Great Northern and Northern Pacific steam locomotives to Portland Oregon

[SPer]

How did Great Northern and Northern Pacific steam locomotives such as 4-8-4s, 4-8-2s,and Mallets ran to Portland Oregon,did they used the GN-NP-UP joint line or the SP&S Spokane- Portland mainline.

[wjstix]

For trains going to Portland on the SP&S, the engine would have been changed from NP or GN to an SP&S engine. The GN/NP engine wouldn't run through to Portland on the SP&S.

[NP Eddie]

This is a question for the SPSHS, the GNRHS, and the NPRHS. The question arises why the GN or NP steams not go through to PDX.

Ed Burns, Retired NP clerk from Northtown (Minneapolis.

[wjstix]

Same reason GN or NP engines didn't run from St.Paul to Chicago - because that was on a different railroad, the Burlington Route. GN and NP passenger trains heading east cut off their engines in St. Paul and the Burlington used their own engines the rest of the way to Chicago. SP&S and CB&Q were owned by GN and NP (I think each railroad owned about 45%) but they were still separate railroads. Besides, in steam days, a long distance train often would be pulled by several engines during it's journey, even if running over the same railroad the whole way.

[SPer]

Well, the only place where the GN or NP steam locomotives going to Portland is the Seattle-Portland joint line