The wife and I recently completed a swing through the northwestern U.S. and made an overnight stop in Astoria, Oregon. I was surprised to glance out of our hotel window and see a streetcar running past. I also saw the car a little while later on its run back toward downtown Astoria. Unfortunately, after we ate a late diner, the car had been put away for the night and we had to leave too early the next morning to see it run again. The car used a very quiet diesel generator for power (no overhead) and was apparently built for the San Antonio, Texas streetcar system in 1913 as its car number 300. Before we left Astoria, I was able to locate the very nice new building that has been constructed for the car. Outside of that building, I was also surprised to see a steam locomotive tender in very good condition with what looked like a very recent coat of black paint. The tender rode on arch bar trucks but there was no sign of a locomotive. Was one perhaps on the second track in the locked streetcar building? Anyone know the story of the tender and why it was located there in Astoria?

Les

The tender you saw belongs to the Santa Maria Valley #21 a 2-8-2 currently undergoing restoration by the Astoria Railroad Preservation Association. The engine is located in a quonset hut a few blocks east of the trolly barn.

Aaron -

Thanks. That also explains the remains of the SMV tender that was sitting on the ground there. Unlike the painted up tender, the SMV tank was in pretty rough shape.

Les

Thanks for visiting Astoria.

The trolley runs from noon to 7:00 every day during the summer. Before Memorial Day and after Labor Day it usually runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We usually take it out of service for a couple of months during the winter rainy season to keep it dry and to get ready for the next year.

If you saw the tender, you were just a hundred feet from the locomotive. We have the firebox in place, and should be riveting the mud ring in the next few weeks. We are starting the next round of fund raising for tubes and flues. It's been a long process (since 1991) but we should have the boiler on the frame this winter.

We've spent the past couple of years finishing up work on the tender, which including building a new water tank.

Its nice to see you guys making progress on the #21. Keep up the good work!

The tender looks 100% great. The website is just right. You guys are doing a wonderful job and I wish you the best !