Our February calendar page features this shot of 1356 in 1903 in Spokane, Washington, pretty much brand spanking new. Photo courtesy Museum of the Rockies, RVN06916

February, 2026 calendar page links: More about 1356’s history

Northern Pacific engine 1356, built in 1902, first pulled the NP’s North Coast Limited passenger service between Missoula, Montana, and Spokane, Washington. Later she was reassigned to branch line freight, mixed and passenger service, largely in the Missoula area and between Missoula and Wallace, Idaho.

The engine’s most famous story is her role in 1910 as a rescue engine, when fires raged across the northwest. In the Big Blowup, the 1356 pulled families from Idaho to safety in Missoula, driving through fires on both sides of the track. She worked through floods, through snow slides, and finally a wreck on the Bitterroot River in 1943.

Thirty-six of the 40 S-4 10-wheelers that were built were turned into scrap iron half a century later. The 1356 was saved by photographer Ron Nixon and William McLeod of Missoula when they convinced the NP to refurbish her and donate her to the city of Missoula as a static display.

Here is her history, with photographs, from the Summer 2006 Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association’s Mainstreeter.

For a more detailed history, we recommend Daniel Hall’s excellent research and writing in the application to put 1356 on the National Historic Register, specifically pages 5-9.