Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad and Logging Museum

The Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad current known as the Mt. Rainier Railroad and Logging Museum is a steam-powered heritage railroad operating in the U.S. state of Washington between Elbe and Mineral. The railroad travels on trackage that passes through thick forest just south of Mount Rainier. The depot, gift shop and ticket office are located in Elbe. The train travels to the Logging Museum exhibits located in Mineral. The MRRR ran its collection of vintage rail equipment over seven miles of track, part of Tacoma Rail's Mountain Division.
The railroad has three steam engines, as well as a diesel locomotive in regular service, along with several other locomotives of both types of engines. Most of the railroad's engines are geared steam engines. These specialized types of steam engines — Shay engines, Heisler engines, Climax engines and a Willamette engine were used in the early 20th century for logging. Compared to conventional steam locomotives, geared locomotives were better-suited for the steep grades, sharp curves and uneven profiles of hastily laid track typical of logging operations. Thus, the MRRR sought to preserve and operate historic geared locomotives and related logging technology in order to present visitors with a sense of a bygone logging era critical to the development of the Pacific Northwest.
Prior to 2016, steam operations were run based on availability of volunteer operators, who comprised the great majority of railroad personnel. However after being purchased by American Heritage Railways in 2016, the railroad's operations were run by professional staff. The MRRR's regular schedule ran weekends from Memorial Day to late October, with special event Polar Express trains November through December. In May 2020, American Heritage Railways announced that the railroad would cease operations "for the foreseeable future" due to financial losses caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
On September 15, 2022, it was announced that the railroad would resume operations by 2025, including the restoration of track to Eatonville that will add 9 miles to the railroad.
==Locomotive Roster==
===Steam Locomotives===
Number	Images	Heritage 	Type 	Builder 	Built	Status 	Notes
10 	 	Hillcrest Lumber Co. 	Climax locomotive 	Climax Manufacturing 	1928 	Stored 	
17 	 	Hammond Lumber Co. 	2-8-2T 	American Locomotive Company	1929 	Operational	
10 	 	Pickering Lumber Co. 	3-truck Heisler 	Heisler locomotive works 	1912 	Display 	
5 	 	Carlton & Coast Railroad 	2-8-2 	H. K. Porter Company 	1924 	Stored 	It is one of the largest Porter locomotives ever constructed, and was ordered new by the Carlton & Coast Railroad.
2 	 	Rayonier, Inc 	Willamette locomotive	Willamette Iron & Steel Co.	1929 	Operational	
91 	 	West Fork Logging Company	3-truck Heisler 	Heisler Locomotive Works 	1930 	Stored 	
70 	 	Polson Logging Co. 	2-8-2 	Baldwin Locomotive Works 	1922 	Operational	
11 	 	Forest Lumber Company 	3-truck Shay 	Lima Locomotive Works 	1929 	Stored 	
1 	 	Satsop Railroad 	0-4-2T 	H. K. Porter Company 	1885 	Stored 	
===Diesel Locomotives===
Number	Images	Heritage 	Type 	Builder 	Built	Status 	Notes
7012 	 	Northern Pacific Railway 	EMD F9 	Electro-Motive Diesel 	1956 	Operational	
41 	 	Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad	ALCO RSD-1	American Locomotive Company 	1941 	Stored 	It was damaged by grease fire in electrical cabinet and traction motor in 1941.
42 	 	 	ALCO S-1 	American Locomotive Company 	1942 	Stored 	
481 	 	Great Northern Railway 	EMD NW2 	General Motors Electro-Motive Division	1942 	Stored 	
9120 	 	Illinois Central Railroad 	EMD GP10 	Electro-Motive Diesel 	1955 	Operational	
==Trivia==
*The last Polar Express train ran from November to December 2019.
* The Tacoma Eastern, though, continued to exist as an independent entity within the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad system, where it was known as the National Park branch.
*In the wake of the Milwaukee Road's 1980 bankruptcy, Tacoma lumberman Tom Murray, Jr., sought to open a portion of the line to tourists.
* The Tacoma Eastern was an appealing investment for the Milwaukee Road. The Tacoma Eastern remained a subsidiary of the Milwaukee Road, owned through stock interest only, until 1918 when the United States Railroad Administration coordinated the Milwaukee Road's absorption of all its subsidiaries into one unified system.
*In the wake of the Milwaukee Road's 1980 bankruptcy, Tacoma lumberman Tom Murray, Jr., sought to open a portion of the line to tourists. MRSR was then created by Tom Murray to operate historic equipment stored in Tacoma.
* All of the railroad's locomotives are serviced at the maintenance shops in Mineral, WA.
*The railroad was acquired in 1900 by yet another group of investors who had financial interests east of Elbe, the Nisqually Coal Fields, thus providing the impetus to extend the Tacoma Eastern from Tacoma to the area where the MRRR runs today. The route was also extended to access stands of virgin timber south of Mount Rainier, eventually reaching Morton.
*The railroad was a filming site for Greg Jones Productions videos I Wanna Be a Train Engineer and Awesome Trains, both of which were filmed there while Engine 5 was in service pulling excursion trains.
Category:Heritage Railways
Category:Tourist Railways
Category:Tourist Attractions
Category:Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad
Category:United States
Category:Museums
Category:Rail museums
Category:4 foot 8 1⁄2 inch gauge