Of course, being the editor of a rail hobbies-related magazine and a bonafide train freak, I wound up in the cab of the ancient Heisler at work that day. Mt. Rainier owns a bunch of old toys, including Shays, Heislers, Climaxes, and the occasional rod engine. As with anyone who messes with 78-year-old hardware, they have their good days and those other days. This day I judged to be a good one for old No. 91.
For details of schedules and prices of fares plus special events, you’ll want to check out their web site at the end of this editorial. I found out the site is maintained by Bob Harbison, the affable engineer on our run. On the site, there is a complete photo roster of all the Mount Rainier locos, many of the photos produced by him. Bob also displayed a good hand at the throttle. This big three-truck, 99-ton locomotive was originally built in December 1929, one of Heisler’s “West Coast Specials.” On the way from Elbe to Mineral, No. 91 encountered some 3.5 percent grades, the throttle got opened all the way, and the Johnson bar got pushed all the way toward the front of the train. She pulled four old passenger cars up to Mineral, which is where the railroad’s shops are located, and the train worked around the big balloon loop, stopping to let us walk around a picnic site by the lake. It’s beautiful, green country up there thanks to lots of rain that causes exposed steel to rust very quickly.On our trip, the Heisler was pulling in reverse, the smokebox right in front of the lead coach. I walked up and spent some time shooting pictures and just enjoying the roar of the stack. My granddaughter, Vickie, was having her first real train ride and didn’t care for that much reality, though she loved the train ride.Elbe, Washington is located just west of Mt. Rainier National Park, so the next day, we drove up to visit this wonderful bit of preserved nature and history. Tourist railroads are often found not far from other scenic interests, and the rest of my party is not as train-freakish as me. We all enjoyed the Park and its wonderful vistas. Along the way, we saw deer so close we could almost touch them, scenic overlooks on astounding panoramas, and gorgeous glimpses of waterfalls. Was there something there for the model railroaders? Sure. There were bridges and scenery to be modeled, Park buildings made from logs to be emulated, and even a historic gas station at Longmire.
