INCLUDES ‘ALL ABOARD’ VIDEO | Find out how a bigger, two‑day ‘National Train Days’ weekend filled Oregon Rail Heritage Center with packed train rides, rare steam giants and families soaking up living railroad history …
National Train Days draws visitors to Oregon Rail Heritage Center for a weekend of steam, history, and hands‑on railroad fun.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
National Train Days returned to the Oregon Rail Heritage Center on the weekend of May 9th and 10th – bigger than ever, and stretched into two full days of steam, history, and hands‑on railroading in Inner Southeast Portland.
Hosted just east of OMSI on the grounds of the Oregon Rail Heritage Center (ORHC) and the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation (ORHF), the celebration featured fully functional historic locomotives, former Brooklyn railyard turntable demonstrations, model railroads, food carts, and family activities.
This rail fan is Renee Devereux – Executive Director of the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, and of the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation.
Building on last year’s success
Executive Director Renee Devereux reflected that last year’s one‑day National Train Day “was such a tremendous success” that organizers knew they wanted to build on the momentum.
National Train Day, she pointed out, is about “celebrating the history, excitement, and magic of railroading,” and expanding to a full weekend gave “even more people the opportunity to experience it.” The new two‑day format let visitors ride trains, see the locomotives up close, explore the Center, and “create memories together”.
Visitors get a close‑up look, and learn about the historic locomotives in the engine house, during “National Train Days” at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center.
Over the course of the weekend, “National Train Days” drew an estimated 3,000 visitors. Devereux reported that crews operated nine train rides pulled by the steam-chugging Polson Logging Company No. 2 locomotive – carrying a total of about 1,000 passengers riding in historic cars, in an atmosphere “filled with excitement, smiles, steam whistles, and families enjoying time together”, as she put it.
See all that the visitors enjoyed during the 2026 Train Days event by watching our video:
Trains that tell America’s story
For ORHF, she noted, the celebration goes to the heart of its mission: National Train Day is one of the Center’s best chances each year “to celebrate and share the rich history of railroading with the public.”
Devereux pointed to the Golden Spike and completion of the Transcontinental Railroad as a moment that “forever changed our country” by connecting communities, commerce and industry.
Events like this annual observance, she explained, allow ORHC “to educate, inspire, and connect people to that history in a very real and personal way.” It is one thing to read about a locomotive in a book; it is another to stand next to one, hear it come to life, “smell the steam and oil”, and feel its power.
“These engines are much more than machines,” Devereux reflected. “They represent history, memories, craftsmanship, and emotion, for so many people.”
Inside the Center during National Train Days, ORHF Board Member Dennis Seacat talks with the McCann family visiting the event.
Visitors from near and far
That connection showed up in comments all weekend long. Guests called “National Train Days” “one of the coolest things we’ve ever brought our kids to” – and some admitted, “I had no idea Portland had something like this.” Others simply marveled that “seeing these locomotives in person is absolutely incredible.”
One family traveled all the way from Poland for the second year in a row, specifically to attend Train Day, because their children love “America’s Locomotive” – the mighty Southern Pacific 4449. Other visitors came down from British Columbia just for the weekend – an indication, Devereux observed, of “how meaningful and iconic these locomotives are, to people from all over the world.”
In the railyard outside the Center, visitors see static display featuring the BNSF 3613, a 1972 EMD SW1000 diesel, and the “fired up” Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700 steam locomotive.
During National Train Days, Certified Locomotive Engineer James Jones, at the controls of the “steamed up” Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700 locomotive, gives visitors a chance to sound the steam whistle.
The volunteers behind Train Day
Devereux stressed that the celebration depended on volunteers, calling them “the real heroes behind everything we do” – from preparing and maintaining locomotives, to operating trains, directing parking, greeting guests, and cleaning cars. Volunteers donate thousands of hours, because they care about preserving railroad history and sharing it with the public.
Visitors may come to see the locomotives, she added, but “what truly makes the experience special is the people behind them.”
There goes the Polson Logging Company No. 2 locomotive – chugging out of the Oregon Rail Heritage Center’s spur starting another excursion to, and back from, Oaks Bottom during National Train Days.
More railroading ahead this summer
Although “National Train Days” has wrapped up for this year, the Center’s schedule keeps the rails active.
Regular weekend train rides resumed May 23, with ORHC expanding operations by running excursions on both Saturdays and Sundays through October 11. Devereux remarked that the goal is to give more people the chance “to experience historic rail travel firsthand.”
Take a ‘Fathers Day ride’
Steam‑powered excursions are planned for Father’s Day weekend, June 20-21 – a perennial favorite for families and rail fans who want to get close to “operating steam”.
Advance ticket purchases are recommended, and admission to the Oregon Rail Heritage Center is included with each train ride ticket. Details about upcoming train rides, hours, and special events are available at their website: CLICK HERE.
© 2026 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
