Northern Pacific 328

Northern Pacific 328
NP 328 being cleaned on the Turntable at the Minnesota Transportation Museum's Jackson Street Roundhouse
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder American Locomotive Company (Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works) Serial number 37583 Build date August 1905 Total produced 20
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-0  • UIC 2′C Gauge 4 ft 81/2 in (1,435 mm) Leading dia. 30 in (762 mm) Driver dia. 57 in (1,448 mm) Wheelbase 21 ft 1 in (6.426 m) Length 58 ft 6 in (17.831 m) Height 14 ft 101/4 in (4.528 m) Adhesive weight 115,000 Ib (52 t) Loco weight 153,000 Ib (69 t) Tender weight 104,000 Ib (47 t) Fuel type Coal Water cap. 5,500 US gal (21,000 I; 4,600 imp gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 38.5 square feet (3.58 m2) Boiler pressure 190 Ibf/in2 (1.31 MPa) Heating surface: ​  • Tubes and flues 1,865 square feet (173.3 m2)  • Total surface 2,010 square feet (187 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 19 in x 26 in (483 mm x 660 mm) Valve gear Stephenson Loco brake Air Train brakes Air
Performance figures Tractive effort 26,600 Ibf (118 kN)
Career Operators Northern Pacific Railway Osceola & St. Croix Valley Railway Minnesota Transportation Museum Class S-10 Numbers NP 328 Nicknames “The Blueberry Special” Locale Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin Retired August 1950 (revenue service) 1999 (excursion service) Restored May 1981 Current owner Minnesota Transportation Museum Disposition On static display

Northern Pacific 328 is a preserved S-10 class (NP S-10)[1] 4-6-0 "Ten Wheeler" type steam locomotive. Built in August 1905 by ALCO's Roger Works, she, along with her sisters, were set on fast passenger trains along the NP system until sidelined in August 1950. After being on display in Stillwater, Minnesota's city park, it was restored to operational condition in 1981, and was retired again in 1999. As of 2025, the locomotive is on static display at the Minnesota Transportation Museum's Jackson street Roundhouse.

History

Revenue service

No. 328 was built in August 1905 by the American Locomotive Company at their Rogers plant in Patterson, New Jersey. It was originally designed for fast passenger service. In 1940, it was named Blueberry Special, after the train that ran between Rush City, Minnesota and Grantsburg, Wisconsin. No. 328 pulled the last train to Taylors Falls on June 30, 1948. In 1949, L-10 0-6-0 No. 1167 replaced 328 on the Grantsburg branch.

First retirement

In August 1950, No. 328 was retired and was sold to the Minnesota Railfans Association where it was displayed in Stillwater, Minnesota at their city park where she would sit for 26 years.[2][3]

Excursion service

In 1976, it was leased by the Minnesota Transportation Museum for an operational restoration. The engine returned to service in May 1981, and ran excursion trips during the 1980s. Between 1987 and 1991, No. 328 returned to the Stillwater Branch and was owned by the Minnesota Transportation Museum and was a “crown jewel” of the historic experience.[4] In 1992 NP served as a regular locomotive on MTM's Osceola & St. Croix, MN and Dresser, WI.[5][6] In 1998, No. 328 had its most famous trip when she participated in a triple header with Soo Line 1003 and Soo Line 2719 at SteamFest '98 from Wisconsin to Minnesota. In 1999, it traveled a few more miles from the Stillwater and Taylors Falls branches it once frequented. It also made occasional special trips to other locations around the Twin Cities.

Second retirement

In 1999, No. 328 was retired from service once again and today it is an exhibit at the Jackson Street Roundhouse. There are no current plans to restore No. 328 back to operation.[7][8][9][10]

See also

• St. Louis-San Francisco 1522
• Milwaukee Road 261
• Nickel Plate Road 587
• Soo Line 1003
• Soo Line 2719
• Southern Pacific 4449
• Union Pacific 844

References

1. Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association (February 11, 2009). "Steam Class List S-10". Retrieved August 20, 2021.
2. "Northern Pacific Motive Power - No. 5 of a Series, Class S-10 (320-329)" (PDF). The Telltale. XI (5): 2. May 1950. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
3. "Northern Pacific steam locomotive No. 328 on display in the park at Stillwater". Minnesota Historical Society. 1955. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
4. Johnson, Martin (1991). "The Blueberry Special". The Mainstreeter. 10 (4): 20–21.
5. Schrenk, Lorenz P. (1996). "The Truth About 328 Revealed!". The Mainstreeter. 15 (4): 5–11.
6. • Egan, Patrick (1996). The Other Four". The Mainstreeter. 15 (4): 12-13.
7. Smith, Jonathan D.H. (2005). "Chicago Terre Haute & Southeastern steam locomotives". Standard steam locomotives. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
8. Thompson, Richard E.; Monson, Steven J. (2005). The Taylors Falls & Lake Superior Railroad. Chicago City, Minnesota: Iron Horse Central Museum. ISBN 1-59975-248-4.
9. "Steam locomotives". Minnesota Transportation Museum. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
10. "We own that train? Stillwater weighs options for old Northern Pacific locomotive". Twin cities. December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.