Locomotive 201 departs the Museum

201 on 3 Nov 2021.

Locomotive 201 is an American Locomotive Company ("Alco") model RSD4 diesel-electric locomotive constructed in 1951.  It served Kennecott Copper for more than 30 years and was subsequently donated to the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie, WA in 1985.  Although an outstanding example of a first generation road switcher, after the Museum updated its mission and scope of collection it was evident that the 201 no longer belonged in the collection because it was not connected with the history of the Pacific Northwest.  It was deaccessioned in 2004 and later a plan to return it to its original home was developed.

201 on 3 Nov 2021.

On Wednesday, November 3, 2021, the 201 rolled through Snoqualmie for the last time.  Early in the afternoon it was picked up by two huge cranes and set onto an unusually large truck for the journey to Ely, Nevada, and its new home at the Nevada Northern Railway where it originally operated for Kennecott.  The Nevada Northern Railway Foundation arranged to acquire the 201 in a transfer, but had the responsibility for transporting the 201 all the way to Ely.

201 suspended.

Steven Butler's Morton Locomotive had the contract to arrange the move.  IRH of Salt Lake City was selected to haul the 201, and Ness Campbell Crane was hired to pick it up.  The day proceeded smoothly with an almost flawless execution by the contractors, and a rain-free day as a bonus.

Congratulations to the Nevada Northern Railway Foundation and their President Mark Bassett on the most recent addition to their large object collection!

Please enjoy our photo montage:

Snoqualmie Mayor
Matt Larson brought
his grandson to say 
goodbye to the 201.

The Ness Campbell team rigs the 201.

Nevada Northern
Railway Foundation 
President Mark 
Bassett poses with
locomotive 201.

Rigged and ready to lift!

Up she goes!

You'd think it was a 737, and just as heavy, too!

Swinging over the truck.

Nestling down between the girders.

The 201 will be riding on blocks of wood!

The truck, all 250 feet.

Each of 201's trucks rode on a separate semi trailer,
which are really heavy because they include three
500 hp electric traction motors.

Out with the new, in with the old

Heavy things are about to move at the Northwest Railway Museum!

Successful museums constantly work to improve the representation of their collections and how it serves their mission.  An art museum may want to better represent notable local artists.  A flight museum might want the aircraft a local astronaut once flew.  A railway museum may want the second diesel electric locomotive to operate on a particular railway, and to return a road switcher to the home road it left more than 40 years ago.  These are all scenarios that have presented themselves at museums, but the last one is actually about to happen.

First, let's review a brief history of two locomotives:

Locomotive 201

Locomotive 201 crossing

bridge 35 in North Bend.

In 1983 Kennecott Copper shuttered their operation near Ely, Nevada, and embargoed the Nevada Northern Railway.  They donated many of the diesel locomotives to museums around the west, and their locomotive 909 (earlier known as 201) was sent to the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie.  This six axle road switcher was built by the American Locomotive Company (Alco) in 1951 as a model RSD4, and it pulled trains on the Museum's Snoqualmie Valley Railroad for more than 20 years.  It has been stored complete ever since the Museum acquired the two much smaller Baldwin switchers that currently pull passenger trains.

Locomotive 125

Walla Walla Valley Railway  

circa 1963.

In the early 2000s, the Port of Longview retired their locomotive 770, an Alco model HH660 built in February, 1940.  Aside from being a really old diesel electric locomotive, it has significance to Washington State railway history.  The Northwest Railway Museum won a sealed bid auction to purchase the locomotive.

Northern Pacific Railway    

circa 1945.

Historically, this locomotive was just the second diesel-electric locomotive on the Northern Pacific Railway, and was first operated in Seattle switching the docks along the waterfront where it served as their locomotive 125. 

Walla Walla Valley Railway 

circa 1950.

In 1949, the NP sold the locomotive to the Walla Walla Valley Railway where it was renumbered 770.  It replaced an electric locomotive just as that interurban line shut down its electric overhead.  It spent several periods in the late 1950s building trains at King Street station when it was leased back to the Northern Pacific and subleased to King Street Station.  By 1971 the locomotive was sold to leasing company Relco and by the early 1980s was assigned to Continental Grain in Longview.  The locomotive was later purchased by the Port of Longview.

The Move

For more than ten years, the Nevada Northern Railway Foundation has been working with the Northwest Railway Museum on a plan to return locomotive 201 to Ely, Nevada.  The 201 operated on the Nevada Northern Railway for many years, and the objective of this initiative is to return this original artifact to its home road.  

Locomotive 125 in its

Port of Longview livery.

As part of this transaction, former Northern Pacific Railway locomotive 125 will be moved from Longview to Snoqualmie resulting in another Alco also returning to a home road.  This is a truly exciting development for both the Northwest Railway Museum's and the Nevada Northern Railway's collection, which will help further align them with their missions and scope of collection.

The moves are planned for early November 2021, but there are many variables that come into play when moving artifacts that weigh more than 330,000 pounds.  

Please stay tuned to the Museum's social media channels for late breaking news as to the date and time!