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Last week’s history mystery showed a crowd of people looking up at an old train engine, on the train tracks. According to an August 9, 1966 edition of The Dalles Chronicle, it shows “The Queen of the Rails,” a huge 800-class steam locomotive, in the Union Pacific roundhouse at The Dalles, westbound toward Portland. Brian Honn, who was quite young at the time, remembers seeing it pass through and it made quite an impression on him. It’s “one of the best steam engines they ever put on the road,” he said, necessary for hauling heavy freight during World War II. Several were made; only this one remains. It returned, hauling a fan special from Portland to Hinkle and back, on Sept. 11.

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How about the image up top? It’s from near The Dalles. Send your stories to Martin Gibson at 541-993-1801 or florag@gorgenews.com and we’ll print everything we learn next week!