The Long Way
Multnomah County
A modern industrial building with an orange sign and a train car parked outside.
Plate I. Exterior of the Oregon Rail Heritage Center. Photograph by Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A large black ring sculpture stands on a brick-paved area with a yellow caboose in the background.
Plate II. Outdoor exhibit, Oregon Rail Heritage Center. From orhf.org
A large black steam locomotive sits on a turntable outside a heritage center building.
Plate III. Locomotive and turntable, Oregon Rail Heritage Center. Photograph by Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A vintage baggage cart with framed historic photographs inside a museum with a steam locomotive.
Plate IV. Indoor exhibits at Oregon Rail Heritage Center. From orhf.org
A large steam train painted in red, white, and blue colors is on the tracks.
Plate V. Southern Pacific 4449, Oregon Rail Heritage Center. From orhf.org

Oregon Rail Heritage Center (Oregon Pacific Railroad excursions)

Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon. Train rides.

Details

Map. Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon. Larger map
Where
2250 SE Water Ave, Portland, OR 97214. Directions
When
Train Departure Times – 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:00pm.
Season
Running Nov 27 – Dec 27 at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center.
Getting there
Parking is free and is located under the Highway 99 viaduct, across the MAX tracks from the front of our building.
Fees
Adults (14+) – $17 Children (3-13) – $12 Infants (Under 3) – Free on lap Senior (65+) & Military – $15 Family Pass – $50 (2 adults and 2 children).
Hours
Thur - Sun: 1PM - 5.
Access
Closed on major holidays – New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day.
Walk-in or reserve
Advance ticket purchase recommended. Admission to the Center is included with your train ticket.
Phone
503-233-1156
Website
linktr.ee
Managed by
Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation.
Established
2012.
Coordinates
45.507306, -122.661722.

All roundtrip excursions depart from the Oregon Rail Heritage Center and travel along the east bank of the Willamette River. After passing the iconic Oaks Amusement Park, the train returns to the ORHC. Each ride lasts approximately 40 minutes.

Notable Events

  1. 1958Three historic steam locomotives, Southern Pacific 4449, Spokane Portland and Seattle 700, and Union Pacific 3203, were donated to the City of Portland and stored for decades at Oaks Amusement Park. orhf.org
  2. 1974The Southern Pacific 4449 was restored and used to power the American Freedom Train for the bicentennial; in later years all three locomotives were moved to the Brooklyn Roundhouse in southeast Portland. orhf.org
  3. 2012ORHF opened the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, a 20,000-square-foot Enginehouse built to preserve, maintain, and showcase the locomotives, as a working museum. orhf.org
  4. 2012The SP 4449 was last on the Brooklyn Turntable in 2012, when it was driven out of the Brooklyn Yard Roundhouse on the way to its new home; the turntable was then dismantled, moved to the center, stored, restored, and installed in front of it. portlandtribune.com
  5. The Southern Pacific 4449 rotated on the nearly 100-year-old Brooklyn Turntable outside the center for the first time in 11 years, after a $4 million restoration largely driven by volunteers. portlandtribune.com

People

  • Dick Samuels, owner and operator of the local short-line Oregon Pacific Railway, whose tracks carry the Holiday Express runs.
  • Doyle McCormick, ORHF's president and representative of Friends of SP 4449 (1974).
  • Ed Immel, Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation (ORHF) Vice President.
  • Rick Franklin, president of the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation that owns and operates the center.

Sources

  1. orhf.org
  2. orhf.org/visit-us
  3. orhf.org/weekend-train-rides
  4. orhf.org/holiday-express
  5. orhf.org/train-rides
  6. orhf.org/about
  7. orhf.org/faqs
  8. orhf.org/contact-us
  9. orhf.org/locomotives
  10. facebook.com/pages/ORHF-Oregon-Rail-Heritage-Foundation/114262225285757
  11. instagram.com/orhf
  12. eastpdxnews.com/construction-starts-for-rail-heritage-center
  13. portlandtribune.com/2023/10/15/historic-train-turntable-project-opens-to-the-public-in-portland