Great Northern No. 1246 is a Class F-8 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive that was built in November 1907 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Great Northern Railway.
No. 1246 served most of its working carrier pulling freight trains throughout Western Washington State. In the 1950s, the Great Northern retired most of their steam locomotives including No. 1246. Instead of scrapping the engine, it was instead donated to the City of Seattle for display at the Woodland Park Zoo in 1953. The locomotive sat at the south entrance of the zoo for almost thirty years becoming one of their most popular attractions. In the late 1970s, the zoo was converted into a wildlife conservation organization, and it was decided that No. 1246 should be moved elsewhere. A plan was developed to move the locomotive to the Museum of History and Industry or well known as MOHAI, but the more than $100,000 cost exceeding the available funding at the time. The locomotive was instead auctioned off and sold to a private collector who had it disassembled and moved to southern Oregon for storage in 1980.
The private collector passed away in 2021 and his collection of 14 steam locomotives and other rail equipment was acquired by the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad in Tillamook, Oregon. In 2023, No. 1246 was acquired by the Northwest Railway Museum and was moved to their headquarters in Snoqualmie, Washington on April 25, 2023.
The museum is now in the process of reacquiring No. 1246's accurate tender which is currently in Oregon. The tender displayed in Woodland Park Zoo is now at the Heber Valley Railroad, which the museum is not reacquiring anytime soon, as it was evaluated that it was not accurate to when the locomotive was in regular service. Once the correct tender is acquired, No. 1246 will eventually undergo a restoration to be either a static display piece or to operational condition once again. This will all depend on how the assessment of its condition goes and if the museum is able to raise the funds needed for this endeavor. If the firebox is in good shape, it may take around 7 years to restore to operation.
Trivia[]
- No. 1246 is one of two surviving examples of the 125 constructed Great Northern Class F-8 locomotives. The other is No. 1147, which is currently on display in a city park in Wenatchee, Washington.
Gallery[]
.jpg "GN 1246, Class F-8, 2-8-0 Train at Woodland Park, 1954 (15759093925).jpg (523 KB)")
