Oregon Built This Railway. Help Bring It Back.
A Railway Built By a Community
On May 22, 1958, a silvery streamlined train called the Zooliner made its first run through the future Portland Zoo, and Oregonians fell in love. That summer, 200,000 people rode it. School children across Oregon sold dollar shares in the railway, each one worth two future rides, to help fund the Rose Garden Loop extension. Bartenders in Portland taverns wore engineer's caps and passed the hat. Seven regional railroads contributed expertise. More than 25,000 people and over 100 companies gave something to build it.
When the Rose Garden Loop opened in 1960, it offered a 25-minute ride through Douglas fir and western red cedar, past trilliums in bloom, before the forest opened onto a view of the city and Mt. Hood. Senator Robert Kennedy rode it during his 1968 campaign. Walt Disney was an honorary board member when the railway was built.
“The most spectacular ride of any recreational railroad in the nation”
I’ve ridden the train with six generations of my family; I remember the sound of the whistle, the clickity-clack of the rail cars and the wind in my face as we moved along the tracks.
What Happened
In 2013, zoo construction closed the railway temporarily. When it reopened in 2014, the Rose Garden Loop did not. A retaining wall had failed. Deferred maintenance had accumulated. The decision was made to run a shortened route within the zoo and leave the loop, a mile and a quarter of track through the forest, sitting idle.
For a moment in 2017, it looked like that track might be replaced with a walking path. Portlanders showed up at public hearings and pushed back. The plan changed. In 2020, the Washington Park & Zoo Railway was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's official recognition of a piece of history worth protecting.
The tracks are still there. The infrastructure is still there. Geotechnical experts have already assessed the loop and confirmed it can be made sound. More than 45,000 people have signed a petition to bring it back. The question isn't whether this is worth doing. It's how to get there from here.