The city of Portland's own "Daylight" -- former SP GS-4 4-8-4 #4449 -- camped outdoors during the month of July 2012 as it awaited entry into its new home at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center.

The big Northern was stored on a siding outside the facility along with its stablemates, former SP&S 4-8-4 #700 and former OR&N (UP) 4-6-2 #197, as construction crews worked to finish the building.

The three vacated their longtime home, the former SP Brooklyn Yard roundhouse, on June 26 along with Doyle McCormack's PA1 #190, RSD5 #324, and several other pieces of rolling stock owned by the organizations that maintain the steamers.

While outside, the rolling stock was secured by a "neighborhood watch" of volunteers assembled by the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation. They patrolled the area to ensure that the equipment did not get "tagged" with graffiti or have parts stolen.

Construction of the new facility was far enough along by Aug. 1 that ORHF was able to move the locomotives inside. The building, which will serve as both a restoration shop and interpretive center, opened to the public Sep. 22.

Photographed by Thomas McCann, July 10, 2012.
Added to the photo archive by Thomas McCann, July 12, 2012.
Railroad: Southern Pacific.

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