Oregon Steam Navigation Co. (OSN)

This page was last updated on December 13, 2009.

(return to Oregon Steam Navivation Co. page)

Locomotives

All six locomotives were sold to ORy&N and operated over the two portage railroads owned by Oregon Steam Navigation Company.

Operated by OSN on their Cascades Railroad subsidiary on the Washington side of the lower portage at The Cascades, and on their The Dalles-Celilo subsidiary on the Oregon side of the upper portage between The Dalles and Celilo.

The portage railroad, commonly known as The Dalles & Celilo Portage Railroad, was completed and put into operation on April 20, 1863.

OSN 4-2-4T -- 2 locomotives

OSN
Name
Builder Builder
Number
Date
Built
Date
Vacated
ORy&N
Number
Notes
J. C. Ainsworth Danforth, Cooke (240 or 272) 1863 Oct 1885 ORy&N 1 1
D. F. Bradford Danforth, Cooke (241 or 273) 1863 Oct 1885 ORy&N 2 2

Description:

  • Drive Wheel Diameter: 55 inches
  • Cylinders: 11x15 inches

General Notes:

  1. Built as Oregon Steam Navigation Company's 1st and 2nd locomotives; sold to ORy&N in March 1880.
  2. Operated by OSN on their portage railroad on the Washington side of the lower portage at The Cascades, and on their portage railroad on the Oregon side of the upper portage between The Dalles and Celilo; both being upgraded from strap iron and wooden rail construction to locomotive-powered and iron rail construction and put into operation on April 20, 1863.
  3. Built as 60-inch gauge, converted to standard gauge in February 1880.
  4. Builder numbers reflect numeric sequence in total listing of all Danforth, Cooke production between 1853-1866
  5. Locomotive "J. C. Ainsworth" was named for John C. Ainsworth, one of the organizers and a majority stockholder of OSN.
  6. Locomotive "D. F. Bradford" was named for Daniel F. Bradford, one of the organizers and a majority stockholder of OSN; he had also built the portage railroad on the Washington side at The Cascades that was sold to OSN in December 1862.

Notes:

  1. Built as "J. C. Ainsworth" (OSN's 1st engine; no number); to ORy&N 1 in 1880; vacated in 1885; scrapped
  2. Built as "D. F. Bradford" (OSN's 2nd engine; no number); to ORy&N 2 in 1880; vacated in 1885; scrapped

 

OSN 4-4-0 -- 2 locomotives

OSN
Name
Builder Builder
Number
Date
Built
Date
Vacated
ORy&N
Number
Notes
J. S. Ruckel Danforth (468 or 476) 1866 Nov 1886 ORy&N 3 1
S. G. Reed Danforth (469 or 477) 1866 Aft 1880 ORy&N 4 2

Description:

  • Drive Wheel Diameter: 55 inches
  • Cylinders: 12x22 inches

General Notes:

  1. Built as Oregon Steam Navigation Company's 3rd and 4th locomotives; sold to ORy&N in March 1880.
  2. Operated by OSN on their portage railroad on the Washington side of the lower portage at The Cascades, and on their portage railroad on the Oregon side of the upper portage between The Dalles and Celilo; both being upgraded from strap iron and wooden rail construction to locomotive-powered and iron rail construction and put into operation on April 20, 1863.
  3. Built as 60-inch gauge, converted to standard gauge in February 1880.
  4. Builder numbers reflect numeric sequence in total listing of all Danforth, Cooke production between 1853-1866
  5. Locomotive "J. S. Ruckel" was named for Joseph S. Ruckel, one of the organizers and a majority stockholder of OSN; he had also built the portage railroad on the Oregon side at The Cascades that was sold to OSN in December 1862.
  6. Locomotive "S. G. Reed" was named for Simon G. Reed, one of the organizers and a majority stockholder of OSN; in addition to the locomotive, OSN also had a steamboat named for him.

Notes:

  1. Built as "J. S. Ruckel" (OSN's 3rd engine; no number); to ORy&N 3 in 1880; destroyed in LaGrande, Oregon, roundhouse fire on November 7, 1886
  2. Built as "S. G. Reed" (OSN's 4th engine; no number); to ORy&N 4 in 1880; used as a switcher in the 1880-1889 period; not on the 1890 list of Union Pacific locomotives. (from G. M. Best's notes)

 

OSN 4-4-0 -- 2 locomotives

OSN
Name
Builder Builder
Number
Date
Built
ORy&N
Number
Notes
R. R. Thompson Danforth 1046 Jan 1877 ORy&N 5 1
J. W. Sprague Danforth 1047 Jan 1877 ORy&N 6 2

Description:

  • Drive Wheel Diameter: 55 inches (later 57 inches)
  • Cylinders: 12x22 inches

General Notes:

  1. Built as Oregon Steam Navigation Company's 5th and 6th locomotives; sold to ORy&N in March 1880.
  2. Built as 60-inch gauge, converted to standard gauge in February 1880.
  3. Locomotive "R. R. Thompson" was named for Robert R. Thompson, one of the organizers and a majority stockholder of OSN; in addition to the locomotive, OSN also had a steamboat named for him.
  4. Locomotive "J. W. Sprague" was named for John W. Sprague, who was Superintendent of Northern Pacific Railroad's Pacific Coast Division when completed to Tacoma in 1873, and in 1879 became NP's General Superintendent and later President of Northern Pacific; during the brief period that NP owned the OSN, between 1872 and 1877, Sprague also served as OSN's superintendent.

Notes:

  1. Built in 1877 as "R. R. Thompson" (OSN's 5th engine; no number); to ORy&N 5 in 1880; leased to Puget Sound Shore Railroad in 1887; to ORy&N 1367 in 1890; to ORy&N 10 in 1894; vacated in 1900; sold to Christensen Machinery Co.
  2. Built in 1878 as "J. W. Sprague" (OSN's 6th engine; no number); to ORy&N 6 in 1879; to ORy&N 1368 in 1890; vacated between 1889 and 1894

###