A Northern Pacific 4-6-0 was fired up on New Year’s Day for the first time in over 70 years, following an extensive restoration. NP 1364 has been the marquee restoration project of the Northern Pacific Railway Museum in Toppenish, Wash., for over a decade. 

In spring 2025, volunteers installed a new steam dome, laying the groundwork for a hydrostatic test in September. Afterward, volunteers kept reassembling the locomotive for a successful steam-up on January 1. 

“The recent steam-up test was an important step, not the finish line,” the group wrote on social media. “It allowed us to see how systems performed under steam and helped identify what adjustments and fine-tuning are still needed.”

Locomotive 1364 was one of 40 S-4 class 4-6-0s that the NP purchased in 1902 from Baldwin. NP 1364 was assigned to the Tacoma Division and spent most of its operating life in Washington State. It was retired in 1954 but was set aside for preservation and donated to the City of Tacoma. It was on display for several years before being moved to Nallys Valley for an ultimately unsuccessful restoration. Later, it was relocated to the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad. In 1994, it was moved to the Northern Pacific Railway Museum in Toppenish, and volunteers have been gradually working on it ever since. For more information, visit nprymuseum.org.

—Justin Franz