Mt. Rainier Railroad August 9, 2019

(This post is part of a (mostly) non-ship series about a trip to the West I took during July and August of 2019)

What is now known as the Mt. Rainer Railroad and Logging Museum started construction from Tacoma, Washington in 1887 by what was to become the Tacoma Eastern Railroad. This Wikipedia article has some more historical info.

This ride starts at their depot in the tiny town of Elbe, Washington.

The passenger cars used on the train can be viewed from the parking lot such as the open air car seen above.

There are also a few work cars made from converted box cars, some of which seem to have been owned by Burlington Northern (now BNSF).

This switcher is also on site which appears to be used to move the passenger cars so the steam locomotive can move to the front of the train for the next run.

Across the tracks from the station is “The Little White Church of Elbe“

On display near the station is a 1912 Heisler type locomotive that looks like she could use some cosmetic attention, but I loved her rusty appearance.

The motive power for this excursion was built in 1922 by Baldwin Locomotive Works and has a wheel arrangement of 2-8-2. The #70 was restored to operable condition in 2011.

This adventure is about 2 hours and 15 minutes with 30 minutes each way on the train between Elbe and Mineral where the logging museum resides. There are coach ($41) and first class ($54) available and we opted for the latter. The ride passes through some beautiful and rustic scenery.

First class includes assigned table seating and a snack, I got a Hillshire Genoa Salame “small plate” which was quite good – the Mt. Hood railroad could take some notes. We saw some horses while enjoying our snacks.

The train crosses the Nisqually River.

Takes a winding path through forest scenery.

Follows the Mineral Creek.

And finally arrives at the logging museum in Mineral.

About one hour and 15 minutes is provided to look over the extensive collection of equipment used to solve the challenging problem of mountain logging such as this flat car mounted steam donkey.

Several of their steam locomotives are kept in sheds which are great for preservation, good for viewing, but not great for photographing. This Climax type is an example of locomotives designed for sharp turns and steep grades.

Several examples of stationary power plus the implements driven by them are on site.

There is a beautiful mountain backdrop for the fascinating exhibits.

I was happy to see this Northern Pacific locomotive – one of my grandfathers worked for this company before it became the Burlington Northern (now BNSF).

This locomotive is painted in the colors of the railroad’s former owner, the Milwaukee Road.

A giant log mover can be seen here.

A bulldozer with a tracked contraption to drag logs.

There’s even a little tug used to move floating logs around!

This large Willamette steam donkey is an impressive sight!

Far too soon it is time to board the train back to Elbe – this photo was taken before the moved the locomotive to the other end of the train for the return trip.

Upon returning to our seats this great little chocolate locomotive was waiting for us! I definitely recommend this train ride, it is a lot of fun, the staff are friendly and helpful, and the museum intermission is great!

Check out this video I took of the train ride. to see a lot more photos of this train ride and the museum click here.

Upon returning to the station we went to the adjacent Mt. Rainier Railroad Dining Company for lunch.

I tried the Elk Burger with Cheddar cheese and fries. It was a bit dry but the flavor was interesting. The fries were OK. I am glad I tried the Elk Burger but if I come back I will try something else.

This brownie and ice cream dessert was very good.

Associated with the diner is The Hobo Inn which has rooms in these cabooses. We did not overnight here and so did not stay.