Oregon Railroad & Navigation 4-6-2 No. 197: Fireman's SideThis handsome locomotive was built for the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company in 1905 by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. The OR&N was a railroad that operated a rail network of 1,143 miles of track running east from Portland, Oregon, United States to northeastern Oregon, northeastern Washington, and northern Idaho. The railroad's origins trace back to 1860 and operated from 1896 as a consolidation of several smaller railroads. The OR&N was initially operated as an independent carrier, but Union Pacific purchased a majority stake of the line in 1898. Even before then, in November of 1886, the entire Oregon Railway & Navigation Company was leased by the Union Pacific which, in 1910 consolidated several of its subsidiaries into the Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Company, with No. 197 keeping her number until 1915. There after, the locomotive was renumbered as No. 3203. In 1936, the UP leased the locomotive from the OWR&N and held on to it until 1958 when it was donated to the City of Portland, OR - her current owners. The locomotive was on display in Oaks Park until moved to Southern Pacific's Brooklyn Yard Roundhouse in 1996. That roundhouse was demolished in 2012 and the locomotive, along with stablemates SP No. 4449 and SP&S No. 700, were moved to a new building (seen above) owned by the Oregon Rail Heritage Center. No. 197 is currently undergoing a lengthy restoration to operation by a group named the "Friends of the OR&N 197". Additional information, including a link to make a donation can be found here.
