Washington Park and Zoo Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Washington Park and Zoo Railway is a narrow-gauge recreational railroad in Portland, Oregon
's Washington Park. It has a track gauge of 30 inches (762 mm) and rolling stock built to 5/8 scale. Opened in three stages in 1958, 1959 and 1960, it provides transportation between the Oregon Zoo
, Hoyt Arboretum
, International Rose Test Garden
, and the World Forestry Center
. The extended line is about 2 miles (3.2 km) long. There is also a 1 miles (1.6 km) loop within the zoo grounds. The railway carries about 350,000 passengers per year.
The railroad is operational year-round (except in January and part of February, when it is closed for required maintenance), but the extended line is used only on weekends in the spring and daily only in summer months. Special events occur during the Christmas holidays. A ticket costs up to $5.00 for the full line, $3.50 for the short "Zoo Loop", but zoo admission is also required.
Originally named the Portland Zoo Railway, the 1.2 miles (1.9 km)"Zooliner Carries 106,000 Passengers, Earns $10,000 Net Profit in 90 Days". The Oregonian
, September 21, 1958, p. 19. first section of track opened on June 7, 1958, more than a year before the zoo opened fully at the same site. This service used the Zooliner trainset, the railway's first and only train at that time, and operated daily except Mondays through the summer. Meanwhile, the zoo's new West Hills site was only open on weekends, because it was still under construction, and even by August penguins and bears were the only animals moved from the old zoo, which remained in operation. The initial train service around the yet-unfinished new zoo grounds was suspended in mid-September 1958, not to resume until the zoo's opening in July 1959. A fundraising campaign was launched, to raise money to build an extension – outside the zoo grounds – through the woods of Washington Park and also to build a steam locomotive. It was decided to model the planned steam engine on a real one, a Baldwin
4-4-0
type, and construction began in the autumn, with plans to use it initially at the Oregon Centennial Exposition, scheduled to be held the following summer in North Portland (at the site of what is now the Portland Expo Center
). The steam engine was named "Oregon", or alternatively "the Oregon".
In the summer of 1959, the Portland Zoo Railway operated trains at two different sites. Nos. 1 and 2, the Oregon and the Zooliner, served a temporary railway line through the grounds of the Centennial Exposition, which lasted for about three months. The Zooliner entered service on the exposition's opening day, June 10, along with a second train hauled by a utilitarian diesel switcher
locomotive temporarily filling in until the new steam locomotive, No. 1, was ready. The steam locomotive entered service on June 20, and it and the streamlined
Zooliner proceeded to carry passengers daily at the exposition all summer.
Meanwhile, the railroad at the zoo's then-new site in the West Hills remained closed while construction continued on the zoo itself, but reopened on the latter's opening day, July 3, 1959 (by which time most animals had been moved from the old zoo). For the next few months, the zoo line was served only by a train hauled by the locomotive that had been used during construction of that line. That locomotive (later becoming No. 5) was a diesel engine made to look like a steam locomotive, and the train was called the Circus Train. The engine and its cars have been modified several times since and are currently known as the Oregon Express.
When the Centennial Exposition ended (on September 17, 1959), the two trains used there were moved to the new zoo line, although the steam locomotive did not enter service at the zoo until January 1960. The 1.4 miles (2.3 km) extension eastwards through the park to a new station near the Rose Gardens
opened on May 28, 1960. Like the two trains, the small Washington Park station building was also first used at the Centennial Exposition and was moved to the new line after the fair closed. It was replaced by a new building in 1982.
The railway was renamed the Washington Park and Zoo Railway in 1978, following the zoo's change of name to Washington Park Zoo. When the zoo was renamed again in 1998, as the Oregon Zoo, the railway was not renamed.
The line also served the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
from 1958 to 1992, when that museum moved to a different location.
and then daily through Labor Day
. This run goes through the woods of Washington Park and the grounds of the Oregon Zoo. (Few animals are seen from the train.) The Zoo station is near the zoo entrance (45.510596°N 122.715461°W). The Washington Park station is a short walk from the International Rose Test Garden
(45.517509°N 122.706189°W) and Portland Japanese Garden
. The line includes a section of 4.5-percent grade.
In the off-season, weather and business permitting, the 10-12 minute Zoo Loop trip runs. This run goes through the Oregon Zoo grounds only. The Washington Park trips that operate during spring and summer months also cover this section. The Zoo Loop is mostly a one-way loop, whereas the two-way 2-mile line through Washington Park is single-track
but equipped with a few sidings
to allow trains running in opposite directions to pass. This allows up to three trains to be in operation at once.
locomotives that are used for non-passenger purposes. Most regular service, including all non-holiday weekday service, uses only the two diesel trains. The steam train operates on only a few weekends per year and for special events. Two of the three trains have been equipped since the 1980s with wheelchair lift
s capable of handling manual wheelchairs, and in 2005 these were replaced with more powerful lifts, able to handle electric wheelchair
s.
, which is famous for its unusual shape that was influenced by automobile designs of the period when it was built, considered futuristic at the time. The Zooliner was built in 1958, its mechanical parts by Northwest Marine Iron Works and its streamlined
bodywork by the H. Hirschberger Sheet Metal company of Portland. It first carried passengers in June 1958. The Zooliner is powered by a 165 hp diesel engine with hydraulic transmission, which is WP&Z Railway locomotive No. 2. The brakes are pneumatic, the same as on its full-size namesake. The train includes four or five streamlined
passenger coaches pulled by matching locomotive No. 2. The rearmost car was rebuilt in late 2005 to resemble a dome car
, in connection with installation of a larger and more powerful wheelchair lift
.
steam locomotive of the 19th century. It was built in 1959 by the Oregon Locomotive Works. It is a scale copy of the 4-4-0 locomotive, Reno, of Nevada
's Virginia & Truckee Railroad
(built by Baldwin Locomotive
in 1872). Unlike the original, No. 1 Oregon uses oil as a power source, but it is still a real steam locomotive (not a diesel that is made to look like a steam locomotive). It weighs about 8 tons. It first carried passengers on June 20, 1959, on the temporary Centennial Exposition
line in North Portland, but was moved to the then-new Portland Zoo
site around the end of the summer, when the exposition ended.
The steam locomotive's original frame broke several times during its first two decades, but a new frame was built in 1982. The Oregon was taken out of service in August 2002, in need of extensive other repairs, and was almost retired and relegated to static display, due to lack of funds to pay for the repairs. However, donations resolved this problem, and the locomotive was overhauled and returned to service on April 2, 2004. Nowadays, No. 1 is normally only scheduled to operate on a few busy weekends per year, including Memorial Day
weekend and Labor Day
weekend, but is also brought into use, as needed, to meet demand for train rides on weekends that have a particularly high number of visitors to the zoo. It is also normally used during the annual "Zoo Lights" event, held between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.
. No. 3 resembles an early EMD switcher
.
Mail
The line carries U.S. mail
and was one of the first recreational railroads to have its own postmark, and is the last railroad in the United States to have continually offered hand-cancelling and processing of mail. The postal cancellation stamp was issued to the railroad by the U.S. Postal Service
in 1961. The locomotive of the Zooliner has a postal mail slot on the side of the cab, and mail boxes are located at the Zoo and Washington Park stations.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
's Washington Park. It has a track gauge of 30 inches (762 mm) and rolling stock built to 5/8 scale. Opened in three stages in 1958, 1959 and 1960, it provides transportation between the Oregon Zoo
Oregon Zoo
The Oregon Zoo, formerly the Washington Park Zoo, is a zoo in Portland, the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located southwest of Downtown Portland, the zoo is inside Portland's Washington Park, and includes a narrow-gauge railway that connects to the International Rose Test Garden inside...
, Hoyt Arboretum
Hoyt Arboretum
The Hoyt Arboretum is located atop a ridge in the west hills of Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1922 by a collection of timber industry representatives, the U.S...
, International Rose Test Garden
International Rose Test Garden
The International Rose Test Garden is a rose garden in Washington Park in Portland, Oregon, United States. There are over 7,000 rose plants of approximately 550 varieties. The roses bloom from April through October with the peak coming in June, depending on the weather...
, and the World Forestry Center
World Forestry Center
The World Forestry Center is an American nonprofit educational institution in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located near the Oregon Zoo in Washington Park, the center was established in 1964 as the Western Forestry Center.-History:...
. The extended line is about 2 miles (3.2 km) long. There is also a 1 miles (1.6 km) loop within the zoo grounds. The railway carries about 350,000 passengers per year.
The railroad is operational year-round (except in January and part of February, when it is closed for required maintenance), but the extended line is used only on weekends in the spring and daily only in summer months. Special events occur during the Christmas holidays. A ticket costs up to $5.00 for the full line, $3.50 for the short "Zoo Loop", but zoo admission is also required.
History
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
, September 21, 1958, p. 19. first section of track opened on June 7, 1958, more than a year before the zoo opened fully at the same site. This service used the Zooliner trainset, the railway's first and only train at that time, and operated daily except Mondays through the summer. Meanwhile, the zoo's new West Hills site was only open on weekends, because it was still under construction, and even by August penguins and bears were the only animals moved from the old zoo, which remained in operation. The initial train service around the yet-unfinished new zoo grounds was suspended in mid-September 1958, not to resume until the zoo's opening in July 1959. A fundraising campaign was launched, to raise money to build an extension – outside the zoo grounds – through the woods of Washington Park and also to build a steam locomotive. It was decided to model the planned steam engine on a real one, a Baldwin
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
4-4-0
4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
type, and construction began in the autumn, with plans to use it initially at the Oregon Centennial Exposition, scheduled to be held the following summer in North Portland (at the site of what is now the Portland Expo Center
Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center
The Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center, usually referred to as the Expo Center, is a convention center located in the Kenton neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Opened in the early 1920s as a livestock exhibition and auction facility, the Expo Center now hosts over 100 events a year, including...
). The steam engine was named "Oregon", or alternatively "the Oregon".
In the summer of 1959, the Portland Zoo Railway operated trains at two different sites. Nos. 1 and 2, the Oregon and the Zooliner, served a temporary railway line through the grounds of the Centennial Exposition, which lasted for about three months. The Zooliner entered service on the exposition's opening day, June 10, along with a second train hauled by a utilitarian diesel switcher
Switcher
A switcher or shunter is a small railroad locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been...
locomotive temporarily filling in until the new steam locomotive, No. 1, was ready. The steam locomotive entered service on June 20, and it and the streamlined
Streamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
Zooliner proceeded to carry passengers daily at the exposition all summer.
Meanwhile, the railroad at the zoo's then-new site in the West Hills remained closed while construction continued on the zoo itself, but reopened on the latter's opening day, July 3, 1959 (by which time most animals had been moved from the old zoo). For the next few months, the zoo line was served only by a train hauled by the locomotive that had been used during construction of that line. That locomotive (later becoming No. 5) was a diesel engine made to look like a steam locomotive, and the train was called the Circus Train. The engine and its cars have been modified several times since and are currently known as the Oregon Express.
When the Centennial Exposition ended (on September 17, 1959), the two trains used there were moved to the new zoo line, although the steam locomotive did not enter service at the zoo until January 1960. The 1.4 miles (2.3 km) extension eastwards through the park to a new station near the Rose Gardens
International Rose Test Garden
The International Rose Test Garden is a rose garden in Washington Park in Portland, Oregon, United States. There are over 7,000 rose plants of approximately 550 varieties. The roses bloom from April through October with the peak coming in June, depending on the weather...
opened on May 28, 1960. Like the two trains, the small Washington Park station building was also first used at the Centennial Exposition and was moved to the new line after the fair closed. It was replaced by a new building in 1982.
The railway was renamed the Washington Park and Zoo Railway in 1978, following the zoo's change of name to Washington Park Zoo. When the zoo was renamed again in 1998, as the Oregon Zoo, the railway was not renamed.
The line also served the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is a museum located in Portland, Oregon, United States. It contains two auditoriums, including an IMAX Dome theatre, and a variety of hands-on permanent exhibits focused on natural sciences, industry, and technology...
from 1958 to 1992, when that museum moved to a different location.
Routes
The 35-40 minute round-trip Washington Park route runs on weekends from mid-April until Memorial DayMemorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
and then daily through Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
. This run goes through the woods of Washington Park and the grounds of the Oregon Zoo. (Few animals are seen from the train.) The Zoo station is near the zoo entrance (45.510596°N 122.715461°W). The Washington Park station is a short walk from the International Rose Test Garden
International Rose Test Garden
The International Rose Test Garden is a rose garden in Washington Park in Portland, Oregon, United States. There are over 7,000 rose plants of approximately 550 varieties. The roses bloom from April through October with the peak coming in June, depending on the weather...
(45.517509°N 122.706189°W) and Portland Japanese Garden
Portland Japanese Garden
The Portland Japanese Garden is a traditional Japanese garden occupying 5.5 acres , located within Washington Park in the west hills of Portland, Oregon, USA.- Design :...
. The line includes a section of 4.5-percent grade.
In the off-season, weather and business permitting, the 10-12 minute Zoo Loop trip runs. This run goes through the Oregon Zoo grounds only. The Washington Park trips that operate during spring and summer months also cover this section. The Zoo Loop is mostly a one-way loop, whereas the two-way 2-mile line through Washington Park is single-track
Single track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
but equipped with a few sidings
Passing loop
A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
to allow trains running in opposite directions to pass. This allows up to three trains to be in operation at once.
Rolling stock
As of 2010, Washington Park and Zoo Railway has three trains in normal operation: The Zooliner, 4-4-0 No. 1 Oregon (steam train) and Oregon Express. Two of them (the Zooliner and 4-4-0 No. 1, Oregon) are scale replicas of real trains. In addition, there are two small switcherSwitcher
A switcher or shunter is a small railroad locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been...
locomotives that are used for non-passenger purposes. Most regular service, including all non-holiday weekday service, uses only the two diesel trains. The steam train operates on only a few weekends per year and for special events. Two of the three trains have been equipped since the 1980s with wheelchair lift
Wheelchair lift
A wheelchair lift, also known as a platform lift, is a powered device designed to raise a wheelchair and its occupant in order to overcome a step or similar vertical barrier....
s capable of handling manual wheelchairs, and in 2005 these were replaced with more powerful lifts, able to handle electric wheelchair
Motorized wheelchair
A motorized wheelchair, powerchair, electric wheelchair or electric-powered wheelchair is a wheelchair that is propelled by means of an electric motor rather than manual power...
s.
The Zooliner
The Zooliner is a 5/8-scale replica of the diesel-powered AerotrainAerotrain (GM)
The Aerotrain was a streamlined trainset introduced by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in the mid-1950s. Like all of GM's body designs of this mid-century era, this train was first brought to life in GM's Styling Section. Chuck Jordan was in charge of designing the Aerotrain as Chief...
, which is famous for its unusual shape that was influenced by automobile designs of the period when it was built, considered futuristic at the time. The Zooliner was built in 1958, its mechanical parts by Northwest Marine Iron Works and its streamlined
Streamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
bodywork by the H. Hirschberger Sheet Metal company of Portland. It first carried passengers in June 1958. The Zooliner is powered by a 165 hp diesel engine with hydraulic transmission, which is WP&Z Railway locomotive No. 2. The brakes are pneumatic, the same as on its full-size namesake. The train includes four or five streamlined
Streamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
passenger coaches pulled by matching locomotive No. 2. The rearmost car was rebuilt in late 2005 to resemble a dome car
Dome car
A dome car is a type of railway passenger car that has a glass dome on the top of the car where passengers can ride and see in all directions around the train. It also can include features of a coach, lounge car, dining car or observation...
, in connection with installation of a larger and more powerful wheelchair lift
Wheelchair lift
A wheelchair lift, also known as a platform lift, is a powered device designed to raise a wheelchair and its occupant in order to overcome a step or similar vertical barrier....
.
4-4-0 No. 1, Oregon
4-4-0 No. 1 Oregon is a 5/8-scale replica of a classic American 4-4-04-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
steam locomotive of the 19th century. It was built in 1959 by the Oregon Locomotive Works. It is a scale copy of the 4-4-0 locomotive, Reno, of Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
's Virginia & Truckee Railroad
Virginia and Truckee Railroad
The Virginia and Truckee Railroad was built to serve the Comstock Lode mining communities of northwestern Nevada. At its height, the railroad's route ran from Reno south to Carson City, Nevada. In Carson City, the...
(built by Baldwin Locomotive
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
in 1872). Unlike the original, No. 1 Oregon uses oil as a power source, but it is still a real steam locomotive (not a diesel that is made to look like a steam locomotive). It weighs about 8 tons. It first carried passengers on June 20, 1959, on the temporary Centennial Exposition
Oregon Centennial
The Oregon Centennial was the 100th anniversary of the statehood of the U.S. state of Oregon. The day of the anniversary was February 14, 1959, but centennial events took place throughout the year...
line in North Portland, but was moved to the then-new Portland Zoo
Oregon Zoo
The Oregon Zoo, formerly the Washington Park Zoo, is a zoo in Portland, the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located southwest of Downtown Portland, the zoo is inside Portland's Washington Park, and includes a narrow-gauge railway that connects to the International Rose Test Garden inside...
site around the end of the summer, when the exposition ended.
The steam locomotive's original frame broke several times during its first two decades, but a new frame was built in 1982. The Oregon was taken out of service in August 2002, in need of extensive other repairs, and was almost retired and relegated to static display, due to lack of funds to pay for the repairs. However, donations resolved this problem, and the locomotive was overhauled and returned to service on April 2, 2004. Nowadays, No. 1 is normally only scheduled to operate on a few busy weekends per year, including Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
weekend and Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
weekend, but is also brought into use, as needed, to meet demand for train rides on weekends that have a particularly high number of visitors to the zoo. It is also normally used during the annual "Zoo Lights" event, held between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.
Oregon Express
The train now known as the Oregon Express is the only one that is not a copy of a real train. Its diesel locomotive is WP&Z No. 5. It was built in 1959 by Northwest Marine Iron Works/H. Hirschberger and originally was made to look like a steam train. It was later rebuilt to a relatively more modern style, with a slanted front end. The color scheme and decorative motif of the train have been changed a few times, as has the train's name, which has gone from the Circus Train to the Orient Express to the Oregon Express.Other locomotives
Locomotives 3 and 6 are small industrial diesel locomotives, not normally used for passenger service. They are used for track maintenance and switching, but if needed can haul the passenger cars of the Oregon Express or Oregon trains as a substitute for those trains' regular locomotives (Nos. 5 and 1). Both were acquired secondhand from WeyerhaeuserWeyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser is one of the largest pulp and paper companies in the world. It is the world's largest private sector owner of softwood timberland; and the second largest owner of United States timberland, behind Plum Creek Timber...
. No. 3 resembles an early EMD switcher
Switcher
A switcher or shunter is a small railroad locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been...
.
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
and was one of the first recreational railroads to have its own postmark, and is the last railroad in the United States to have continually offered hand-cancelling and processing of mail. The postal cancellation stamp was issued to the railroad by the U.S. Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
in 1961. The locomotive of the Zooliner has a postal mail slot on the side of the cab, and mail boxes are located at the Zoo and Washington Park stations.
External links
- Washington Park and Zoo Railway page at Oregon Zoo website
- Washington Park and Zoo page at trainweb.com
- Portland Zoo Trains at pdxhistory.com (including photos taken at the Oregon Centennial Exposition in 1959)