Meet Phil Barney

Now that the restored Brooklyn Turntable has been moved into the pit in front of the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, Phil Barney has begun building an historically accurate replica of the original operator’s cab. (The original had been destroyed years ago in Brooklyn Yard when a switch engine missed the turntable track and crunched into …

Volunteer Spotlight: Sue Pearce

Sue Pearce started with ORHF as a babysitter … of locomotives. As a Hosford-Abernethy Neighborhood District (HAND) Association member, Sue was recommended for the ORHF board by Phil Selinger, the organization’s first executive director. At the time, ORHF bylaws stipulated that the board include a representative from HAND, the “soon to be” host neighborhood. In …

SP&S 700 Work Update

Work continues on the SP&S 700 to get it back to operating condition. The black jacketing that covers the boiler insulation is now covering the locomotive above the catwalk. Individual sections are being bolted down, a slow process. Next are the bands or straps that cover the many seams of the big sections of jacketing. …

We are open again starting May 8th!

The Oregon Rail Heritage Center will be open Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 1:00 – 5:00pm starting May 8th. But….we are a volunteer run organization, and there may be times we do not have enough volunteers to safely open the Center. If we cannot open on a given day, we will post this on the …

New Dates for Santa’s Enginehouse

Concerned about a dramatic spike in coronavirus cases, Oregon’s governor has called for a two-week “freeze” statewide – and a four-week freeze in Portland’s Multnomah County, where Oregon Rail Heritage Center is located. Among new protective measures, in place Nov. 16-Dec. 18, museums will be closed. Consequently, we are changing the dates of Santa’s Enginehouse, …