Oregon Rail Heritage Center

If you like trains, the Oregon Rail Heritage Center is a must see. The center is home to three historic steam locomotives, a diesel, and some rolling stock. The main draw is definitely the SP 4449 aka the Daylight. It may or may not be there when you visit, but we lucked out during our visit. Not only was it there, but the crew was just finishing a major overhaul of the locomotive, meaning we were able to see things people normally don’t get to see.
Though the exhibits are limited, they are great. Timing can be a bit difficult, as they only open Thu-​Sun from 1pm to 5pm, which was a bit problematic for us, since we’d only be in PDX late Sat night thru early Thu morning. That being said, the center is run and staffed by an all volunteer crew that’s pretty passionate about what they do and eager to share their knowledge. So while admission is free, donations are greatly appreciated… and I highly recommend you donate or support the foundation through buying merchandise from their gift shop.
Parking is located across the street under the underpass and is free. Alternatively, you can take the TriMet to get here. A station on the TriMet’s orange line a short walk away from the center.

Don’t get fooled by the Holiday Express ride. For what it is, it shouldn’t cost that much. I took my parents, husband and daughter, paid over $ 75 dollars for a skimpy 20 minute ride to OMSI and back. It should not cost more than $ 5! Want my money and time back!

The history of Oregon’s railroads is beautifully displayed at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center. While the museum is somewhat small, it does have free admission. Large trains go across the warehouse, along with signs about the meaning of each train or train component. A huge map of Oregon documents the state’s long history of welcoming railroad transportation.
I went here on a Thursday afternoon. The hours that this museum is open tend to be particularly limited. Parking is free. They have a large selection of inexpensive merchandise, which included magazines for a dollar as of my last visit. When I visited, I walked around and got some nice photographs. Much of the building is being utilized for construction purposes, so it is still a work in progress. This visit only lasted about half and hour from parking to returning into the car. Chairs and some drinking fountains can be easily accessed.
The Oregon Rail Heritage Center is worth visiting as a result of the free admission.

This was a cool museum. We went here for my dad who loves trains. Got some really great pictures of some amazing trains they are humongous. My son had a blast also.

My husband and I and our 8 year old were blown away at the scale and quality of the trains showcased in this museum. It doesn’t look like a whole lot from the outside but it was truly impressive what they are doing to restore these giant engines from the past. Definitely worth a visit!

If you can, come on a Saturday so that you can combine your visit with a $ 5 train ride. I have a 3 year old and that was something he really looked forward to and enjoyed. The museum itself is great and even has a little toy train table play area in the front. The museum is free to get into. Check out there store and their clearance table, we scored big with two used thomas the train toys for $ 3! A terrific place for kids and adults. Very happy we came here.

DH and I were here spent several hours here on a June Sunday afternoon. We enjoyed talking with the knowledgeable volunteers about the various locomotives and cars parked on the property. I was most impressed with how clean the place is despite all of the grease and oil that a locomotive needs. There is a nice gift shop as well but no restaurant.
As others have mentioned, this is a great place to go if you are a rail enthusiast! I don’t know about the free parking, but the location of the ORHC is great for transit riders. It is at the end of a streetcar line and the new line being built goes right in front of the building with a stop just down the street. And it is next to the Amtrak and Freight lines thus ensuring that you do get to see all sorts of trains while you are there.

I never even knew this was here! And it’s awesome!
I attended a special event here (a really nice set-​up for one you have catered). It was such a cool location, there were train engineers and «tour» gudes on site, and they did a little talk about the history of the place. It’s all volunteer and donation-​driven. I dropped off five dollars, and I hope more people did, too. It was a great venue, and the trains were amazing.
I am shorter than a train wheel! Well, at least an old one. There was a set of stairs to let you up to the engine of one train. I had NO idea it was so darn complicated. There were about a hundred different valves and other things. Super-​complicated. But a guide will explain it all to you (if you want). Otherwise, you can just walk, gaze, touch, and even climb aboard a few. There are a few others out in the yard to look at, and on Saturdays, you can go for a ride. There’s something nostalgic and magical about trains, and this is a great place to take someone who loves them.
Also, I’d definitely schedule another private event there. It was a great set-​up, and it was a wonderful atmosphere to be in – right in the room with huge engines bearing down (silently)!

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…=(

I was fortunate enough to have seen the Southern Pacific #4449 «Daylight» (and others) in person at Union Station’s 50^th 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!
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!
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.
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.
Next was the 1905 OR&N 197 locomotive which is also slowly undergoing restoration as well.
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.
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.
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.
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.

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!

My Dad loves to indulge in historical adventures, and this was one of them when he recently visited me in Portland! The volunteer-​run museum gets you up close and personal with some of Oregon’s most interesting giants. It’s free, but donations are welcome, and the exhibits are mostly indoors (so it’s a great activity for the family on a rainy weekend). You can ask most anyone a question, and they will walk you through all current restoration projects, or other train trivia. Truly a hidden gem in SE.

Great place for train buffs. Some grand old locomotives available for an up close inspection. Easy to talk to knowledgeable volunteers working on the trains willing to answer all questions. Museum is free to visit.
The museum is the upper terminus for the Oregon Pacific Railroad which runs one of it’s trains from the museum down to Oaks Park and back again. A great fun trip for just $ 5. Visit:
for daily schedules.
Pretty good way to spend an afternoon.

I recently checked out the Oregon Rail Heritage Center during a trip into Portland. This is a newer museum, so while they have a few different trains on display, their plans are to expand further, bringing more exhibits into the fold. As pointed out elsewhere, it is a free museum, but driven by donations, so donations are appreciated. While you can’t really touch the exhibits, efforts were made to make the working parts of the train very visible. The volunteers who work here are quite knowledgeable as well. However, for people who want to see a lot of different trains, they are not quite there yet. There were four trains indoors, a few trains outdoors as well. Make it a point to check out this attraction.

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.

My husband is in train heaven. If you are a train fanatic /​enthusiast then you will love this place. You get to look inside the 4449’s Locomotive Cab while a nice older gentleman gave you some history on the train. Then when you walk into the center building you can wait inline and walk into the Locomotive Cab of the Sp & S 700. Next to the train inside the center is a way cool Lego Portland Town with moving trains and cars.