Last Update:  November 16, 2010
In December 2010, the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation will be hosting the annual Holiday Express on the Oregon
Pacific Railroad.   This page will showcase photos of the event as well as OPR related preparations leading up to
the event.

For the latest information on the upcoming Holiday Express 2010, please visit the
ORHF 2010 Holiday Express Page.
Tickets can be purchased through Tickets West.   
Trains were scheduled to run December 3, 4 & 5 as well as December 10, 11 & 12.  See the
ORHF page for departure times.

A number of railroad speeders will also be at the event, sponsored by the OPR, to give rides to the public in between
runs of the Holiday Express Train.
Basic Event Information
Past Holiday Express Events on the OPR
Holiday Express VI, 2010
About the Holiday Express and the Oregon Pacific Railroad
Preparations for the Event on the OPR
The OPR's mission is to provide a safe operating railroad for the Holiday Express and its passenger trains to operate on.   
The East Portland Branch is a former traction electric railroad, that was initially designed for electric trolleys and electric
freight motors and light diesel locomotives.   Over the last several years, the OPR has spent a significant amount of time and
money to upgrade the track conditions to safely handle the extremely large and heavy steam locomotives.  

This has included everything from heavier rail that was added in years past to accommodate freight traffic, as well as
extensive track work, tie replacement, grade work, track alignment, tamping and surfacing specifically for the Holiday Express
Trains.

The OPR, its employees and volunteers, check track conditions, including measuring the gauge of the track on a regular
basis and providing the needed repairs and adjustments as necessary.

For this year's event, the OPR will again be back out, checking the track, making additional alignments and making any
necessary repairs for another safe run.
The Holiday Express is an event put on by ORHF as a major annual fund raiser.  ORHF is an organization dedicated to
preserving and building a home for three large historical steam engines located in and owned by the City of Portland.  The
Spokane, Portland & Seattle No. 700, the Southern Pacific No. 4449 and the Oregon Railroad & Navigation No. 197.

Click here for more information about ORHF and its mission

Over the last five years, one or both of the major operational steam locomotives, the SP&S 700 and SP 4449, have come out
to pull passenger trains on the OPR.  Passengers park in the Oaks Amusement Park parking lot where ORHF has a facility
located nearby for passenger check in.   Passengers then board the train at the Oregon Pacific Railroad's Oaks Park Station,
located adjacent to the Oaks Amusement Park parking lot.  Trains travel along the stretch of the OPR that runs along the
Willamette River and into Oaks Bottom Refuge.     The route travelled is generally located between the Sellwood Bridge to the
south and Ross Island Bridge to the north.

Click here for more information and photos of the
Oregon Pacific East Portland Branch on which the Holiday Express travels.
The Steam Locomotives of the Holiday Express
For 2010, it is not known which locomotives will appear to pull the trains this year.  Stay tuned to
ORHF's Offical Website for details on train schedules and if one or both steam engines will appear.
Below are the two locomotives that have historically pulled the Holiday Express in the past.
Spokane Portland & Seattle No. 700

The SP&S 700 was built in 1938 as a 4-8-4
Northern Pacific, Class A design, for the Spokane
Portland & Seattle Railway.   This engine typically
operated pulling the "Empire Builder" trains and  
passenger trains between Portland and Spokane
until retired in 1956.  In 1958 she was donated to
the City of Portland and placed on display at the
very same Oaks Park this event takes place from.   
In 1990, she was removed from the park and
restored by the Pacific Railroad Preservation
Association, who operates her to this day.
Southern Pacific No. 4449

The SP 4449 was built in 1941 as a 4-8-4 GS-4
locomotive for the Southern Pacific Railroad.  It is
the only remaining operational streamlined
locomotive from the "Art Deco" era.   She typically
operated between Los Angeles and San Francisco
and Portland, pulling Southern Pacific Daylight
Coaches, until 1955.   Donated to the City of
Portland, it was placed in Oaks Park in 1958.
In 1974, she was pulled from the park to operate
on the cross country 1976 Freedom Train and has
been operational ever since.
From left to right:
(1) OPR speeder volunteer William Bingman, uses a gauge detector to check the track early in the morning prior to a Holiday Express run  (2)
OPR owner Dick Samuels, sweeps out a switch after an unexpected snowfall to allow the Holiday Express Trains to continue.   (3 and 4)  The
OPR maintains a diesel fleet that usually includes a locomotive on either end of the line as a contingency for any unforseen events or breakdowns.
The above pictures were taken last year and show just some of the extensive work that was done exclusively for the Holiday Express Trains, which
included OPR owner Dick Samuels operating his tamper to tamp and align the track and the OPR crew (Tim Samuels and Brian Samuels shown
here) replacing a number of railroad ties.
Photos, Day 1 -- December 3, 2010
Video
While we do not have any video of the 2009 Holiday Express Event available, we do have a full feature movie of 2008's event
now up and available for downloading.  To see what it's like first hand to ride the train and visit the Holiday Express, check out
this video!   
WMV formatt, 256 MB, 46 minutes
Holiday Express 2008 Movie
Speeders (Railroad Motor Cars)
Speeders will be on hand at Oaks Park Station to give public rides, as they always have during the Holiday Express.   
Speeders are railroad motor cars designed to operate on railroads and were commonly used by maintenance personnel to
inspect track and work on the railroads until recently.  Many speeders are now privately owned and these volunteers
graciously bring their own speeders to the Oregon Pacific Railroad during this event to give rides to passengers on the OPR
track, in between runs of the Holiday Express Train.
Photos, Day 2 -- December 4, 2010
Photos, Day 3 -- December 5, 2010
Photos, Day 4 -- December 10, 2010
Photos, Day 5 -- December 11, 2010
Photos, Day 6 -- December 12, 2010
Photos from the 2009 Holiday Express
Coming soon
Coming soon
Coming soon
Coming soon
Coming soon
Coming soon
More photos from the 2009 event can be seen on our Holiday Express 2009 Page.
A photo page of the 2009 Holiday Express Event

A photo page of the 2008 Holiday Express Event

A photo page of the 2007 Holiday Express Event

A photo page of the 2006 Holiday Express Event

A photo page of the 2005 Holiday Express Event
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Webmaster  
Brian McCamish

Webmaster
Photos, Track Clean Up -- November 6, 2010
On November 6th, ORHF volunteers turned out in impressive numbers to clean up the East Portland Branch in preparation for
the Holiday Express Event.   OPR volunteer Guy Howard brought out his speeder and facilitated the trash pick up with two
speeder trailers.   The efforts of the many volunteers are much appreciated and will make the event a more pleasant visual
experience for all of the riders as the train passes through the otherwise scenic Oaks Bottom Refuge area.
 
All photos were taken by and are courtesy of John Frazee.
Richard Samuels using the OPR Jackson Tamper to do track work on the Holiday Express route in November, 2010 prior to this year's event.