Report: June 2014 work session in Portola, CA

We've added a report to the project web site describing what was done at the June 2014 work session at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, CA.  You can read it here.

Volunteers David Elems and Wayne Monger with the 5057

Lots of news coming...

We're too busy making news to post it right now, but we'll catch up when things settle down.  In the meantime, enjoy this photo of our favorite U25B.  This was taken in August 1971, back when the 5057 was the 5007, and we think it was at Othello, WA.

Adopt-a-Mile: $150 from Wishram, WA!

With the recent matching donation challenge, we've made a big jump north. Donors have sponsored 507 miles of the 890 mile trip from Portola, CA to the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad.

We're now approximately at Sinamox, OR, only about 30 miles from Wishram, WA along the Columbia River.  Another $150 will get us across the state line into Washington!

Please pitch in to keep us moving toward the interchange with the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad by making a contribution today!

Oregon Trunk Rail Bridge at Wishram, WA.  Photo by Cacophony, Wikimedia Commons

Matching Challenge Donation Report: $850 X 3!

We raised $850 to meet the recent matching challenge donation.  This was a little short of the $1,000 challenge, but still a big boost to the project.  Even better, the donor decided at the end to do a full match on their own.  This will be submitted for a employer matching donation, effectively tripling the amount raised! 

The donor has already made their matching donation, so we have another $1,700 on hand to help cover the cost of moving the 5057 to Washington and starting the cosmetic restoration and more on the way.  Thank you to all the Friends of the 5057, old and new, who made this a successful campaign!

Adopt-a-Mile: So long, Klamath Falls!

We've blown past Klamath Falls, OR and now we're less than 40 miles from Chemult, OR.  We've now covered 276 miles of the 890 mile trip from Portola, CA to the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad.

It's still a great time to make a donation to adopt-a-mile of the trip!  Through the end of this month (about a week away), you have the opportunity to double the impact of your donation with our current matching challenge.  So far we've met about $600 of the $1,000 challenge.  Help us collect all of the matching challenge by making a donation today.

Contribute today!

 The 5057 breezes past the Klamath Falls, OR Amtrak station.

(Original photo of the station by Steve Wilson)

"Photobombing" the 5056

While the subject of this photo is obviously Milwaukee Road U25B 5056, as far as we're concerned it's upstaged by the locomotive on the far right.  Yes, that's the 5057 sneaking into this picture of the 5056.

What makes this photograph particularly notable is that it shows the only two surviving, intact Milwaukee Road General Electric locomotives.  The 5056 is part of the collection at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL.

The two locomotives were photographed in Portland, OR on September 29, 1979 by an unidentified photographer.

MILW 5056 and 5057 at Portland, OR on 9/29/1979

Adopt-a-Mile: We've made it past Bieber, CA!

Since our last update, we've raised another $356.  That's 71 more miles out of the 890 miles from Portola, to the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad.  We've now covered 176 miles of the trip, which puts us about 25 miles past Bieber, CA.  Our next milestone is Klamath Falls, OR -- 66 miles away.

Now is a great time to make a donation to adopt-a-mile of the trip!  Through the end of May, you have the opportunity to double the impact of your donation with our current matching challenge. 

Contribute today!

Photo by S.L. Dixon, Railroad Pictures Archive