Steam cab ride on the Mt. Rainier Scenic

It’s 7:30 a.m. and our Trains crew has arrived at the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad and Museum in Mineral, Wash. for a steam engine cab ride. It’s about a two-hour plus drive from Carnation, Wash. where I run, own and operate my own short line electrified private railway. Today though, I’m a guest crew member on Mt. Rainier Scenic’s historic steam locomotive. I’ve experienced the nostalgia of steam as a passenger before but never from the view of a locomotive cab. After months of logistics, scheduling, and signing on the legal waiver’s dotted line, today I arrived at my own railfan version of Disneyland. 

I’d visited Mt. Rainier’s extensive rail campus at Mineral years ago to enjoy a “Rails and Ales” excursion, but this was my first behind-the-scenes access to the operation. I was dressed for the part from head-to-toe, including a pair of railroad-style bib overalls, although I admit my outfit noticeably lacked the well-used patina of the bibs worn by the crew. 

Bethan Maher, executive director, introduced us to the crew and showed us around the shop. If you share the same deep respect I have for the commitment and craftsmanship involved in steam railroading, you’ll understand how this felt like touring Willy Wonka’s factory. 

Polson Logging No. 70, a 2-8-2 Mikado built in Philadelphia by Baldwin in 1922, would power  our run today, and it would be a day of firsts for the crew. We were joined by an employee who had worked his way up from running rail cycles to brakeman, and today was his initiation as conductor for the day’s first passenger run. Another first was our steam fireman in training, a senior high-school linebacker from Chehalis, Wash., who was training under the mentorship of a seasoned rail employee.

Railroading isn’t just for old equipment and old-timers. The average staff and volunteer age at the railroad is 28. There is a youth movement in heritage railroading, and Mt. Rainier’s future was riding with us today.

Speaking of old-timers, our Trains crew consisted of myself and two friends serving as volunteer photographers. Collectively, we had zero operating experience and no business being anywhere near the cab of a historic steam locomotive. But here we were. When you love trains, dreams don’t age out.

We gathered for the safety meeting then the crew dispersed to prep the jet-black Polson Logging Co. tender and engine for an 11 a.m. arrival into Elbe, Wash., where we’d pick up our first ticketed passengers of the day. Our engineer was a long-time Mt. Rainier employee and longtime railroader since his youth. 

Steam locomotives are a reminder to appreciate the analog history of railroading. Steam doesn’t want you in a hurry, is extremely temperamental, requires surgical expertise, a bit of luck, and a hint of superstition. Our engineer shared the opinion that anything related to railroading built before 1941 seems to work just fine while anything built after is sure to be a pain. A successful day on the rails, he added, equates to a boring one, with anything and everything just going as planned with no surprises. 

Soon we were immersed in the pre-departure routine — the orchestration of safety checks, fine-tuning the steam locomotive, monitoring the gauges, tending to the boiler, and feeding the fire. 

Besides the expected sights of the varying scales of white puffs breathing out from the locomotive there was a soundtrack of steam sounds filling the air. Some incredibly high-pitched and some at varying cadences and after a while onboard stationary we’d begin to figure out the patterns and know when to cover our ears. This is all before we pulled out of Mineral on our initial run. 

The cab of the steam locomotive is tight quarters and we were five packed into a sardine can with no lid and open air all around. There are raised seats, one for the fireman, one for the engineer. Our fireman mentor stood on watch and provided direction. A small steel bench backed up to the tender. The gauges reading out measurements and pressures are highly crafted. The operation of the steam train is 100% analog. Levers, handles, and whistle controlled by hanging ropes to grab and pull down to signal approach at intersections. 

The steam train is the antidote to all things digital. 

After the all-clear from various members of the crew it was time to pull out of the yard, a highball signal was overhead over the radio and we went from standing in place for a few hours in preparation to full-steam ahead out of Mineral en route to the Elbe, Wash. depot, where hungry brunch passengers awaited their Saturday adventure. 

A powerful steam engine leading a train through the forest is an awe-inspiring experience, for diehard fans or curious civilians alike. In the cab, 15 mph can feel like 60. You grab on tight to a metal handle or anything remotely stable within reach. The regular crew exhibits their own acrobatic craft hanging off the sides looking forward and back constantly monitoring with an eye to safety. The boiler fire is constantly burning and visible through the circular hole in the front of the cab.

The morning Pacific Northwest chill is more than offset by the heat radiating from the firebox.  The crew exhibited extreme focus and professionalism from the veteran engineer to the fireman in training. It is a choreographed master class in running steam. 

We rolled into the town of Elbe with whistle bellowing and steam billowing, a glorious sight for the waiting passengers. I stood on the bench looking over the tender and the rails ahead as the train slowed to a stop alongside the depot. We’ll ride the next leg of the journey as passengers in one of the refurbished cars but for today our time is done experiencing the steam life from the front-row seat. 

All the employees of the railroad provide a critical role in the onboard guest experience for ticketed passengers. The luggage car has been reimagined as a rolling gift and snack shop with the attendant playing double duty as the onboard narrator. He told us this particular car was originally operated by Canadian National. Onboard merchandise and snack purchases contribute to the non-profit railroad’s bottom line, which, I can only imagine, is a significant number considering the need to support all the moving parts of running a successful tourist operation. 

Ticketed passengers experience the historic 100 year-old steam engine coupled with the luxury lounge car, a mountain view car, two historic Pullman passenger coaches, and the baggage car. The railroad offers themed excursions from brunch trains to whiskey trains and the ever popular Polar Express inspired by the book and film. 

As we head further up the track, the passengers get to experience a bit of real-time railroading, with the train coming to a stop so the steam engine and tender could detach, head up the track, turn, and pass the cars and recouple with the front of the train for the trek back to Mineral, Wash. Switching is a great opportunity for passengers to capture photos and videos while hanging out the open air windows to get the best view. One couple on our train had an especially memorable trip by getting engaged in the luxury lounge car while under steam power. 

Safety is always at the forefront of rail operations and this run back to Mineral was no exception. On our way back to the rail yard, the train came to a temporary stop to allow crew members to clear away branches blocking the line. The forest setting is a stunning landscape in the shadow of Mt. Rainier for a tourist railroad but the heavily wooded area clearly provides its own challenges. Track cleared, we were soon on our way back. The passengers stayed on board in Mineral but we thanked the crew and exited the train while they performed another shunting exercise to move the locomotive and tender back to the front of the train set for their return to the Elbe Depot. 

We waved back to the engineer, fireman in training, and conductor as the train pulled out of Mineral and the steam exited from both sides and from above into the clouds. 

It was a sublime experience to be surrounded by such a hard-working crew who put in long hours honing their craft to provide the best possible onboard experience for passengers. 

The railroad provided us all a master class in running steam on a tourist railroad in the Pacific Northwest. My mint condition bib overalls were initiated with evidence of a first steam cab experience. Once you get that first taste of what the crew experiences in the cab it becomes an addiction. 

A big thank you to the entire crew at Mt. Rainier and special thanks to Beth Maher for navigating the logistics and waivers to make our day a possibility. 

I think Johnny Cash summarized it best, “I’ve got a thing about trains.” 

Railroad suffers arson attack

The Mt. Scenic Railroad experienced a horrific loss on April 30th, 2025, when a catastrophic fire destroyed the railroad’s largest wooden trestle. The fire, an apparent arson attack, does not interfere with regular passenger operations but does place the railroad’s long-planned expansion in jeopardy. The fire is under investigation. A GoFundMe is under way to help mitigate the costs associated with the fire. Please consider donating.