All aboard! Engine 557 restoration hits milestone as it is pinned to tender

Crews working on restoring Alaska’s last steam locomotive reached a significant milestone Oct. 8 as they drove the pin in connecting the train tender to Engine 557.

Originally built in 1944, Engine 557 provided regular service to the Alaska Railroad until 1962. It was then purchased by a scrapyard dealer and museum owner in Washington State, and ultimately made its way back to Alaska in 2012.

Over the last 10 years, Engine 557 has been undergoing a complete restoration by a team of volunteers. The steadfast volunteers have completely rebuilt the boiler, mechanical, braking and running gear systems.

The Alaska Railroad’s northbound Aurora Winter Train made a brief stop to its normal route, pulling up alongside the Engine House where Engine 557 is located, and exchanged train whistles in recognition of the restoration work.

The highlight was the driving of the pin, meant to connect the steam engine to the tender, which had to be pushed by several men. No small feat as the tender comes in at 185,000 pounds.

Engine No. 557 is one of 2,120 S-160 class locomotives built for the U.S. Army Transportation Corps (USATC) between 1942 and 1945 for use in Europe and Africa during World War II. They became known “Gypsy Rose Lee locomotives,” because as Pat Durand, president of the Engine 557 Restoration Company told guests, she was “stripped down for action.”

There are only 28 steam locomotives still in operation today,

“Of the 2100 built, only 18 of them stayed in North America. 12 of them came to Alaska and the others were sent to military bases,” Durand said.

Many were sent to Asia and India, while still others were sent to European countries such as Poland, Russia, and Hungary.

“They’re a fairly common site in the formerly eastern bloc countries,” said Durand.

Of the 12 sent to Alaska was the U.S. No. 3523, which became Alaska Railroad No. 557. Upon arrival in December 1944, the standard USATC design was modified for Alaska service, including snow plows fashioned for seasonal use.

Engine 557 is a tender locomotive, meaning it pulls a special rail vehicle called a tender, which carries the locomotive’s fuel (wood, coal or oil) and water. That was why the pinning of the locomotive to the tender was the highlight for Saturday’s event.

The 557’s original tender carried coal. Engine 557 was converted to oil, when the federally-owned Alaska Railroad retired its other coal-burning steam engines in 1954.

“The 557 was the last steam locomotive in regular service, kept primarily to help during high water conditions in Nenana, where the Tanana and Nenana Rivers regularly flooded the entire town and railyard,” explained Durand. Diesel traction motors did not perform well in water, whereas the steamer could easily ford two feet of water over the rails.

The non-profit Engine 557 Restoration Company was formed to raise funds, coordinate, and oversee the locomotive’s rehabilitation.

The restoration also includes reestablishing the 557’s full classic appearance and bringing it into compliance with today’s passenger rail regulatory requirements.

The ultimate goal is to put Engine 557 back into special revenue service on the Alaska Railroad.

“We would like to see it return to full passenger operation. Long term, we would love to run from Matanuska to Palmer,” Durand said, an idea Borough Mayor Edna DeVries was fully on board with.

“I think it’s just wonderful, this labor of love,” said Mayor DeVries. “They’ve been working on this for 10 years. Every piece of this is volunteer-mechanical, welding, finances.”

“It’s really fun to see how many talented people are in the Valley that have volunteered. It’s very cool,” said Karen McMaster, who attended along with her husband. She was surprised that there were more “train buffs” than she had realized. “For this to be in Wasilla is really cool, real exciting.”

“This is going to be so much fun,” DeVries said.

The restoration, estimated at just over $2 million, is completely funded through private donations, grants, and gifts of services and products by local businesses. Approximately $350,000 is yet to be raised toward total project completion in 2024.

For more information about Engine 557 Restoration Company, visit their website at www.557.alaskarails.org, or their Facebook page.