Our family’s connection with the 4449 has been lifelong. I remember visiting Oaks Park in Portland during the 1970’s to see the engine sitting behind a chain-link fence, slowly decaying. See that I photo I took back in 1969!

Then came the news that it was going to be pulled out to be rebuilt for service. The American Freedom Train was just a name to me at the time, but the idea of restoring a steam engine for modern use was unheard of. Who does that? I had never imagined such a thing. Looking back, I realize that bringing the 4449 back to life sparked a trend in American railroading, inspiring the restoration of other historic steam locomotives.

For the Smith family, the 4449 became “our train.” The kids learned what it meant to “chase a train,” especially in the 1980’s when the 4449 was repainted in its original Daylight colors.

Since that first restoration, the 4449 has run on so many excursions it’s hard to keep track. It has traveled from coast to coast multiple times, often pulling vintage “Private Cars”—also known as “Varnish.” And even starring in the Hollywood movie Tough Guys along with legends Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster. Over the years, the organization that operates the 4449, now called “Friends of SP 4449,” has acquired a collection of cars used in many of these excursions.

Our current model lineup includes these cars, typically painted in the full Daylight scheme. Sometimes they feature the classic version with the orange window band, while other times, they sport the Shasta Daylight version with a taller orange band to accommodate that train’s larger windows.

This train has been part of our plans for a while, but I couldn’t release the first car until I found this special photo of our son sitting in the cab years ago.

Models of the 4449 have been released over the years, so they are out there. But it is very possible that another release might be available in the near future.

We present to you a train that bridges the past and the present: the 4449 Excursion Train.