Chelatchie Prairie Railroad
| Chelatchie Prairie Railroad | |
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| Chelatchie Prairie Railroad Station | |
| Preserved operations | |
| Preservation history | |
The Chelatchie Prairie Railroad is a heritage railroad in Yacolt, Washington. Formerly a Northern Pacific branchline and operated by the Longview, Portland and Northern Railway for many years, in the 1980s and 1990s the line went through a number of successive operators. Today the railroad is owned by Clark County, Washington, and the trackage from Vancouver Junction to Heisson is operated by the Portland Vancouver Junction Railway for freight traffic. No freight traffic exists north of Battle Ground at this time.
The excursions travel through the historic logging country of beautiful North Clark County, Washington, from the town of Yacolt to Lucia Falls and returning, stopping for a half-hour at Moulton Falls Park. A trestle crosses the Lewis River.
Currently excursions are operated using an Alco S-2 once owned by the Los Angeles Junction Railway, a former Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway Pullman car, an open-air car, and one or two cupola cabooses of Burlington Northern heritage. Upon leaving Yacolt, the train operates in reverse to Lucia, allowing passengers in one of the two cabooses to have a forward-facing view.
The Chelatchie Prairie Railroad owns one steam locomotive, former Hammond Lumber Company 2-8-2T steam locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company, currently running under its original Crossett Western #10 designation. It is used to pull the excursion train approximately one weekend a month, and for special occasions.
Excursions are typically scheduled for one or two weekends within a month, along with special excursions for the Halloween and Christmas holidays.
In addition to the Alco 2-8-2T the Battle Ground, Yacolt and Chelatchie Prairie Railroad owns a number of diesel locomotives (notably a number of Alco S-1, S-2 or S-4 locomotives) that are in storage.