If you drive through Chehalis on Interstate 5 just south of the Veterans Memorial Museum near milepost 77, you might see an anachronism: a large, black steam engine with the number 15 emblazoned on the front.
The locomotive is turning 100, but it’s still in fine condition, thanks to a team of volunteers who lovingly fire it up every weekend.
Visitors to the old No. 15 might see an 89-year-old man hanging out the side of the locomotive wearing a red hat covered in white polka dots.
That’s Harold Borovec, one of Engine No. 15’s biggest fans. He’s been fascinated with the engine since he was a child, and played a large role in its move to the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and Museum in 1989.
“It’s been one of my pets ever since I was in preschool,” Borovec said. “I’ve worked with a lot of locomotives, but this is my absolute favorite.
“And as I enter my 90th year, No. 15 is turning 100.”
The Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and Museum and the locomotive’s fans will celebrate the engine’s centennial at 3:45 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 17) with a ceremony, refreshments and a special train ride at a discounted rate. The public is welcome to attend.
Borovec said No. 15, a Baldwin 282, was built in Philadelphia for the Clear Lake Lumber Co. in 1916. The locomotive spent a few years hauling logs near Mount Vernon for the Puget Sound and Cascade Railway.
But one of the companies — either the lumber company or the railway — defaulted on payments for No. 15. The engine was repossessed and later sold to the Cowlitz, Chehalis and Cascade Railway.
“It showed up in Chehalis in 1928, one year after I was born,” Borovec said.
Once again, No. 15 was put to work hauling logs. During that time, Borovec would ride his bike to school along the railroad tracks, following the locomotive’s progress.
It was that experience, in part, that led Borovec to pursue a career in the railroad industry. In 1943, at 16, he began working for the Cowlitz, Chehalis and Cascade Railway.
Borovec worked out of the Centralia Roundhouse, a 20-stall building where engines — including No. 15 — were kept and repaired. During World War II, the stalls were often full, and more engines were kept outside.
“That was a really, really busy time,” Borovec said.
But Borovec isn’t the only person the No. 15 convinced to enter the railroad industry.
Tim Gordon, 37, has known the locomotive for much of his life. He and his brother, Scott Gordon, began riding along as children.
“I remember (Borovec’s) polka-dot hat from when I was a little kid,” Tim Gordon said.
By the time they graduated high school, they had full-time jobs working for the railroad.
When they left to pursue careers in the railroad industry, the Gordons stayed on as volunteers at the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and Museum. They also volunteer their time with other antique engines in the Pacific Northwest.
Adam Cordell, 14, of Rochester, also is inspired by No. 15. He spent the summer volunteering at the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and Museum.
He hopes to work for BNSF Railway and buy another old engine to restore.
“I’ve always really liked trains, so it seems like a good job,” Cordell said.
When Engine No. 15 retired in 1956, it was parked in a Chehalis park.
“You might say it was derelict,” Borovec said.
During New Year’s weekend of 1988, No. 15 was hauled to the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad, in Elbe, and refurbished.
By 1989, No. 15 was ready to run again. Borovec said a group of people took a bus to Elbe, then took the train back to Chehalis.
“It’s been a fine piece of machinery ever since,” Borovec said. “Currently, it’s operating just as well as it did 100 years ago, maybe even a little better.”
