A group of dedicated volunteers have been working to restore a train that will take residents and visitors alike on an interpretive ride that will include the ecology of the lower Columbia River, the heritage of native and other inhabitants, and a trip back inot an important part of our region's history. But they are in serious need of funds to complete the project that they have been working on since 1991. .

The Astoria Railroad Preservation Association (ARPA) is a non-profit. "We are dedicated to promoting public awareness of railroad history through the preservation and operation of vintage railway equipment." The organization is approaching the last phase of an ambitious project to restore one of only two hundred 1925 Balwin locomotive engines, its tender, and a coach/baggage car that was used in Clatsop County during the turn of the century to their original historical glory. Locomotive #21 has a rich history as well, including oeprating in the Santa Maria Valley in California in the early to mid 20th century, where it captured the imagination of Walt Disney. Trains are an important part of the history of the Oregon coast, and #21 will take its vital place as a piece of historical living history when it is completed. Once it roars back to life, only its name will be different: the Astoria and Columbia River Railroad #21. More about the organizaiton can be found at www.astoriarr.org

This project will provide a capacity building project to find the funding to complete the project