By Railfan & Railroad Staff

The Oregon Rail Heritage Center celebrated the “grand re-opening” of the Brooklyn Yard turntable on October 14. 

The Oregon Rail Heritage Center is the permanent home to three city-owned steam locomotives: Southern Pacific “Daylight” 4-8-4 4449; Spokane, Portland & Seattle 4-8-4 700; and Oregon Railroad & Navigation 4-6-2 197, which is currently being restored to service.

For decades, the city’s three steam locomotives called SP’s Brooklyn Yard roundhouse home. But in the 2000s, the roundhouse was being knocked down for a new intermodal yard and so the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation was formed to build a permanent home. The rail center opened near the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (better known as OMSI) in 2012. Since then the museum has welcomed people who wanted to get a closer look at the city’s steam locomotives and, on some occasions, even ride behind them, like during the popular Holiday Express. But a wide open spot was left unfilled out in front of the museum until the funds were secured to install the Brooklyn turntable. That installation began last year and wrapped up over the summer. 

The turntable not only gives the non-profit a new exhibit but it’ll help the museum’s resident steam locomotives get on the main line should the opportunity arise again because it’ll be easier to turn them. 

For more information and to learn how to donate, visit the Oregon Rail Heritage Center online.