dscn257718539Southern Pacific “Daylight” 4-8-4 No. 4449 will travel to Owosso from its Portland, Ore., home this summer for a visit to TrainFestival 2009. The Amtrak-sponsored cross-country trip will operate over BNSF Railway from Portland to Minneapolis, Canadian Pacific to Chicago, Canadian National to Lansing, Mich., and Lake State Railway to Owosso. This is the first cross-country journey for the 4449, which led the 1976-1978 American Freedom Train on a nationwide tour, since it traveled from Portland to New Orleans in 1984. TrainFestival 2009 plans to operate eight locomotives under steam, and will also include vintage and modern diesel locomotives. It’s a fundraiser to keep Pere Marquette locomotive 1225 operating. No. 4449 will be at the festival July 23-26, and will operate a special excursion July 24.


Southern Pacific no. 4449 was built in 1941 as a GS-4 “Northern” type locomotive. A 4-8-4 wheel arrangement, she is 110′ long, 10′ wide and 16′ tall. The locomotive and tender weighs 433 tons, and it operates with a boiler pressure of 300 psi. Her eight 80″ diameter drivers and unique booster truck can apply 5,500 horsepower to the rails and exceed 100 mph.

The only remaining operable “streamlined” steam locomotive of the Art Deco era, No. 4449 pulled the famous Southern Pacific first class “Daylight” passenger trains between Los Angeles and San Francisco over the scenic Coast Route and then on to Portland until 1955. Retired to static display at Oaks Park in 1958, most thought SP 4449 would never run again.

In 1974, she was selected to pull the American Freedom Train throughout the United States, and was subsequently rebuilt. Southern Pacific No. 4449 ran for three years to the delight of over 30 million people. She is arguably one of the most beautiful locomotives ever built — and kept that way by the all-volunteer Friends of SP 4449!

More information and tickets are available online at www.trainfestival2009.com or by calling (989) 725-9464.