The term “social distancing” may have been coined by a dedicated train watcher, a railfan with a beach chair in his trunk, bottled water in the cooler, a radio tuned to the railroads’ frequencies, and the prerequisite empty jug for what can only be put off so long. He also knows the routes of the area railroads and even has a good idea as to the schedules.
To help limit the spread of COVID-19, and in the spirit of direction from Oregon’s governor and other leaders, the Oregon Rail Heritage Center will close to the public until further notice starting Saturday, March 14.
The Challenges of Steam video presents an in depth look at steam locomotives, their upside and downside, and what led to the conversion to the electric diesel. Presented by Oregon Rail Heritage Center, and featuring the members of the Pacific Railroad Preservation Association, the video is an informative and entertaining thirteen minutes.
This is the first of an occasional series on where to go for train watching in the greater Portland Metropolitan Area. Wilsonville is a community about fifteen miles southwest of Portland. It is the south end of TriMet’s rail WES (Westside Express Service) route, and on the Portland and Western rail line between Albany and …
The Oregon Rail Heritage Center introduces “ORHFlix,” volunteer-produced short videos of the rail experience found at the Center on SE Water Avenue in Portland, Oregon. The ORHFlix are found on YouTube. Currently there are four ORHFlix videos posted. They are What Makes A Steam Train Go, Holiday Express 2018, Welcome to the Center, and a …