Despite no formal advanced notice, the historic steam locomotive Engine #4449, otherwise known as "The Daylight" was greeted Tuesday afternoon by a throng of spectators at the Williston Amtrak Depot.

Word of the engine's arrival spred quickly Tuesday as it neared the Montana/North Dakota border. People continued to call others on their cell phones while waiting on the depot's cobblestone walkway, looking westward for a sign of the engine coming around a corner.

Engine #4449 is one of three historic steam locomotives owned by the city of Portland, Ore., and is traveling this month to Owosso, Mich., to participate in "Train Festival 2009." It stopped at Williston in midafternoon Tuesday to perform some regular maintenance on its way to an overnight layover in Minot.

Ed Immel is vice president of the nonprofit Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation and is acting as the "crew hauler" who travels in advance of the engine that is pulling a bounty of historic rail cars on its 5,000-mile trip that began in Portland on July 3. The routine maintenance that's needed about every 150 miles involves greasing the rods for the large steel wheels on the engine, he said.

The engine burns oil to generate the necessary steam, Immel said of the GS-type steam engines the former Southern Pacific Railroad purchased from the Lima Locomotive Works in the 1930s. The engines originally pulled fast day trains between Los Angeles and San Francisco, which prompted the monicur "Daylight." The distinctive red, orange, black and silve paint schemes prompted the engines to at one point be called "The World's Most Beautiful Trains." In May 1941, Lima produced the last of the GS4 locomotives, which included Engine #4449.

The final steam powered "Daylight" train was used by the SP on Jan. 7, 1955. In 1956, Engine #4449 was stored in Bakersfield, Calif.

In October 1957, the railroad donated it to the city of Portland, which placed it in Oaks Park for an eventual transportation museum.

Eighteen years later, the train engine was removed from Oaks Park and in six months was restored to operating condition. It then spent the next two years pulling the Bicentennial American Freedom Train through 32 states on a 35,000-mile trip that attracted nearly 30 million people to its side.

It since has traveled to New Orleans, Wehatchee, Wash., and two trips to California. After attending the Michigan festival, #4449 returns to Minneapolis in August and September. Immel said the engine is replacing another that needs maintenance work, so #4449 will pull a train that provides fall foliage trips along the Mississippi River.

On Oct. 13, #4449 and its historic fleet of rail cars head back to Portland on a special "Fall Colors Through America Tour." The train is to arrive in Portland on Oct. 20, with layovers in Fargo, Minot, Havre, Whitefish and Spokane.

Immel said "it takes a lot of time," to organize trips such as the one to Michigan that involves getting the owners of historic cars to agree to ride along.

The cars on this trip include the "New York Central #3" that was built in 1928 for New York Central director Harold S. Vanderbilt and the "Super Dome" with 85 feet of glass with seating for 52 upstairs in the observation area.

There also is "Market 403" that was built in 1913 as a chair car that was converted in 1946 and has seen American presidents Truman, Johnson, Carter and Clinton as guests, along with many other notables.

Since the train is running on Amtrak rails on this trip east, "all equipment has to meet Amtrak specs," Immel said.

For more information about the upcoming Michigan festival, go to www.trainfestival2009.com. For information about the upcoming fall foliage excursion go to www.WestBound4449.com.