ELBE, Wash. — The Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad has received a $50,000 grant from the Port of Tacoma Local Economic Development Investment Fund for track expansion and restoration between Elbe and New Reliance, Wash., the railroad has announced.
The 5.5-mile project will almost double the Mt. Rainier’s operable mileage and move it closer to its goal of reaching Eatonville, roughly another 7 miles further north. In a Facebook post, the railroad said it anticipated reopening the Elbe-New Reliance trackage next year, allowing it to offer longer train rides and more special events.
It is the second straight year the railroad has received one of the Local Economic Development grants from the port, which annually offers $250,000 in funding. In 2023, it received a grant for ADA accessibility improvements.
The Mt. Rainier Scenic resumed operation last fall after the Western Forest Industries Museum acquired the railroad from former owner American Heritage Railways in 2022. American Heritage had closed the railroad in 2020, citing ongoing losses heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic [see “Mt. Rainer Scenic Railroad returns to operation,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 7, 2023]. The railroad is based in Elbe, about 45 miles south of Tacoma. For more information, visit the Mt. Rainier Scenic website.
I’m glad to see the Mt. Rainier Scenic is doing well and expanding their operations. My wife and I visited there a dozen years ago and had a wonderful time.