From the May 2015 issue of The Trainmaster, "A wet May in the spring of 1948 created one of the biggest natural disasters in the history of Portland, Oregon. The warm weather caused a rapid snow melt in the Cascade Mountains and the waters of the Columbia River and the Willamette River that both border Portland began to rise significantly ... a 10-foot wall of water rushed out flooding and destroying most of the town of Vanport. ... while the flood waters slowly receded, the rail traffic of the area continued as best it could through the flood waters. Fortunately, steam power was still predominant at the time. Diesel locomotives with their traction motors would never be able to traverse the inundated rail yards. Steam power was still able to make it's way through as shown by the great photo of SP 2-8-2 #3298 doing just that.
With her brakeman and conductor perched safely above the flood waters on the engines tender, the cab crew watches as they plow their own wake through the yards as they deliver their train of cars. The firebox of the big SP Mike appears to be just lightly higher here than the flood waters themselves.
All in a day of steam railroading in 1948!"
