PLEASE NOTE: The Steam Locomotive #15 repairs are underway. No date has yet been set to return the locomotive to service. Our Diesel Engine #6 will pull the train on excursions until such time as our Steam Engine is repaired.

Safety precautions and health guidelines are in place for the benefit of both crew members and our passengers. 

Chehalis Centralia Railroad

All Aboard

About Us

About the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad & Museum

The Chehalis-Centralia began in 1986 as the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad Association, a (501) (c)(3) non-profit corporation. The founders were a group of local citizens whose goal was to restore a 1916 logging locomotive that had been placed in a Chehalis park thirty years earlier. Soon work was underway on the Cowlitz, Chehalis & Cascade No. 15, a Baldwin-built 2-8-2 “Mikado” type steam locomotive.

Over the course of two years, the engine underwent extensive restoration, and several passenger railcars were acquired. In 1989, scheduled passenger operations began over the former Milwaukee Road track in Lewis County. In 2006, the association changed its name to the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad & Museum, to better reflect its continuing mission to preserve the railroad heritage of the region.

Presently, the Chehalis-Centralia is one of only a few steam powered railroads in Washington State. The railroad operates seasonal excursion trains each year over approximately ten miles of track, offering both coach and dinner train service. Additionally, the railroad is caretaker of the #15, the Puget Sound Naval Shipyards No.6 & 9, and numerous other pieces of historic railroad equipment.

In 2016, the CC&C #15 marked its 100th birthday, a remarkable feat. As the railroad looks forward, emphasis will be placed on how best to ensure the future for such historic equipment. It is our hope that the #15 and other equipment of the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad will still be operating not just ten years from now, but fifty years from now and beyond.

Our Locomotive

Home to the  Baldwin 2-8-2 “Mikado”, we are proud of our steam train and its AMAZING history. We take pride in the train ride experience, but it wouldn’t exist without this workhorse engine and all of the amazing staff and volunteers it takes to run. Click below to learn more about our engines and their history.

Chehalis Depot

Stop by the Depot to learn about the history of our steam train and check out some amazing artifacts. Our concessions include snacks, drinks, and train memorabilia perfect for the rail-buff in your life!

Special Recognition to Harold Borovec

Harold has been a railroad fan since his early childhood. His first job on trains was in the 1940’s when he was 16 years old working for the Cowlitz, Chehalis & Cascade Railway. It’s safe to say he knows more about railroads than the average rail fan. 

Among his many accomplishments is his recent book. Harold and his wife, Alberta, followed the abandoned G&P tracks through the mountains and plains of Idaho and Wyoming as he researched the book, “I Was No Nutsplitter! Railroad Machinist Recollections of E.R. Lambert as recorded by Harold Borovec.” Woven throughout the books is a sweet story of the love Harold shared for Alberta, his childhood sweetheart and wife for 67 years. She passed away April 22, 2013. They were the parents of three sons and a daughter.

Harold and Alberta were volunteers and founders of the Chehalis Centralia Railroad in 1986 and devoted countless hours to restoring the Cowlitz Chehalis & Cascade, 1916 locomotive No. 15. Following a successful restoration project which took over 2 years, the locomotive began pulling the Chehalis-Centralia Steam Train over former Milwaukee Railroad tracks west out of Chehalis in 1989. Harold has served as an engineer on the train for nearly three decades.

In 2013, Borovec received the South Sound Heritage Association’s Heritage Award for his excellence and service in local historical preservation. In 2019, Harold serves on the Chehalis Centralia Railroad’s Board of Directors and remains an advisor and mentor to the dedicated crew and growing fan base. 

Meet the team

CHEHALIS-CENTRALIA RAILROAD CREW

It's amazing the amount of time, skill and effort it takes to maintain our beautiful steam engine and cars. Our team works tirelessly to ensure every customer has an authentic and memorable experience. Safety is our number one priority.

Bill Deutscher

engineer

Jack Eppert

Conductor

Rick Burchett

Engineer

Dave LaClair

Conductor

Mike Beehler

Conductor

Skip Mason

Engineer

Craig Cootsona

Engineer

Webb Rhodes

Engineer

Lee Bishop

Brakeman

Jon Cox

Brakeman

Alden Wolf

conductor

Luke
Lennox

brakeman

Michael
Chapman

Student Crew

Donnie
Harding

Student Crew

Crew Positions

The Conductor is responsible for the train, the freight and the crew. The conductor is responsible for all safety and operational duties. He/she is in charge of seeing that the train arrives and leaves on time. He directs the engineer to move the train. To be a conductor you must first qualify as a brakeman. The conductor also performs brakeman duties as necessary.

The Engineer operates the engine and is responsible for all functions of the engine. He/she must first qualify as a fireman before being trained and qualified as an engineer.

The Fireman works for the engineer, keeping fuel on the fire and steam pressure up in the boiler of the locomotive, as well as being another set of eyes (and hands) for the engineer. To be a fireman, you must be qualified as a brakeman.

The Brakeman handle throwing switches, coupling and uncoupling cars and engines, and setting and releasing hand brakes when cars are set out or picked up While the train is moving, they keep a lookout for potential hazards on the train itself.

Board of Directors

Mary Kay Nelson, President
Doug Peterson, Vice President
Jack Eppert, Secretary
Joanne Schwartz, Treasurer
Mike Beehler, Past President
Wm. Deutscher, President Emeritus

Jason Hill
John Cordell
Skip Mason
Richard Tausch
Jay Myhre

Important Message:

Greetings to Railfans and Friends of the Chehalis Centralia Railroad & Museum,

We are so excited to start 2023 Operations that we are planning a few activities while we are awaiting the necessary permission from FRA (Federal Rail Administration) to resume train rides for this year. Please Click on the “Night of Dinner and Music” Event. Tickets are now available for a special “Night of Dinner & Music” on March 25 at 5:00pm. This is a stationary event on the Dinner Train — At the Depot.

We are pleased to announce the full repair of the track damage sustained in the 2022 flood has been completed.

Funds are currently being sought through FEMA and SBA to reimburse the expenses incurred. In the meantime, projects to improve our facilities and the safety of our train operations are underway. The renovation of the #15 Steam Locomotive will resume, pending the acquisition of funds.

— Chehalis Centralia Board of Directors