What an incredible museum! A must see for train lovers. They also have two train tables for little kids. The staff are extremely friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable. A wonderful gift store as well if you need train related gifts. Across the street is a small wood fire pizza and beer place inside train cars so you can go all out. Ample easy parking and clean bathrooms. read more

They'd even bring a smile to Scrooge! Gray Line Railroad did a phenomenal job of reigning in the Christmas sprit. From the steam train all decked out for the season to the hot chocolate, candy canes, bells, elves, trees and yes...the big man himself even joined in the holiday fun! The train ride went a smidge past Oaks park. Enough for a good taste of the Christmas spirit but not too far to wear out the kiddos. Loved every second! Even after the ride, the fun continued. A dedicated space to write letters to Santa (and yes, he did write back!!! My little one loved getting his letter), hot cocoa/coffee booth (they hand decorated each cup!). I'll be back every year. I appreciate their dedication and warmth to all ages. read more

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We had a very lovely train ride with some beautiful views. Would definitely recommend, especially if traveling with kids. The museum itself was also nice; it's pretty small so you don't need much time, unless you are a reader. :-) read more

Went to the Holiday Express Train ride here. Pretty cool center with a little gift shop, area to write a letter to Santa, and some really big trains. The ride itself was ok, the chairs were comfy though. Didn't have very much Christmas theme festivities.. Santa did go by and we got a picture. read more

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Free drop by after the oms1 to visit this train rail center. Brought the kids over and they enjoyed

We attended and rode the Holiday Express Santa Train. It was lovely. All the workers and volunteers were beyond amazing and friendly. Got our picture with Santa, a jingle bell and a candy cane. Plus the center had yummy cookies and hot cocoa for reasonable purchase. Fun to see all the old train engines. read more

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Stopped by here with my fam after having lunch at Mt Hood Brewing Company right across the street. I found it fitting since we sat in the railcar and enjoyed our pizzas. Walking into the center, we were greeted by a pleasant fellow at the door who pointed out the restrooms and welcomed us, asked if we had been there before. We had (some years ago anyway) so we meandered around, reading placards here and studying railroad maps there, all the while admiring the giant machines before us. This is a cool little museum, $5 per person requested donation only (we didn't have enough cash so dropped what we could into the wooden box up front). I think this place is a nice way to get up close and personal with the trains, and our family easily spent a half hour here. I recommend stopping by if you are in the area! read more

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Located close in SE PDX, I am so glad I came. This is a non-profit organization and run off volunteers that are passionate about this work. The coolest part was the steam engine where one of the volunteers described how things worked and gave you an opportunity to look around. This is pretty amazing. Free admission, limited hours, amazing time. read more

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This special location celebrates railway and railroad history in a living setting. Situated right next to OMSI, on the Eastside Portland, Oregon waterfront neat the beautiful Tillikum Crossing, and minutes away from the Portland downtown core area. The Oregon Rail Heritage Center is a place where the giants of the rails come back to life before your eyes. Very family oriented, there is something here for everyone. Admission is free from Thursday-Sunday, but donations are always grateful accepted. Check out the fairly recently installed roundtable in from of the center. This was recently salvaged from the Brooklyn Rail Tard. read more

Had a great time riding the Holiday Express train. My sisters and I were visiting Portland and found this fun evening event. You board the train and have a relaxing 45 minute ride while Santa and his elves come to visit you. The train Travels on the Wilmette River, but we weren't looking outside, too dark anyway. We were there to have fun and just get a chance to feel like the holidays were upon us. Families and small kids dressed up for Christmas. Afterwards we looked in the gift shop and supported them by purchases cute pins. Recommend this for everyone. read more

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My husband likes trains so we decided to hop on board for an afternoon ride.. If you have kids this is a great experience for them. The cars have seating but you can also stand in the open cars and catch the breeze. We really enjoyed ourselves. Snacks and drinks aboard you and you might meet a raccoon or tiger if you're lucky. read more

Oregon Rail Heritage Center - Museums Near Me - Portland, Oregon

This is one of Portland's best museums!! It's fantastic for kids and adults alike who are interested in trains and learning about regional train history. Through the support of generous "encouraged" donations from visitors and other sponsors they are able to offer free admission, making it accessible to everyone regardless of financial status! The army of dedicated and knowledgeable volunteers assist with everything from rebuilding, maintaining and running the historic engines, to staffing the museum. They also host weekend 45 minute train rides for the public run by the Oregon Pacific Railroad company ($14 for ages 13+, $6 age 2-12). Check the OPR webpage or Facebook page for details. Parking across the street is usually available, but if you have the opportunity, take advantage of arriving by bike or one of Trimet's MAX trains, street cars, or buses. read more

Oregon Rail Heritage Center - Museums Near Me - Portland, Oregon

How is this sweet little volunteer-driven, working museum not 5 stars all around?! Sure, it is a little small. And sure, it is super awesome and improving all the time! There is something here for train lovers of all ages. The Saturday train ride is lovely. The trains are amazing. The history is inspiring. And it is just plain cool. I have never done the winter ride but I have gone once a year for about the past ten years. I see and learn something new every single time. read more

Oregon Rail Heritage Center - Saturday train ride, - Museums Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Fun, inexpensive way to spend part of a Saturday. Definitely worth it. We spent time in a part of Portland we weren't all that familiar with. The museum was also very well done. read more

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My son's favorite train and of course myself as well, the Daylight #4449. Travel by plane for the first time (my 7 yr old) just to see the Daylight. Got his favorite Daylight t-shirt on and we finally got to visit the museum. The trains here on display are amazing. They are huge... really appreciate the size of the trains when you stand right next to the wheels and the pistons. For train fans young and old highly recommended. Thank you for all the volunteers your time and enthusiasm. We look forward to coming back when turntable is completed. read more

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I took my 5 YO grandson to ride the train. He is ALL about trains these days. He enjoyed everything, from the ride to the engines on display in the heritage center to the play area, and, especially, the gift shop. We rode on a warm day & enjoyed the AC in the enclosed car. The open-air car only has a metal central bench with no backrests. We visited there but didn't stay long. We waved at bicyclists passing by and enjoyed the information the docents had to share. An enjoyable afternoon. read more

Museum portion is free, with donations accepted. The train ride is a little on the spendy side, but the price is way, way less than the Mt. Hood Christmas train ride. Santa and elves come through and hand out candy canes. Lots of cars and seats on this restored train, but not all of the chairs are actual train seats. On our most recent ride, we sat in office chairs and small matching arm chairs. read more

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We stopped in on a rainy Sunday afternoon to let my toddler see the big trains. The museum has a couple of brio train sets near the door and she was elated to sit and play with the toys before actually looking around the museum. This seemed to be pretty common among parents with little ones. Once we made it farther in, I wasn't particularly impressed by the displays. Sure they have a couple of huge steam engines in the enormous building, but there is not a lot in the way of displays to explain the significance. That said, the museum is free and run by volunteers and donations. So they're doing pretty good, all things considered. In short, this isn't a must see unless you're a real train lover. read more

Oregon Rail Heritage Center - Museums Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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My family and I just enjoyed a fun Saturday afternoon ride with the Oregon Rail Heritage Center. It was a gift for my train-obsessed father and he loved it! The price was very reasonable, the volunteers to run the show so polite and happy to see us and the train in very good working order. The Center itself is a wonderland of train fun. Kids and adults alike enjoyed it! Thank you and we'll be back. read more

I'm reviewing the Holiday Express Rail, the vintage steam locomotive, not the museum. When I found out, my son is taking his son's 2 years birthday party on a train, at first I said: No, I'm doing an event. I saved my events on his day, the 17th, so I can be available to join them. Hours later, the mature in me thought about it a little longer, 'his birthday is worth more than another day 45 mins. away, than selling flowers, I messaged my son again and said: 'we can go!' but he gave our tickets (my husband's & mine) to someone else! Then, he text me back: 'we can just buy 1 more, the other person can't make it after all!'. Gave me the link to the train. The next day, as soon as they opened, I made a call to the Holiday Express, it turned out that Sunday was the last day to ride for 2019. Then, I mentioned to CS, that I'm part of a group of 20, will I be able to get the same discount? 'Yes, I'll just let Ticketmaster know.' When CS found out, it's my grandson's obsession with trains that we're doing this and he'll be turning 2 years old, 'I'll get you the tables! You can bring snacks & drinks.' It's getting better & better. 'Just make sure you get there early, before 3pm, so your group will be all together', she continued. I had 2 more questions, to confirmed everything . . . and she answered them for me. So far so good! When I mentioned the above to my son, the day was getting closer to board, he started to get insecure, that we're NOT on the same page. Auto-correct on messages, (website means Wendy), he got on the phone: 'There's no Wendy working here.' 'We don't take reservations.' and on and on, and he wasn't sure he'll be able to get tables, how does he know we'll even be able to bring snacks and find out we don't have the tables . . . . . blah blah. The day we boarded, hubby and I got inside the big tent, where by now everyone had grouped (not our group), to board the train, Ticketmaster ready to take our cash, or that Will Call is ready to hand us the ticket I was buying: "We can't find your name, his name or hubby's name," Finally, someone came to help us. Not only we were directed where to get in line, we got moved again, no get inline outside here, while hubby still trying to find out ticket and waiting on our group to gather around. The CS, that I talked on the phone (sorry, I still don't remember her name), showed up, and not only she gave us the FREE ticket, she made sure we are behind the Seniors Group to board the train. It was VERY ORGANIZED, volunteers everywhere helping us, it was crowded, but they gave us what they told me, and my grandson had a ball! Another volunteer was helpful enough, to tell us other trains to ride, when and where. Was it clean? The volunteers were still cleaning after the last ride, dressed in Holiday and bringing in some cheers! Bless their hearts, for volunteering. That is something I can relate, a volunteer for 53 years myself - to other charity organizations. The locomotive is vintage, so everything there is old, but it's still comfortable enough, warm enough for the winter rides, the kids have fun, and it got lots of steam and toot-toots left. Next year, we know better what to do, and how to do it. Thank you and Merry Christmas! Negative: The Santa, I know was probably a volunteer, I had a photo taken with him and my grandson, someone on my friend's list, said, he didn't look very cheery. read more

My 5yo twin grandsons and I had a great time at the museum Saturday. Judging from the number of young children who road the train with us, it's a popular outing for kids, parents and grandparents. We saw plenty of adult train enthusiasts, sans children, also. My grandsons particularly enjoyed the child-sized model engine, the bell they rang (too many times), and the gift shop area. And, yes, they each took home a toy locomotive. Really fun and reasonably priced activity for 5-year-olds. read more

A lovely Fall ride in an open car, beautiful views of the woods and the Willamette River. The staff was extremely friendly and we had a wonderful time, we highly recommend it..!! read more

Ron and I were really taken with this museum and the look it gave at the importance that train travel had in this country. Of course, this is not to mention the important role in commerce and how it got this country built. There are several train cars represented: engines, caboose, and passenger cars inside this large building. They are from different time periods (from the more traditional steam engines of earlier times to the very streamlined looks of the art deco era cars). One of the cars has a 15-year project in the works which is funded by several local community foundations. This tells me volumes about how well respected This center is. This is a a living museum with works in progress of renovation on several cars. Someone else mentioned how clean this place is and that's the truth! There is a train ride available. It takes about 45 minutes and heads out towards Oaks Amusement Park and costs $10. It runs through Oaks Bottoms, which is a nature preserve. We saw two does and seven blue herons. I've lived my whole life here and never knew this existed and was really pleased to see all the wildlife in the midst of the city. It seemed so apropos to arrive via the MAX train via the Tilikum Bridg, but there is free parking on SE Caruthers just south of the MAX train. This would make for a great day with the kids as it is just across from OMSI. Admission is free, but there is a suggested donation. Very clean bathrooms are available. There is a really excellent library of train books available for sale for all ages. I heartily recommend it for adults and children as Ron and I really enjoyed our visit. read more

Oregon Rail Heritage Center - Engine in Oregon Rail Heritage Center - Museums Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Excellent fun for everyone! Explore the rail hall and learn about local train history. Get tickets ahead and ride the open-air train. A 30 min ride to Oaks Park and back. We love it.​ read more

Quite the neat museum, showcasing the giant locomotives of yesteryear! We stopped in during the winter lights festival and not only found a bathroom and some ambient warmth, but also some great exhibits. They have a total of four large engines here, and it's a different sort of museum than we've normally been to. There's a lot of information on the types of engines, as well as how they compare to the newer models. In addition, there's not a ton to crawl in or around. There are a couple places where you can look up inside the trains, but nothing that you're able to walk through. That would definitely be a plus for the little kids! They had a lot of informative signage on the walls including a couple neat exhibits on most of the tracks around the state. There was also a presentation going on and the area looked like it was able to accommodate 100 or so folks. A nice plus! We got in for a donation and that was lovely! I think it's $5-10 a person normally and every so often, it'd definitely worth stopping by! read more

No entrance fee but they will take donations. First time I saw a real steam train up close. It made me want to visit London and check out the Hogwarts train :-) This is an awesome place to take your kids and even teens. The parking was challenging to find but we were able to. :-) read more

Always a great experience to visit the ORHC. The last two times before this I was fortunate enough to have my photo taken with the legendary Doyle McCormack. He is the heart and soul of this great museum. Everyone at the train ride yesterday was helpful, courteous, and friendly to all the visitors. Another great experience is seeing the 4449, 700 and the newer acquired locomotives inside the building. Our grandchildren enjoyed the ride, despite our long car trip to get to Portland. read more

This museum is absolutely free!! They do ask for donations since it's ran by volunteers. It's not very big but it's full of history. You can catch an old train for a 40 minutes train ride that loops you down to the wildlife refuge and back for only $10 an adult. It took us less then 30 minutes to see everything, but if you have littles I'm sure it would be much longer being that most of the attractions are aimed for them. read more

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This was an interesting stop on our way around Portland. Aside from inspecting the collection of engines close up there isn't a lot to do. If you have an interest in all things train and some of the history of these engines you will likely find this very interesting. The volunteers are eager to show you around and answer any questions you might have. read more

What a great place for people who love and appreciate trials. They have older trains and give you a brief history. You can view inside where the conductor works. They have a gift shop as well. read more

Oregon Rail Heritage Center - The kids love this train Museum - Museums Near Me - Portland, Oregon

What an amazing place to take kids for education and fun!! Volunteers are very friendly and knowledgeable. Kids enjoyed learning about Daylight, The 700, and train history. Highly recommend activity for children and adults in Portland read more

My young son is really into steam trains. We had such a great time walking around and checking them out! He was my own personal tour guide It's a small museum but very interesting! read more

I was fortunate enough to have seen the Southern Pacific #4449 "Daylight" (and others) in person at Union Station's 50th Anniversary celebration, in Los Angeles in 1989. This was the first time I had seen any steam locomotive ALIVE and BREATHING! Heat radiating from the fire in her belly... steam hissing out of various fittings, seals and ports... the high pitched whirrrrrrr of the steam turbine generator... not to mention the occasional *Wooo - - WooOOOooo* of the steam whistle... It was truly awesome! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/oregon-rail-heritage-center-portland?select=Xy_VBnMh681A1MQL1ONdOg#Xy_VBnMh681A1MQL1ONdOg Adding to all of this, we overheard someone say the S.P. Daylight and the Union Pacific #8444 would be leaving at the same time the next day and run side-by-side up the Cajon Pass together! Wow, now we GOTTA see that! So the next day two friends and I chased those two trains up the Cajon Pass! Man, to be able to see and hear these amazing steam powered behemoths "Chuff - chuff - chuff - chuff" their way up the grade, to hear the beautiful tones of their steam whistles as they echo... this was a once in a lifetime event and the "icing on the cake" to a truly magical weekend! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/oregon-rail-heritage-center-portland?select=Xy_VBnMh681A1MQL1ONdOg#zo_VgMahBwZOX7i1zx6WLQ Now 24 years later, I'm in Portland for the holidays and the Oregon Rail Heritage Center is on my "to do list". This is where the SP 4449 Daylight now resides, along with two other steam locomotives, plus various other railroad equipment. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/oregon-rail-heritage-center-portland?select=patrqi_SaVLnT8EymPo07Q#-VDNpLmXR7I_MU8uBs3zVA Their hours are limited, 1- 5 pm, Thursday thru Sunday only, so I planned my visit accordingly. We walk in and are greeted by a very friendly docent who tells us about O.R.H.C. and explains the equipment we will see inside. This is not a huge museum, but still very interesting! At first we see the 1948 Alco PA-1, a diesel locomotive that was brought back from Mexico in 2000 and it in the final stages of restoration. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/oregon-rail-heritage-center-portland?select=Xy_VBnMh681A1MQL1ONdOg#hz0v3GBwQHif8H4z5eS_rw Next was the 1905 OR&N 197 locomotive which is also slowly undergoing restoration as well. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/oregon-rail-heritage-center-portland?select=4C3E7HFVuFsFOJobFsXxEg#4C3E7HFVuFsFOJobFsXxEg As we walk past those two... there they were, the 1941 SP 4449 Daylight and the 1938 Spokane Portland & Seattle #700. The SP&S 700 was all dressed up for Christmas as she had been pulling the "Holiday Express" trains for the last 3 weekends. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/oregon-rail-heritage-center-portland?select=Xy_VBnMh681A1MQL1ONdOg#31kqcBqOl8BZVi-4wXYIMw The Daylight on the other hand is out of service for a major 15 year inspection / overhaul and has nearly all the decorative sheet metal removed. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/oregon-rail-heritage-center-portland?select=Xy_VBnMh681A1MQL1ONdOg#AcPg_FxJf8DuC0AHbsXIwA http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/oregon-rail-heritage-center-portland?select=Xy_VBnMh681A1MQL1ONdOg#FgT1KIjYa0pnO-SMG7PI0Q OK, now a little more history on the "Daylight". Number 4449 is the last survivor of 50 streamlined "Daylight" locomotives built. It produces more than 5000 horsepower and is capable of running 120 MPH. It was retired from regular service in 1956 and donated to the city of Portland (along with the SP&S 700) in 1958. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/oregon-rail-heritage-center-portland?select=Xy_VBnMh681A1MQL1ONdOg#6-Rwik3NU4wIap0IRLC7sw They both sat in a park on static display for many years. Then in 1974 the 4449 was removed from the park, completely restored, repainted red, white & blue and put into service as the American Freedom Train, where it travelled the entire country for the US Bicentennial. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/oregon-rail-heritage-center-portland?select=Xy_VBnMh681A1MQL1ONdOg#F1ccv4OHXTh-NCBU3mNL_g I didn't think this review would end up being this long, but if you can't tell, I have a great passion and enthusiasm for steam locomotives and the 4449 Daylight is a big part of it! OVERALL: I was really pleased to visit the O.R.H.F. in their new home and see everything they have on display. It's wonderful they are keeping these historical steam locomotives alive, but being 100% volunteer & donation driven, they need and deserve our support! read more

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Had a great visit. Lots of trains and history. My kids enjoyed ringing the bell out front and playing with the toy trains. The size of the locomotives is amazing. read more

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This places gives a fantastic representation of what the railway trains looked like and the work they performed in building this country. Not only can you view real historic trains, you can climb longside one to peek inside, and they have a caboose with a guided tour, exactly like it used to look when it operated. For children there is a train playing area with Brio type rails. Another plus for children happens when the real freight train comes by and it (very loudly) blows its horn to say hello. My grandson especially likes to walk around outside on the rails and among the two real train cabins exhibited in back. Parking is across the road (pay the fee). Entrance to the museum is free of charge but they have a pot for donations because it is run by all volunteers, who work hard to keep all these machines polished and working. Wonderful place! read more

Reasons why the Oregon Rail Heritage Center deserves all five stars: 1. It's free, with free parking too! 2. It's mainly indoors, which means on the majority of days when it's raining out you can go here and be dry. 3. It's educational and entertaining for kids and adults. 4. The people who run it are all volunteers and really care about the restoration of the trains. Plus they are all really nice and willing to answer all your questions. 5. It's close to OMSI, so you might not even need to make a separate trip to go see it! I highly recommend checking out this local attraction. It won't take long to see it and you'll most likely be glad you did. read more

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When I heard there was a free train museum in Portland, I had to pop in on my last trip. I was expecting it to be small, but it was still a bit disappointing. Don't get me wrong - it was still kinda neat, though it also wasn't quite free (there's someone standing at the one entrance and asking for donations, and while technically you could say no and walk past him and he couldn't do anything, it would be super public and awkward, so everyone, including us, threw a few dollars in.) In retrospect, free feels like about the right price - it is quite small, plus, I was expecting for some reason to get to walk inside at least one or two train cars you don't normally get to walk into, but everything was closed off, you could just peer in from the outside. It was still pretty impressive just walking right up to the outside of a couple of the behemoth trains they had sitting, though, and while they didn't have an actual engine car running, they did have a full demonstration of a working backup steam car, so that was cool. As a kid, I would've been ecstatic - but as an adult, it was a little underwhelming. Still cool though. read more

In Fall 2009, the Oregon Rail heritage Foundation acquired land near OMSI in which to house many historic trains, in various stages of "decay" for the purpose of maintenance and restoration. I located this train graveyard location in a little book on Portland. There is no direct address to my knowledge, but if you take SE 17th ave. just north of Holgate blvd, and turn east on Center Street, you will go down a block and cross some train tracks. Continue through a large parking lot filled with trucks, and bear to your right. You'll see a few trains in a large lot, and a white building named: Brooklyn Roundhouse. Inside are a few ENORMOUS steam engine trains in the midst of restoration by a few guys who know trains. I met with a guy named Doyle, who let me roam around inside the shop and take lots of pictures, and touch the trains. Outside, there are many more for picture taking. Don't climb all over them, though, and respect the property. I almost fear posting this in case a few bad apples decide to go and vandalize things, but this is too neat a hidden secret to not share with fellow train-lovers, and history buffs. And before I forget, apparently one can volunteer to assist the restoration workers on Thursdays! Thats' right, if you want to be able to say you fidgeted, cleaned, de-oiled, (or just plain got dirty), a bunch of historic trains, then the ORHF folks will let you have your dream :) read more

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WARNING: The run real trains but only on SATURDAYS!!!! Website did NOT state this......so many were turned away for this misunderstanding.... Super nice people working here. Free parking? Where? I need to figure that out, but I went on Sunday, and there was free street parking. =) There are real life trains here and you go get really up close and personal with them. It's crazy to think that America was at the forefront of rail for the longest time and Europe and Asia has since long surpassed here.... When will the US finally get their first high speed rail....=( read more

Great experience for younger kids! The train cars are historic though so they had no air conditioning. We went on a 64 degree day and some of the cars were stifling. All the staff were super friendly and the overall experience was a good one! read more