I was at a conference a couple months back at the Portland Zoo and between sessions went out to the back area to get some fresh air and Wi-Fi.
Lo and behold the area butted up against the barn for the zoo train. I’d never seen it that up-close before. She still looks great.
I’m fairly certain that I was the only person at the conference more interested in the train than the “web usability” sessions. The train was originally built for the 1959 Oregon Centennial and was called The Oregon Centennial Zoo Railroad.
Here’s a postcard from 1959:
This 30-inch-gauge train takes passengers from its station at the Exposition, through Frontier Village [scans forthcoming] and back, lasting about 15 minutes. It cost about $275,000, financed mainly by the Portland railroads.
Here’s another glamor shot, same era but now branded as the Portland Zooliner:
Glad to hear you enjoyed your visit to the zoo. Too bad none of us were around, we may have been able to show you around a little bit.
A bit of a correction: The Zooliner has always been called the Zooliner. It is the original zoo train at the Oregon Zoo, entering service in June of 1958, one year before the zoo officially opened at the current site. In July of 1959 the new Portland Zoo officially opened as part of an event celebrating Oregon’s centennial but the Zooliner wasn’t there! A “Circus Train” was built to operate at the zoo that summer because the Zooliner had been trucked to North Portland, the site of the Oregon Centennial Exposition and Inernational Trade Fair. It ran there for 100 days, still with the name Zooliner and lettered for the Portland Zoo Railway. It was joined by a brand-new train, the Oregon steam locomotive and five cars. That is the true Centennial Train and the cars were lettered “Oregon Centennial Railroad.” The locomotve tender was lettered “P.Z.Ry.” in gold leaf and the cars all featured the Portland Zoo Railway logo on them. Both trains went up the zoo in the fall of 1959 and are still there and in use today. (If you were not aware during your visit outside, the steam train lives behind the roll-up door right next to the tunnel. You were literally feet away from it!) The Circus Train still survives, too, partly. Some of it makes up the third train called “The Oregon Express.”
In case you are wondering, the railroad’s named changed in the late 1970’s to the Washington Park and Zoo Railway but other than that, not much has changed.
By the way, I know all of this because I am one of the employees on the zoo railroad and have been a life-long Portland zoo train fan.
I hope this is helpful. Nicely done on your web page.
Best regards,
Jeff Honeyman
My understanding is that, at one time, it was the most profitable railway per mile of track in the country. But that was before Bernie Madoff. He may have need a similar railway to move money to and from his vault.
Cheers,
Phil