A Evening to Celebrate Portland’s Rich History with Trains.

Learn about the

Railway Palaces of Portland, Oregon:

The Architectural Legacy of Henry Villard

presented by Alexander Craghead

Wednesday, June 28th at 7 pm

In 1883, railroad financier Henry Villard brought Portland and the Pacific Northwest their first transcontinental railroad. Earning a reputation for boldness on Wall Street, the war correspondent turned entrepreneur set out to establish Portland as a bourgeoning metropolis. To realize his vision, he hired architects McKim, Mead & White to design a massive passenger station and a first-class hotel. The Portland Hotel opened in 1890 and remained the social heart of the city for sixty years. While the original station was never built, Villard returned as a pivotal benefactor of Portland Union Station, saving its iconic clock tower in the process.

Join us as historian Alexander Benjamin Craghead discusses his recently-released book, Railway Palaces of Portland, Oregon: The Architectural Legacy of Henry Villard. Alex will present on the relationship between railway transportation, architecture, and local history. After the presentation, the book will be available for purchase and he will be available to sign copies.

About the presenter: Alexander Benjamin Craghead is a historian of Design + Place. Presently, he teaches for the American Studies program at the University of California at Berkeley. He holds an M.S. in Architecture, (History, Theory, & Society track, also from Berkeley), and is presently pursuing a Ph.D. in architecture.

Come and join in the evening’s festivities!

Don’t miss this special event. Light refreshments will be served. Open to all Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation (ORHF) members, donors and those who wish to learn more about the ORHF. Please RSVP by replying to this announcement or by sending an email to rsvp@orhf.org by Sunday, June 25th, if you plan to attend.

Not a current member? Join us on June 28th to find out more.

Become a member, or renew, at the door!

Parking onsite at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center is limited.

Please Take MAX or the Portland Streetcar to the Oregon Rail Heritage Center.

While at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, see our new exhibits and catch up on the progress of the activities on the steam locomotives.

Ride the Oregon Pacific Railroad passenger train from the Oregon Rail Heritage Center and back via the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge along the Willamette River Saturdays! Trains depart the ORHC at 12:30pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, 3:30pm and 4:30pm for an approximately 45 minute long round trip.

See www.portlandtrainrides.com for more information.

A wonderful video about the Southern Pacific 4449 and volunteer crew produced by the Mid-Valley Media Group in December, 2015. Always worth another view!

We thank all of you for your help in putting a warm and dry roof over the heads of the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation and her sister partners. With that accomplished, it’s time to look forward. Our mission is to provide for the preservation and public enjoyment of Portland’s historic locomotives, railroad equipment, and artifacts; and to educate the public about Oregon’s rich and diverse railroad history. In order to do this, we must continue to grow, and growth needs help from all of us.

The year 2016 has been year of accomplishment. A record year on the Holiday Express concluded 2015. Recently, a generous gift from the Union Pacific presented its UP 96 SW 10 Switcher to ORHF. Once fully operational it will be available to move our cars and locomotives on our grounds as needed.

Which leads us to one of our major needs and reasons for asking you for your financial support. To our east, we have secured the use of adjacent surplus land from the Milwaukie Light Rail line. It will provide an additional 400 feet of track for more rolling stock, and the space to work on it. We have the materials, but there are expenses in prepping the land and related expense to the installation. This is a crucial step forward for us in our role as a working museum.

Work on the second level for bathrooms and office space needs to begin as soon as there is funding. It is the first step toward fulfilling more museum space and a viewing platform.

With a donation to ORHF and a matching donation to the Oregon Cultural Trust, you may deduct the total of the two gifts as a tax credit. Visit CulturalTrust.org for details. Please use this link for your donation.

At ORHF, we provide smiles for the whole family. Help us keep them coming. We thank you for your time and support.

Hope to see you at Oaks Park as you board the 2016 Holiday Express. It’s a glorious celebration of all the good ORHF does for the whole community.

Happy Holidays from the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation.

Tickets for the 2016 Holiday Express are now for sale via the Holiday Express website! Tickets for certain rides tend to go quickly, so take a look at the calendar and book your tickets now for a magical ride with Santa on one of Portland’s most loved holiday traditions. For a little extra inspiration, enjoy this short story, The Real Santa Claus is on the Train, written by author and Holiday Express volunteer Ken Byers.