A miniature railway embodying Portland’s spirit of ingenuity once carried millions of passengers through Washington Park. It connected popular attractions and provided the backdrop for what many Portlanders now consider to be core childhood memories.
For over a decade, most of the route has been quiet, empty of train engines pulling cars packed with kids and kids-at-heart — but it hasn’t been forgotten.
It may even run again one day soon.
The backstory
The Washington Park Zoo and Railway initially opened as a loop in 1958 through what would become the Oregon Zoo’s campus the following year.
“The zoo was actually built around the train layout and the train was integral to the zoo’s opening,” said Kathy Goeddel, president of the Friends of the Washington Park and Zoo Railway. “It was crowdsourced before we had crowdsourcing; over half the funds came from the community — kids raising money, selling little stock certificates, companies making donations, providing labor. The National Guard was called in and helped build a big trestle.”
A second, longer segment running to the International Rose Test Garden was added in 1960. Both segments closed in 2013 for zoo construction; a shortened zoo loop opened the next year, but Metro decided to not reopen the branch to the rose gardens.
Local children picked the Zooliner engine design, which was hand built in Portland. It was the talk of the town and beyond, with Portland’s pride in the project evidenced by US Sen. Richard Neuberger.
Photo by Steve Morgan
“The old ride took about 20 minutes,” said Goeddel. “It goes through the woods, it has a ziggy-zaggy path as it goes through the canyons, and then it ends up at the Washington Park Station where there used to be a really big view of the mountains. It was glorious. No matter how old you were, it was something to behold.”
Now, the nonprofit Friends of the Washington Park and Zoo Railway is leading the charge to restore the train’s route running to the rose gardens.
Not-so-fast track
After learning Metro had no intention of ever reopening the route, advocates for its restoration got busy. They testified before Portland City Council, gathered the support of neighborhood associations, and tasked historic rail groups and experts with determining what it would take to get the train back on track. Progress was derailed, so to speak, by the pandemic.
In June, the Metro Council passed a budget amendment to fund a facilitator for a Washington Park Train Task Force. Goeddel said Portland Commissioner Dan Ryan also supports the restoration of the train’s historic route, and expert assessments of the track’s repair needs are encouraging. Goeddel ballparks $2 million for the train’s restoration, plus Washington Park Station also needs accessibility upgrades and possibly a new roof. But a recent financial analysis shows a restored railway would be profitable, Goeddel said.
“We know we can bring it back,” she said. But questions linger: Who should be responsible for the next steps? Who will operate the train, which is owned by the city of Portland and managed by Metro? “We’re in the middle of the long haul. We’re the little Friends of the Washington Park and Zoo Railway that could.”
You can sign an online petition to help restore the train. Goeddel also encourages people to contact their Metro Council representative.
