Washington Park and Zoo Railway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Washington Park & Zoo Railway |
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The Zooliner, shown arriving at Washington Park station, is one of the railway's two primary trains.
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| Overview | |
| Owner | Metro (Oregon regional government) |
| Locale | Portland, Oregon |
| Service | |
| Ridership | Approx. 350,000 annually |
| History | |
| Opened | June 7, 1958 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) |
The Washington Park & Zoo Railway (WP&ZRy) is a fun train ride in Portland, Oregon's Washington Park. It uses a special type of track called a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge railway. The trains are built to be 5/8 the size of real trains!
This railway first opened in parts between 1958 and 1960. It used to connect the Oregon Zoo, Hoyt Arboretum, International Rose Test Garden, and the World Forestry Center. The full line was about 2 miles (3.2 km) long.
Today, the train runs on a shorter 1-mile (1.6 km) loop just inside the zoo. About 350,000 people ride the train every year!
The railway runs all year, except for January and part of February. This time is used for important maintenance work. During the winter holidays, there are special events. In 2018, a ticket for the short 6-minute loop cost $4.00. You also need a zoo admission ticket to ride.
In September 2013, the railway closed for about a year. This was needed for building the zoo's new Elephant Lands exhibit. The old short loop inside the zoo was removed. A new section of track was built to replace it. Train rides started again on the new Zoo Loop line on November 22, 2014.
In May 2018, many people signed an online petition. They wanted to save the "long route" that goes from the Oregon Zoo to the International Rose Test Garden. The park's main plan suggested removing these tracks. They wanted to replace them with a paved path. By May 2020, over 37,000 people had signed the petition. They want to keep and fix the "long route."
Contents
A Journey Through Time: The Railway's History
The railway was first called the Portland Zoo Railway. The first part of the track, about 1.2-mile (1.9 km) long, opened on June 7, 1958. This was more than a year before the zoo fully opened at its new location. The Zooliner train was the first and only train back then. It ran daily except Mondays during the summer.
In 1959, the Portland Zoo Railway ran trains in two different places.
- The Oregon (a steam train) and the Zooliner ran on a temporary track. This was for the Oregon Centennial Exposition, a big fair that lasted about three months.
- The railway at the zoo's new location reopened on July 3, 1959. This was the same day the zoo officially opened.
For a few months, the zoo line only had one train. It was pulled by a diesel engine that looked like a steam locomotive. This train was called the Circus Train. It has been changed many times since then. Now, it is known as the Oregon Express.
When the Centennial Exposition ended in September 1959, the two trains from the fair moved to the new zoo line. The steam locomotive started service at the zoo in January 1960. A 1.4-mile (2.3 km) extension of the track opened on May 28, 1960. This new section went through the park to a station near the Rose Gardens. The small Washington Park station building was also moved from the fair to the new line.
The railway changed its name to the Washington Park and Zoo Railway in 1978. This happened after the zoo changed its name to Washington Park Zoo in 1976. When the zoo became the Oregon Zoo in 1998, the railway kept its name.
The railway was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. This means it is an important historical site.
Exploring the Tracks: Different Routes
The Washington Park route is a 35-40 minute round trip. It usually runs on weekends from mid-April to Memorial Day, then daily until Labor Day. This route goes through the woods of Washington Park and the Oregon Zoo grounds. You won't see many animals from the train on this route.
The Zoo station is close to the zoo entrance. The Washington Park station is a short walk from the International Rose Test Garden and Portland Japanese Garden. This line has a steep section with a 4.5-percent grade.
During the off-season, the 10-12 minute Zoo Loop trip runs. This trip only goes through the Oregon Zoo grounds. The Washington Park trips also cover this section. The Zoo Loop is mostly a one-way track. The 2-mile line through Washington Park has single-track sections. But it also has sidings, which are extra tracks. These sidings allow trains going in different directions to pass each other. This means up to three trains can run at the same time!
Meet the Trains: Rolling Stock
The Washington Park and Zoo Railway has three main trains that run regularly. These are the Zooliner, the 4-4-0 No. 1 Oregon (the original steam train), and the Oregon Express. Two of these trains are smaller copies of real trains. There are also two small switcher locomotives. These are used for things like track maintenance, not for carrying passengers.
Most of the time, especially on weekdays, only two diesel trains are used. The steam train runs only on a few weekends each year and for special events. In the 1980s, two trains got wheelchair lifts. This made it easier for people using wheelchairs to get on board. In 2005, these lifts were updated to help with heavier electric wheelchairs.
The Zooliner
The Zooliner is a 5/8-scale copy of the diesel-powered Aerotrain. The Aerotrain was famous for its unique shape, which looked very futuristic for its time. The Zooliner was built in 1958. Its mechanical parts were made by Northwest Marine Iron Works. Its sleek body was made by H. Hirschberger Sheet Metal company in Portland. It started carrying passengers in June 1958.
The Zooliner is powered by a 165 horsepower (123 kW) diesel engine. This engine is WP&ZRy locomotive No. 2. The train uses air brakes, just like the full-sized Aerotrain. The train has four or five streamlined passenger cars. The very last car was rebuilt in 2005 to look like a dome car. This was also when a bigger, stronger wheelchair lift was added.
4-4-0 No. 1, Oregon
The 4-4-0 No. 1 Oregon is a 5/8-scale copy of a classic American 4-4-0 steam locomotive from the 1800s. It was built in 1959 by the Oregon Locomotive Works. It looks like the "Reno" locomotive from Nevada's Virginia and Truckee Railroad. The original "Reno" was built in 1872.
Unlike the original, No. 1 Oregon uses oil for fuel. But it is still a real steam locomotive, not a diesel engine made to look like one. It weighs about 8 tons. It first carried passengers on June 20, 1959, at the Centennial Exposition. After the fair ended, it moved to the new Portland Zoo site.
The steam locomotive needed a lot of repairs over the years. In 2002, it was almost put on display forever because there wasn't enough money to fix it. But donations helped, and the locomotive was repaired. It returned to service on April 2, 2004.
Today, No. 1 usually runs only on a few busy weekends each year. This includes Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend. It is also used when many visitors come to the zoo. It is also a big part of the annual "Zoo Lights" event, which happens between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.
Oregon Express
The train now called the Oregon Express is unique. It is the only one that is not a copy of a real train. Its diesel locomotive is WP&ZRy No. 5. It was built in 1959 and first looked like a steam train. Later, it was rebuilt to have a more modern, slanted front. The train's colors and decorations have changed a few times. Its name has also changed from the Circus Train to the Orient Express, and now to the Oregon Express.
Other Locomotives
Locomotives 3 and 6 are small industrial diesel locomotives. They are not usually used for passenger rides. They help with track maintenance and moving cars around the tracks. If needed, they can pull the passenger cars of the Oregon Express or Oregon trains. Both of these locomotives were bought used from Weyerhaeuser. No. 3 looks like an early EMD switcher locomotive.
Special Mail Service
This railway carries U.S. mail! It was one of the first fun railways to have its own postmark. It is also the last railway in the United States to still offer hand-canceling and processing of mail. The special postal stamp was given to the railway in 1961. The Zooliner train has a mail slot on the side of its cab. There are also mailboxes at the Zoo and Washington Park stations.
Images for kids
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U.S. mail slot in cab door of the Zooliner
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The steam train when still called "Portland Zoo Railway", summer of 1980
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No. 1 had a different paint scheme in some years of the 1980s and 1990s
