Washington Park Reservoir Reopening – June 14, 10am–4pm
Join us in celebrating the reopening of the historic Washington Park Reservoir! The restoration project has revived a Portland icon, and this special event is open to the public with family-friendly activities, walking tours, and community booths.

The Friends of Washington Park & Zoo Railway had a fantastic time celebrating National Train Day at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center on May 10th! With the steam engines fired up, the impressive Abraham Lincoln locomotive on display, and sunshine to top it off, it was a perfect day for train lovers of all ages. Check out our mascot, Titus!

We’re looking forward to National Train Day on May 10th, 10am-6pm at the Oregon Rain History Center

The Metro Zoo Train Task Force has started!

We had a successful track clean-up by the Washington Park Station on March 22. Score: Zoo Train 1, Ivy Zero! There were several past, present and future train engineers on hand to supervise and pitch in on the effort.

We’ve been working on the railroad….

PDX Today featured us in the September 12, 2024 issue. https://pdxtoday.6amcity.com/city/efforts-to-restore-the-historic-washington-park-and-zoo-railway-are-back-on-track

Jeff Honeyman has retired from the Oregon Zoo after 30 years of running and maintaining the WP&ZRy.

Metro Councilor Christine Lewis and Portland City Commissioner Dan Ryan are working together to restore the Zoo Train to Washington Park.

We were featured on Fox News 12. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aS949xx6CEdrQ_SMzFm3w_ER91pRaWhB/view?usp=share_link

We are in Wilamette Week with a feature about our efforts to get the zoo train back to Washington Park.

Join us on June 20th to celebrate the 65th birthday of the Steamer Oregon and the Washington Park Station!

The Friends were at the Oregon Zoo on Sunday May 26 and Monday May 27 helping fans of the Rose Garden Loop send post cards to their Metro Counsel Representative. Titus the Tiger joined us and met a lot of great kids who love tigers and trains!

We Need Your Help: We are mounting an email campaign to ask the Metro Council to designate just 2 percent of the just-approved zoo bond measure to fund restoration of the zoo train. Voters said yes to $380 million zoo bond in the May 21 election. As currently planned, the funds would be used to upgrade animal habitats and zoo infrastructure—but not the railway. This could change, as the Metro Council must now officially adopt a spending plan.

Your timely letter or email can help persuade the council to do the right thing and support the zoo train. Please email your Metro Councilor and Council President Lynn Peterson, copying Metro Chief Operating Officer Marissa Madrigal and Oregon Zoo Director Heidi Rahn, urging them to include the zoo railway, including the Rose Garden Loop, in detailed spending plans for the zoo bond.

Discover how Friends of the Washington Park and Zoo Railway (FWPZR) was featured in the Northwest Examiner's May 2024 issue.

In this month's letter, learn about the progress with Metro, the Zoo Bond measure, and our exciting 65th anniversary celebration on June 20th.

Relive the highlights of our April event at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center and get ready for more fun in June!

Read how FWPZR volunteer Gerald Fox saved the Washington Park and Zoo Railway tracks from potential damage by a falling Douglas Fir tree.