Not a good time to leave for work. With her both her bell and whistle sounding loud warnings, Santa Maria Valley Locomotive #205 proceeds cautiously down West Olive Street in Lebanon, OR, with a short local freight. Given the narrowness of this residential street, this wouldn't be a great time to be leaving for work. There's really not room for parked cars, a moving train and regular vehicle traffic. Although this historical re-enactment was staged by Lerro Photography, during a 2022 photo shoot, this is indeed an active, residential street, and these tracks lead to the railroad's shop facilities, just a few blocks to the east. I'm not quite sure how frequently these tracks are active, or what motorists are expected to do when they see a train coming, but having trains sharing the same space with motor vehicles definitely calls for extreme caution on the part of all operators concerned. Apparently, about 250 such situations exist in the United States, so while uncommon, street-running is not rare. This is however, the first time I've personally seen it done with a steam locomotive.
A look at steam operations on Oregon's Albany & Eastern Railroad, headquartered in Lebanon, OR, and featuring Santa Maria Valley Railroad Locomotive #205.
