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SP 4449 was built in 1941 as a GS-4 "Northern" type locomotive. A 4-8-4 wheel arrangement, she is 110' long, 10' wide and 16' tall. The locomotive and tender weighs 433 tons, and it operates with a boiler pressure of 300 psi. Her eight 80" diameter drivers and unique booster truck can apply 5,500 horsepower to the rails and exceed 100 mph. The only remaining operable "streamlined" steam locomotive of the Art Deco era, this grand Lady of the High Iron pulled Southern Pacific "Daylight" coaches from Los Angeles to San Francisco over the scenic Coast Route and then on to Portland until 1955. Retired to static display at Oaks Park in 1958, most thought SP 4449 would never run again.
In 1974, she was selected to pull the American Freedom Train throughout the United States, and was subsequently rebuilt. SP 4449 ran for three years to the delight of over 30 million people. She is arguably one of the most beautiful locomotives ever built -- and kept that way by the all-volunteer Friends of SP 4449!
President: Mark Kramer
Vice President: Pat Tracy
Secretary: Phil Barney
Treasurer: Todd Landwehr
Officer: John Pohlpeter
The future of Brooklyn Roundhouse, our home since the early 1980's, is uncertain. The 4449 resides in this locked, and publicly inaccessible facility in the middle of an active intermodal freight railroad yard. We are anticipating a possible notice to vacate the grounds, and as it stands today there is no home for Portland's three steam locomotives to retreat to. The locomotives could go right back to display at Oaks Park, behind a chain-link fence as they did for years before they were restored.
In 1998, the three locomotive support groups along with local railroad organizations, and support from other interested parties, formed the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation (ORHF) to develop a more permanent facility for the continued restoration and maintenance of not only the three steam locomotives but for other significant pieces of rail equipment. The Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation was formed with a mission: to secure a permanent home for the City of Portland’s steam locomotives, preserve the Brooklyn Roundhouse and establish a Rail and Industrial Heritage Museum.
The Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation is in the process of acquiring property in southeast Portland. We need your support so these treasures can be enjoyed by generations to come.
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