historic register.
The name comes from the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway, formed by Great Northern and Northern Pacific, which let it buy its first new locomotives after years of second-hand equipment. The 700 pulled the Portland sections of the Empire Builder and North Coast Limited for a few months in 1947. Its last run, on May 20, 1956, was a Farewell to Steam trip of 21 cars and 1,400 passengers from Portland to Wishram.
The 700 is displayed at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in southeast Portland, where it can be viewed by the public. It is a large 4-8-4 engine, so allow time to walk around its full length and tender. Check the center's opening days before traveling, since public viewing depends on its hours.
The 700 is the only surviving original SP&S steam locomotive; the railway's other survivor, 2-8-2 No. 539, was built for the Northern Pacific as their 1762 and is displayed at the Port of Kalama Interpretive Center. For its final run on May 20, 1956, the engine's normally grey smokebox was painted silver.
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