Washington Park and Zoo Railway

The Washington Park & Zoo Railway (WP&ZRy) is a narrow gaugeDrury, George (ed.) (1995). Guide to Tourist Railroads and Railroad Museums, 4th Edition, p. 213. Waukesha (WI), US: Kalmbach. . recreational railroad in Portland, Oregon's Washington Park with rolling stock built to 5/8 scale. Opened in three stages in 1958, 1959 and 1960, it previously provided transportation between the Oregon Zoo, Hoyt Arboretum, International Rose Test Garden, and the World Forestry Center. The extended line through Washington Park, now out of service but still in place, was about long. The service is currently operating on a loop completely within the Oregon Zoo grounds. As of around 2012, the railway was carrying about 350,000 passengers per year.

The railroad is operational year-round when the Oregon Zoo is open, except in January and part of February, when it is closed for required maintenance. Special events occur during the winter holidays. A separate ticket is needed to ride the 6-minute internal loop within the zoo grounds, but zoo admission was also required.

In 2013, a temporary closure was necessitated by the construction of the zoo's new Elephant Lands exhibit, which will also include remodeling of other parts of the zoo grounds. A new section of track was laid to replace the short loop. After construction the train operations began running on the new Zoo Loop line within the Oregon Zoo.

History

Originally named the Portland Zoo Railway, the "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 for service on June 7, 1958,"Zoo Railway Carries 2,606". The Sunday Oregonian, June 8, 1958, p. 16."Many See Zoo, Train". The Oregonian, June 9, 1958, p. 15. Quote: "The zoo miniature railroad, already proven through its initial run Saturday as a leading zoo attraction, started running at 11:30 a.m. Sunday and operated at capacity until shortly after 7 p.m." and was formally dedicated on June 9, 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."Russian Bears Inspect New Home at Zoo". The Oregonian, August 8, 1958, p. 26. 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,"Zoo Railway To Shut Down". The Oregonian, September 12, 1958, Section 3, p. 12. 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."Group to Push $1 Shares in Zooliner To Extend Track, Add Steam Engine". The Sunday Oregonian, August 17, 1958, p. 21. 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)."Portland Zoo Railway Reveals Choice Of Steam Locomotive for Planned Train". The Sunday Oregonian, September 7, 1958, p. 31. 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."Small Trains to Operate At Centennial, City Zoo". The Sunday Oregonian, May 3, 1959, p. 36. 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,"27,867 Pass Fair Turnstile". The Oregonian, June 22, 1959, p. 1. and it and the streamlined Zooliner proceeded to carry passengers daily at the exposition all summer.

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).Richards, Leverett G. (July 4, 1959). "Joy Reigns Supreme at West Hills Zoo As Wonders of New Park Are Unveiled". The Oregonian, p. 1. 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.Terry, Jeff (March 2006). "Trains at the Zoo — Part Two". Railfan & Railroad, pp. 9–11. Carstens Publications. .

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."Zoo Engine Set for Haul". The Sunday Oregonian, January 3, 1960, p. 4. The extension eastwards through the park to a new station near the Rose Gardens opened on May 28, 1960."Park, Zoo Line Opens". The Oregonian, May 28, 1960, p. 7. Like the two trains, the small Washington Park "Rose Garden" station building was also first used at the Centennial Exposition and was moved to the new line after the fair closed.

The railway was renamed the Washington Park and Zoo Railway in 1978, following the zoo's change of name (in 1976) to Washington Park Zoo. At this time, July 1, 1976 (effective date), the zoo ownership was transferred from the City of Portland (City Ordinance 143589) to the Metropolitan Service District, now called Metro. The city of Portland retained ownership of the Zoo railway, and it was leased to Metro. 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 while that museum was located near the zoo.

21st century A suspension of service forecast to last at least through summer 2014 was due to begin on September 23, 2013, to allow construction of a new elephant exhibit area and changes to the railway's route within and near the zoo grounds. On November 22, 2014, operations resumed on the new Zoo Loop line within the zoo.

In May 2018, an online petition was created in opposition to the Washington Park Master Plan's endorsement to remove the "long route", which runs from the Oregon Zoo to the International Rose Test Garden. The master plan adopted by the city council that year called for the removal of all tracks and their replacement by a paved path.goo.gl/vcdPm4 More than 35,000 people had signed the online petition in support of keeping the longer route by July 2019 and nearly 50,000 by early 2026. In 2025, zoo officials continued to express reluctance to study a possible reopening of the long route, saying they lacked the money needed for such a project, while the Friends of Washington Park and Zoo Railway, a non-profit organization advocating for the line's reopening, was continuing to work to generate support. In February 2026, the council of Metro (the zoo's operator) indicated its support for carrying out a "comprehensive geotechnical assessment" of the route, as a step toward consideration of its possible reopening.

The railway was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020 as a historic district using its original name, as the Portland Zoo Railway Historic District. The 1958-built Zooliner and 1959-built Oregon steam locomotive and their respective passenger cars were placed on the National Register, along with the railroad route itself (including the section within Washington Park), the water tank and tower, the tunnel–roundhouse complex and the Washington Park station.

Routes

The longer 35-40 minute round-trip Washington Park route previously ran on weekends from mid-April until Memorial Day and then daily through Labor Day. (However, service along this route has been suspended since the fall of 2013 for an undetermined time, as repairs are needed on a few small slides along the track.) This run went 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 (). The Washington Park station near the Rose Garden, which remains closed but is in good condition, and a contributing building of the National Historic Landmark district, is a short walk from the International Rose Test Garden () and Portland Japanese Garden. The line includes a section of 4.5-percent grade.Falk, Susan (October 23, 1985). "Among zoo's rail crew, Number One is just that". The Oregonian, p. E7.

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 previously operated 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 trackage is all still in place but not in service. This allowed up to three trains to be in operation at once when in service.

Rolling stock As of 2010, Washington Park and Zoo Railway has three trains in normal operation: The Zooliner No. 2, 4-4-0 No. 1 Oregon (original steam train), and Oregon Express No. 5. Two of them (the Zooliner, and 4-4-0 No. 1, Oregon) are scale replicas of real trains. In addition, there are two small switcher locomotives that are used for non-passenger purposes. Most regular service, including all non-holiday weekday service, uses only two diesel trains. The steam train operates on only a few weekends per year and for special events. In the 1980s, two of the three trains were equipped with wheelchair lifts to allow mobility-impaired persons to board the train, and in 2005 these lifts were upgraded so as to better accommodate heavier electric wheelchairs.Nkrumah, Wade (June 15, 2006). "Zoo volunteer works to improve train access". The Oregonian, p. B9.

The Zooliner No. 2 The Zooliner is a 5/8-scale replica of the diesel-powered Aerotrain, 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 "officially" carried zoo guest passengers on the date of its dedication, June 9, 1958 (and this date is lettered on the side of the locomotive), but its actual first day carrying passengers was two days earlier. The Zooliner was originally powered by a diesel engine,"Train at Zoo On Test Run; Diesel Engine Performs For Engineers" (May 22, 1958). The Oregonian, p. 13. and is now powered by a diesel engine with hydraulic transmission. It is numbered as WP&ZRy 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. An additional (fifth) similar smooth-side car for the trainset was built in 1996. 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.

4-4-0 No. 1, Oregon