Efforts to Restore the 4 include protective roof

Published 1:30 am Saturday, May 2, 2026

PORT ANGELES — The effort to restore a historic locomotive in Port Angeles took another step forward this week.

The North Olympic Peninsula Railroaders have led the effort to Restore the 4, a project to restore the historic Willamette locomotive on display along Lauridsen Boulevard at the corner of Chase Street.

This week, a steel canopy was installed over the locomotive. Project manager Steve Zenovic said a roofer will finish the roof probably within 30 days.

“It’s taken a while to get this structure up due to the weather,” Zenovic said.

Having the canopy and roof completed will protect the locomotive.

North Olympic Peninsula Railroaders President Judy Reandeau Stipe expressed excitement for the latest development in the project.

“I want to see it all shiny black before I die, that’s my goal right now,” Stipe said. “I’m a pioneer of Sequim, Dungeness and Forks, so it’s an emotional connection.”

Rayonier Inc. donated the locomotive to the city of Port Angeles in 1960 to memorialize the timber industry’s heritage in Clallam County. At that time, the locomotive was restored and painted, but it hasn’t been protected from the elements or restored since.

“This is a project that’s been going for 63 years,” Stipe said.

Once the canopy and roof are completed, the next step will be to restore the locomotive’s appearance, Zenovic said.

“We’ll do media blast to take off all the paint,” he said. “Then we’ll go back and paint it black just like it used to be. We’ll put the lettering and the number 4 back on it. That will basically take care of the restoration work. It will likely take all summer and into the fall to get that project done.”

One task the group has already accomplished was removing asbestos from the locomotive.

Future tasks include installing sidewalks and an observation platform as well as completing landscaping around the area.

“This is an ongoing project for probably another year before we’re 100 percent done, but we’re making our way,” Zenovic said.

The locomotive, in addition to honoring Port Angeles’ timber history, also is a tourism draw, Stipe said.

“It’s a rare engine, and there are only a couple left, so that makes this one particularly important to people who travel all over the world to look at engines,” she said. “They’ll buy a railroad magnet and it’s numbered, so they’ll come up here to take a look at it. It’s a tourism thing.”

The locomotive also brings back memories to many people who lived in the Hoko Camp, like Stipe did as a child.

“For the people in the West, it’s a big deal,” she said. “There’s an old logging camp past Forks. A lot of people lived there and logged out of there. A huge portion of our timber came out of there.”

For the project, the North Olympic Peninsula Railroaders have been raising money. The group has received donations or pledges amounting to $192,752.39 of a $250,000 goal, according to its website, restorethe4.org.

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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.