Southern Pacific 4-8-4 No. 4449 was built by Lima Locomotive Works for the SP in May 1941. Its active career was spent hauling passenger trains on the Coast Daylight between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the Golden State Route, the Sunset Route, and the San Joaquin Valley line. It would be retired from service and placed in storage in Bakersfield, California on October 2, 1957. By 1958 it would be removed from storage and donated to the city of Portland, Oregon and placed in Oaks Park. By December 1974, is was removed from the park and returned to operation to haul the American Freedom Train around the United States to celebrate the Bicentennial. In 1981, it was returned to its original "Daylight" colors for the first Railfair at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California. In contemporary times, the 4449 is undergoing an inspection of the locomotive's boiler at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland, Oregon to ensure it is not deteriorating to the point of a possible explosion. The inspection is done by mapping a grid on the boiler, then analyzing each grid with an ultrasound for any anomalies or fatigue. Once it passes inspection, the SP 4449 will be good for 15 years or 1472 days of operation, whichever comes first.
