The 1356 arrived on the Northern Pacific Railway in 1902. She is said to be one of the rescue engines in the 1910 fire. She put in over a million miles of service, working every branch line on the Rocky Mountain Division, until her last run on June 16, 1954. For over fifty years now her home has been in front of the old NP depot at the end of North Higgins Avenue in Missoula, Montana. Read more about her history here.
     Our 1910 Historic Railroad tour features The 1356 as a rescue engine. Click here to download a post card to print and mail or save, or email to friends. First in a series of Rescue Engine postcards.


The 1356: hero in the 1910 Fire

The summer of 1910 was hot and dry like no other. The forests of Montana, Idaho and Washington were tinder, ready to ignite. Little fires were set by hot cinders flung from railroad steam engines and by lightning, and by mid August there were 1,000 to 3,000 small fires burning. On August 20, a cold front blew in and brought hurricane-force winds, whipping the hundreds of small fires into one or two blazing infernos.

The 1910 fire, or "the Big Blowup," was the largest forest fire in American history. It burned three million acres of timber, an area about the size of the state of Connecticut, in Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Smoke hid the sun. It was dark at noon from Denver to Saskatchewan, and as far east as Watertown, New York. To the west, ships at sea couldn't navigate by the stars. People were afraid it was the end of the world.

Northern Pacific 1356 was one of the rescue engines that helped evacuate people from the burning cities by train. 2010, the 100^th anniversary of the fire, is a time to remember her for that. But we also remember those who piloted the rescue trains, helped fight the fire, and did the difficult and sometimes dangerous job of keeping the trains on track every day. This website is dedicated to the brave men, women, and trains of the 1910 fire, and to the men and women of the Northern Pacific Railroad.

 

Help Save the 1356

In 1883 when the Northern Pacific railroad came, Missoula was a town of 300 people. By 1920 it was a city of 12,000. The railroad helped grow everything from stockyards to a sugar beet factory, from wholesale grocers to the Lucy furniture company, and made Missoula ours as we know it today. The 1356 is history, community, and a touch of magic and adventure.

We hope you'll help us recreate some of that magic and adventure by sharing photos and stories of Missoula's railroad past. We're building a virtual home for the 1356. We're eager to expand that space with more photos and memories.

If we want the "real" 1356 to be here for our children, she needs some help. Steam engines left out in the weather fall into disrepair, rust out, and finally, sadly, many get scrapped. Ours needs a roof over her head and other repairs, so we don't lose her.

If you'd like to help save Missoula's 1356, or help tell her story, please join our group on Facebook, or contact us using the form below. Read more about the 1356 here.

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This page is sponsored by Story Line News, an online magazine about trains. For train lovers of all ages, Story Line News features railroads and the communities they helped build.