The Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad current known as the Mt. Rainier Railroad and Logging Museum is a steam-powered heritage railroad operating in the U.S. state of Washington between Elbe and Mineral. The railroad travels on trackage that passes through thick forest just south of Mount Rainier. The depot, gift shop and ticket office are located in Elbe. The train travels to the Logging Museum exhibits located in Mineral. The MRRR ran its collection of vintage rail equipment over seven miles of track, part of Tacoma Rail's Mountain Division.
The railroad has three steam engines, as well as a diesel locomotive in regular service, along with several other locomotives of both types of engines. Most of the railroad's engines are geared steam engines. These specialized types of steam engines — Shay engines, Heisler engines, Climax engines and a Willamette engine were used in the early 20th century for logging. Compared to conventional steam locomotives, geared locomotives were better-suited for the steep grades, sharp curves and uneven profiles of hastily laid track typical of logging operations. Thus, the MRRR sought to preserve and operate historic geared locomotives and related logging technology in order to present visitors with a sense of a bygone logging era critical to the development of the Pacific Northwest.
Prior to 2016, steam operations were run based on availability of volunteer operators, who comprised the great majority of railroad personnel. However after being purchased by American Heritage Railways in 2016, the railroad's operations were run by professional staff. The MRRR's regular schedule ran weekends from Memorial Day to late October, with special event Polar Express trains November through December. In May 2020, American Heritage Railways announced that the railroad would cease operations "for the foreseeable future" due to financial losses caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
On September 15, 2022, it was announced that the railroad would resume operations by 2025, including the restoration of track to Eatonville that will add 9 miles to the railroad.
Locomotive Roster[]
Steam Locomotives[]
| Number | Images | Heritage | Type | Builder | Built | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 
|
Hillcrest Lumber Co. | Climax locomotive | Climax Manufacturing | 1928 | Stored | |
| 17 | 
|
Hammond Lumber Co. | 2-8-2T | American Locomotive Company | 1929 | Operational | |
| 10 | 
|
Pickering Lumber Co. | 3-truck Heisler | Heisler locomotive works | 1912 | Display | |
| 5 | 
|
Carlton & Coast Railroad | 2-8-2 | H. K. Porter Company | 1924 | Stored | It is one of the largest Porter locomotives ever constructed, and was ordered new by the Carlton & Coast Railroad. |
| 2 | 
|
Rayonier, Inc | Willamette locomotive | Willamette Iron & Steel Co. | 1929 | Operational | |
| 91 | 
|
West Fork Logging Company | 3-truck Heisler | Heisler Locomotive Works | 1930 | Stored | |
| 70 | 
|
Polson Logging Co. | 2-8-2 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1922 | Operational | |
| 11 | 
|
Forest Lumber Company | 3-truck Shay | Lima Locomotive Works | 1929 | Stored | |
| 1 | 
|
Satsop Railroad | 0-4-2T | H. K. Porter Company | 1885 | Stored |
Diesel Locomotives[]
| Number | Images | Heritage | Type | Builder | Built | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7012 | 
|
Northern Pacific Railway | EMD F9 | Electro-Motive Diesel | 1956 | Operational | |
| 41 | 
|
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad | ALCO RSD-1 | American Locomotive Company | 1941 | Stored | It was damaged by grease fire in electrical cabinet and traction motor in 1941. |
| 42 | 
|
ALCO S-1 | American Locomotive Company | 1942 | Stored | ||
| 481 | 
|
Great Northern Railway | EMD NW2 | General Motors Electro-Motive Division | 1942 | Stored | |
| 9120 | 
|
Illinois Central Railroad | EMD GP10 | Electro-Motive Diesel | 1955 | Operational |
Trivia[]
- The last Polar Express train ran from November to December 2019.
- The Tacoma Eastern, though, continued to exist as an independent entity within the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad system, where it was known as the National Park branch.
- In the wake of the Milwaukee Road's 1980 bankruptcy, Tacoma lumberman Tom Murray, Jr., sought to open a portion of the line to tourists.
- The Tacoma Eastern was an appealing investment for the Milwaukee Road. The Tacoma Eastern remained a subsidiary of the Milwaukee Road, owned through stock interest only, until 1918 when the United States Railroad Administration coordinated the Milwaukee Road's absorption of all its subsidiaries into one unified system.
- In the wake of the Milwaukee Road's 1980 bankruptcy, Tacoma lumberman Tom Murray, Jr., sought to open a portion of the line to tourists. MRSR was then created by Tom Murray to operate historic equipment stored in Tacoma.
- All of the railroad's locomotives are serviced at the maintenance shops in Mineral, WA.
- The railroad was acquired in 1900 by yet another group of investors who had financial interests east of Elbe, the Nisqually Coal Fields, thus providing the impetus to extend the Tacoma Eastern from Tacoma to the area where the MRRR runs today. The route was also extended to access stands of virgin timber south of Mount Rainier, eventually reaching Morton.
- The railroad was a filming site for Greg Jones Productions videos I Wanna Be a Train Engineer and Awesome Trains, both of which were filmed there while Engine 5 was in service pulling excursion trains.