Locomotive Wiki
Advertisement

Northern Pacific No. 328 is a Class S-10 4-6-0 steam locomotive that was built in August 1905 by the Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works for the Northern Pacific Railway.

In 1940 it was named Bluebell Special that ran between Rush City MN and Grantsburg, WI. NP 328 pulled the last train to Taylors Falls in June 30, 1948. In 1949 L-10 0-6-0 number 1167 replaced 328 on the Grantsburg branch. In 1950, NP 328 was retired and was sold to the Minnesota Railfans Association in August 1950, and displayed in Stillwater, Minnesota city park.

In 1976 it was leased by the Minnesota Transportation Museum for restoration and returned to service in 1981. Between 1987 and 1991 NP 328 returned to Stillwater Branch and was owned by MTM and was a ‘’crown jewel’’ of the historic experience. In 1992 NP 328 served as a regular locomotive on MTM’s Osceola & St. Croix, MN and Dresser, WI. In 1998 it had a triple header with Soo Line 1003 and Soo Line 2719 at SteamFest 98 from Wisconsin to Minnesota. In 1999 it traveled a few more miles from the Stillwater and Taylors Falls branches it once frequented. It also made occasional special trips to other locations around the Twin Cities.

In 1999,,NP 328 was retired from service once again and now sits as an exhibit at the Jackson Street Roundhouse. It is currently unknown if there are any plans to restore NP 328 back to operating condition.

Advertisement