After responding to Carl Sowell's inquiry about 4449, I thought I would expand on what I posted. I don't think the original 4449 website is kept up, but the ORHF, Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation, where 4449 resides, is current. I guess I am one of the few 12 iinch to the foot scale railfans still here and I do not model, but have had the privilege to volunteer at times withe 4449 crew. I mentioned the Christmas tree that Phil Barney built, and here is a photo of it. I did not notice that is three rail track (O scale?), but the whole concept should interest modelers. The tree is large, and the track is laid in a climbing spiral to the top of the tree, where it then goes down inside the tree in another spiral, emerging at the bottom to start climbing again, all one continuous loop. My file is vertical, don't know why it loaded this way. The ORHC is not a roundhouse as such, consisting of straight tracks and housing the SP 4449, the SP&S 700 and the OR&N 197 steam locomotives plus Doyle McCormack's Alco PA diesel. It is open to the public three days a week, very clean inside. The latest fund raising item concerns the installation of the turntable rescued from the engines' former home. The table itself has been completely overhauled and is like new. Funding is being raised to create the pit and install the table and all the mechanical and electrical interface. This will be a real attraction, steam locomotives fired up and turning on the turntable. Go visit the ORHC in Portland. You will be impressed. Tickets are now on sale for the Holiday Express operations, featuring 4449. They did not occur last year because of the Covid, but are going to take place this year.
