PORTLAND, Ore. — A zoo railroad in Oregon could soon be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
On Oct. 18, the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation recommended the Portland Zoo Railway – also known as the Washington Park & Zoo Railway – be added to a national list of historic sites. The designation could pave the way for grants and tax breaks that supporters of the 30-inch gauge railroad hope will help save it from being ripped up.
In 2013, the 2-mile railroad through the Oregon Zoo and nearby Washington Park was closed for a construction project. But a year later, after the project was finished, only a short segment of the zoo railroad reopened. The 1.5-mile route to Washington Park and the International Rose Test Garden has sat dormant ever since. Earlier this year, officials announced it was unlikely the full route would ever be restored because of a number of recent landslides that damaged the right-of-way on the closed section. A master plan adopted by the Portland City Council to modernize the park suggested replacing the railroad with a trail. [See “Portion of Oregon Zoo train route could be turned into trail,” Trains News Wire, April 23, 2019.]
This year, a non-profit group, Friends of Washington Park and Zoo Railway, was organized to advocate for the preservation of the entire railroad. The group is led by Dana Carstensen, a stationmaster on the remaining segment of the zoo railroad. Thanks to efforts by the group, the City of Portland Historic Landmarks Commission unanimously voted earlier this fall to recommend that the state preservation board consider nominating the railroad for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Park Service has final say on whether or not the railroad will be included on the list. Although being listed on the register does not guarantee preservation, it would help the group’s effort to save the entire route.
The Washington Park & Zoo Railway was built in the zoo in 1958 and extended to Washington Park in 1960. The Washington Park line was built with the help of four local railroads: the Southern Pacific surveyed the route; the Spokane, Portland & Seattle and Portland Terminal constructed it; and Union Pacific hauled ballast for the project free of charge. The railroad features a number of different trains, including an 4-4-0 steam locomotive and the “Zooliner,” a streamlined diesel based on the General Motors Aerotrain.
The Washington Park and Zoo Railway operates daily. For more information, go to oregonzoo.org.
