Chehalis train ride nurtures nostalgic dreams of steam

CHEHALIS — "ALL A-BOARD!"

With a long, shrill whistle and the clanging of a brass bell, the train pulled out of the depot, white clouds of steam shooting into the air. It was a taste of another era — when ladies donned hats and white gloves, and gentlemen clenched pipes between their teeth and blackened their shoes.

Shorts, tank tops, T-shirts and white running shoes were the attire of choice for those riding on a recent Sunday aboard the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad train, which is powered by a 1916 Baldwin steam engine. But the riders felt the spray of steam upon their faces as they chugged at 15 mph through Lewis County, where farmhouses dot the landscape and cows and horses graze the bucolic pastures.

"We're history buffs, so we like trains," said Bill Littler, 41, of La Center, Clark County, who rode the train on a 12-mile run with his wife and two of his four children. "So when we see a train, we get on it. It's the most relaxing thing you'll ever do."

Families and train enthusiasts have waxed nostalgic for almost 15 years by climbing into the wood-trimmed, hand-painted cars run by the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad Association, just one of a number of Northwest operators offering rides on old trains through summer scenery.

Childhood dream come true

The Lewis County group formed in 1986 after rescuing the steam engine — then dilapidated and peeling — from a local park, where it stood for 30 years, said Harold Borovec, who works for the association. After two years of restoration, the acquisition of several cars and about $100,000 in grants, private investments and volunteer labor, the steam engine found a new life hauling people instead of logs.

The steam engine was originally commissioned from a Philadelphia manufacturer by a Clear Lake, Skagit County, logging company, said Borovec. After decades of hauling lumber in Skagit County and then the Chehalis area, the engine landed in a Chehalis park, where it sat dormant until a few residents thought a restored engine could attract visitors.

For Borovec, the restoration was the first step to his dream of driving a steam train.

The lifelong Chehalis resident remembers when the No. 15 locomotive transported logs, and he always hoped to feel its power beneath his command and blow its distinctive whistle. While he loved steam trains, working on locomotives while in high school and selling tickets at various depots, he entered the coal business with his brother just as the steam engine seemingly went the way of the dodo bird.

But then there was talk of restoring No. 15. The white-haired and always-charming Borovec put up some seed money and shopped the country for train cars. Now, a decade-and-a-half later, grime and grit line the 76-year-old's fingernails. He can be found at the depot almost every summer day, sometimes in smudged overalls as he cleans the engine, or in his Sunday best, stopping by after church services to make sure the engine is warmed properly.

And he is the engineer every Saturday, driving the train and blasting the steam whistle.

"Don't you think God had something to do with that?" he asked. "Never give up on your dream. Someone's going to make it happen."

'It's in your blood'

The sleek, pitch-black steel engine with red wheels and trim is powered by steam. Getting the locomotive moving takes anywhere from two to six hours, depending on when it was last run.

Used motor oil is burned to heat water until it turns to steam. The engine burns about five gallons of oil each mile and 100 gallons on a single trip. And it goes through about 1,000 gallons of water a trip.

Run by volunteers and a few employees, the train rides are something of a community effort. Borovec's wife keeps the books and buys the pop and chips sold aboard the train. A local restaurant caters the dinner trains. And youth organizations like the local Boy Scouts do jobs as needed, such as scraping peeling paint from a caboose.

Rick Burchett, 49, of Olympia, began as a brakeman in 1992, then moved up to conductor, fireman and engineer. Burchett, who owns a computer programming business, does everything from cleaning the toilet — "Somebody's got to," he said — to driving the train.

"It's the feeling of power and the chug of the engine — it's one of those things you can't explain," he said. "I guess I never grew out of toys, and the size just got bigger."

Ray Beaber, 67, of Chehalis, remembers racing the No. 15 in the days when it hauled logs and he was just a kid on a bicycle. While the train always won, Beaber's fascination for trains never diminished.

"I've always loved these doggoned things. I love the sound of 'em," said Beaber, who calls himself the train association's "No. 2" man behind Borovec.

And Borovec does everything from overseeing jail volunteers replacing railroad ties to hacking branches along the tracks with a machete to protect riders in the roofless, open "Mount St. Helens" car (which "blew its top").

"If it's in your blood, it's in your blood and it's definitely in his," said Burchett.

Their efforts are appreciated by steam-train fans, and by families simply looking for a respite from long drives. And for an extra $5, passengers can ride on the engine and experience the heat and smell of a true steam locomotive.

Dave Brown, 62, of Burien, has ridden almost 20 steam trains still running in the United States and Canada. The mechanical engineer boards the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad train whenever he's in the area.

"I was 11 months old when I got my first train set," he said. "It apparently had an influence."

Gina Kim: 206-464-2761 or gkim@seattletimes.com