The town of Lester was located in the upper Green River Valley.
Founded as a mill town shortly after the Stampede Pass opened in 1888, Lester died out in 2003 with the passing of its last resident, Gertrude Murphy. In the years between, Lester played an important role as a railroad town in an age of steam engines trying to climb the steep grades over Stampede Pass thro
ugh Cascade mountain range.
Steam engines began to be replaced by diesel locomotives in 1
944. On August 4, 1957, Northern Pacific’s steam locomotive #2626 made its final trip over Stampede pass, pulling an excursion train from Seattle to Cle Elum. The train made an unscheduled stop at Lester because solidified oil in the tender of the steam engine refused to flow freely, causing low steam pressure. At Lester, the locomotive was uncoupled and taken to a fueling tank where diesel oil was added which diluted the bunker oil causing it to flow freely.
During the interim, passengers were allowed to wander around the station grounds and stroll about the town of Lester. Photographer Bill Barnard climbed to the roof of the engine roundhouse and snapped this shot. After leaving Lester the engine had no further trouble with low steam pressure. This photo comes courtesy of David Sprau, a retired NP employee who worked at Lester from 1960-1967. Sprau is a history buff with an extensive collection of photos. He now lives in St. Helen, Oregon.
