What's Happening
One place for two things: what you can still go do, and what's already happened. If you can show up to it, it's an Event. If you're just reading about it, it's News.
Events
Track days, tabling, Train Day, if it's dated and you can attend or sign up, it lives here.
Join Us at Goose Hollow Days on August 30!
Stop by the Friends of the Washington Park & Zoo Railway booth at Goose Hollow Days on Sunday, August 30! Learn about the effort to restore the historic Rose Garden Loop, share your Zoo Train memories, and discover how you can get involved.
We’ll be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Vista Bridge with our neighbors in Goose Hollow.
We’re also looking for volunteers to help greet visitors and share information throughout the event. No experience is needed, and even a few hours would be a tremendous help. Come visit us—or volunteer and join the team!
Join the Friends of the Washington Park & Zoo Railway at North Portland Sunday Parkways on Sunday, August 2, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Columbia Park, near N. Woolsey Avenue and N. Winchell Street. Stop by our booth to learn about efforts to restore the historic Rose Garden Loop and share your favorite Zoo Train memories. We’re also looking for outreach volunteers—and an enthusiastic Titus mascot and handler—to join the fun!
Come See Us at Train Day!
Visiting Train Day this weekend at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center Stop by our booth and say hello.
This effort is being powered by community support, and every conversation helps build momentum. We’d love to share what’s ahead.
Join our Melissa Darby at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center to learn more about the history of our Zoo Train.
News
FWPZR news and press coverage in one feed — everything that's already happened or been written about.
Thank you to everyone who visited the Friends of the Washington Park & Zoo Railway at North Portland Sunday Parkways on August 2! We were pleased to welcome City Councilor Dan Ryan, one of our earliest supporters. Special thanks to volunteers Lisa, Steven, Jim, Roberto, Isaac, and Kathy for making the day such a success. Every conversation and signature helps build momentum toward bringing the Rose Garden Loop back!
Come visit the Friends of the Washington Park & Zoo Railway at North Portland Sunday Parkways on Sunday, August 2, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. We’ll be at Columbia Park near N. Woolsey Avenue and N. Winchell Street.
Join Us at East Portland Sunday Parkways on June 28, 2026! The Friends will be participating in our very first Portland Sunday Parkways event on June 28 from 10:30 am - 4:00 pm.
What a fantastic weekend at National Train Day at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center on May 9 & 10!
The Friends of the Washington Park & Zoo Railway had a wonderful time connecting with longtime train lovers, meeting new supporters, sharing stories and memories, and talking about the growing momentum to restore the Washington Park & Zoo Railway.
One of the highlights of the weekend?
Our special four-legged guests — therapy dogs Gill and Walter — who quickly became crowd favorites! Between tail wags, smiles, and train conversations, they helped make our booth feel extra welcoming and fun for visitors of all ages.
Join historian Melissa Darby at the Architectural Heritage Center on March 28, 2026 at 10:00 AM as she explores the fascinating history of the Portland Zoo Railway—from the debut of the iconic Zooliner to the steam-powered Oregon Locomotive No. 1—and its role in shaping Portland’s beloved zoo.
Dozens of dedicated volunteers came together to take on invasive species covering the Washington Park & Zoo Railway—dense blackberry thickets and ivy that had completely overtaken sections of the historic tracks.
The Friends will be at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center Dec. 19th - 21st, 2025. Join us for this wonderful event .
Melissa Darby speaking at McMenamin’s Grand Lodge History Pub on “The Biggest Little Railway in the Country”.
Allan Classen provided an update on our zoo train restoration efforts on August 11, 2025.
The Zooliner hasn’t clacked along the Washington Park loop to the Rose Garden since 2013. Maddie Khaw, staff
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
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.
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!
Media
Explore media coverage, stories, and features highlighting the Friends of Washington Park and Zoo Railway and our efforts to preserve this historic railway.
The Zooliner and our own Jeff Honeyman were featured on KPTV this morning in the Behind the Wheel segment.
The zoo operated the Washington Park loop from 1960 to 2013 before nixing it to accommodate a new Elephant Lands habitat
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A long-defunct train through the Oregon Zoo could make a return.
A beloved Portland train ride is one step closer to a possible comeback. The Metro Council voted unanimously to keep working with the city of Portland on planning and funding for the potential return of the train ride from the Oregon Zoo through Washington Park.
Advocates push for return of full Washington Park and Zoo Railway route. A group of advocates held an event Thursday to celebrate the 65th Anniversary of the Washington Park and Zoo Railway and to renew call for a return of the iconic miniature train’s longer route through the park.
Friends of the Washington Park and Zoo Railway host the 65th anniversary celebration for Steam Engine No. 1 Oregon. The nonprofit hopes to see transportation revived between the Oregon Zoo and Washington Park.
The Zoo Train is back in the headlines—and momentum is building.
After more than a decade off the full Washington Park Loop, public support is stronger than ever, with 42,000+ voicescalling for its return—and experts say restoration is absolutely doable.
Now it’s about moving forward.
A 2018 feature in the NW Examiner highlighted a growing concern in Portland: the beloved Washington Park & Zoo Railway was at risk of fading into memory. The article captures both the history and the heartbreak.