Hosted by the 2nd Division, PNR
May 13 - 16, 2026
Q1. Isn't this just Portland?
A1. Tigard is part of the Portland Metro Area but is a sizeable town in its own right with a population of about 55,000 people. It's located in Washington County (Portland is in Multnomah County). It is adjacent to Beaverton. We're on the other side of a 500 foot ridge, a good sized river and over 8 crow-flown miles from where the 2015 convention was held. 12 miles from the 2018 convention. Yeah - we're serious about not being in Portland this year.
Q2. What's the sales tax in Oregon?
A2. What's a sales tax? We don't have one. You also can pump your own gas now if you want to.
Q3. Any train or hobby shops in the area?
A3a. We have two excellent dedicated train stores in the Portland area:
The Hobby Smith is located at 1809 NE Cesar E. Chavez Blvd, Portland, OR 97212 It is located just over 12 miles from the convention hotel.
Whistle Stop Trains is located at 11724 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97266 It is 18 miles away, or about a half hour with good traffic.
A3b. We also have multiple full service hobby stores:
Tammie's Hobbies is located at 12024 SW Canyon Rd, Beaverton, OR 97005. It is a full service hobby shop with a sizable model railroad section and possibly the best paint selection in town. It's also just a few (<3) miles away from the convention hotel down Hwy 217.
Hillsboro Hobby Shop is located at 345 E Main St, Hillsboro, OR 97123 It has a nicely scenicked HO scale layout in its front window: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX47IlfBWRE It is located 18 1/2 miles from the convention hotel, but you don't have to drive through Portland to get there.
Q4. How do I get there?
A4a.By air: Portland International Airport (https://www.flypdx.com) is consistently ranked as one of the best airports of its size in the United States.
Either rent a car and take I-205 to I-84 and follow the instructions in A4d, or hop on the Max (light rail) Red Line to the Beaverton TC Max station and the 78 bus from the nearby (221 feet) Beaverton Transit Center to the hotel. Get off at SW Eliander & One Embassy Centre.
A4b.By ground from the South: I-5 North to Exit 292A (Exit 292B works too, but isn't as easy), Highway 217 to Exit 4 (Scholls Ferry Rd), turn right on Scholls Ferry Rd and almost immediately turn right into SW Washington Square Rd, taking the left side of the wye. The hotel will be above you on the right.
A4c. By ground from the North: I-5 South to either Exit 292 (no A or B) and follow the directions above, or take I-405 (either end) from I-5 to Highway 26 (Exit 1D northbound or southbound on I-405), to the Highway 217 exit (the cloverleaves are tight, the 25mph limit is no joke). Take Highway 217 to Exit 4A (Hall Blvd). Take a left onto Hall Blvd over Highway 217 to Scholls Ferry Rd, turning right onto Scholls Ferry Rd and then left onto Washington Square Rd.
A4d. By ground from the East: I-84 to I-5, then I-5 to I-405 and follow the directions from the North.
A4e. By rail: Portland Union Station has service from the Cascades (Vancouver, BC to Eugene, OR), the Coast Starlight (Los Angeles to Seattle), and the Empire Builder (Chicago to Portland).
Driving from Union Station, take Glisan to I-405, follow the directions from the North.
Mass transit from Union Station: Get off the train, pull out your phone and ask Google Maps. The correct answer changes depending on the time of day, and the day. If enough people come by train, we might look at renting a van or something as a shuttle (extra charge).
Q5. What are the nearby food options?
A5. I'm glad you asked!
Onsite: Cascadia Restaurant & Bar - prices vary from $12 for a pizza to $49 for a 16oz bone-in Ribeye. A bacon cheeseburger w/fries, tots, soup, or salad is $18.
Offsite: Across Scholls Ferry:Taco Bell
Across SW Hall Blvd: FuddoYama Ramen Teriyaki & Iakaya (https://fuddoyamaramenpdx.com/menu), The Sports Page (sports bar w/ breakfast, create-your-own-pizzas, & pub fare), Jimmy John's. Dutch Bros. Coffee (recommended for your AM caffine fix).
In the Target strip mall: Sushi Hana (conveyor belt sushi & Japanese dishes)
In Washington Square Mall: The Cheesecake Factory, Bobadochi (boba tea, Mochi donuts, K-Dogs), Boom Crepes, Stripes Restaurant (burgers, hotdogs, chicken, etc...), Panda Express, Charley's Cheestakes, Turkish Cuisine (shwarma, kofta, falafel, Mediterranean), Bombay Wala of India, Gen Korean BBQ House (https://www.genkoreanbbq.com/), Din Tai Fung (Chinese), 85degC BakeryCafe
Past Washington Square (Southeast-ish): Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews, Ezell's Famous Chicken, Panera Bread, Thirsty Lion ("Scratch Kitchen" Craft Cocktails & Beer). Red Lobster, Margarita Factory.
Across 217: Benihana (Japanese Tepanyaki)
Down Scholls Ferry (southwest-ish): Mugen Noodle Bar (https://www.mugennoodlebar.com/), FOGON Criollo (Peruvian), Lionheart Coffee Company (https://www.lionheartcoffee.com/), McDonalds (about 2 miles from the hotel).
Up Scholls Ferry (North-ish): The Stockpot Broiler (Golf Course Steakhouse).
Down SW Hall (Northwest-ish): Society Pie (Pizzaria), Muchas Gracias (cheap fast Mexican), Si Senor Family Mexican Restaurant, The Fireside Grill (21+ gastropub), 7-Eleven, Arby's (at .8 miles from hotel).
Q6. What am I not going to think of visiting, but should if I need to get away from the trains?
A6a. Powell's City of Books. The world's largest bookstore not named "Amazon." There are actually multiple locations. The main store, which covers an entire city block and is four stories tall, is located at 1005 W Burnside St. Portland, OR 97209 (map of directions). Something like a half-million books. There's a much closer one Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing - 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. Beaverton, OR 97005(map of directions) but it's only 32,500 square feet of books. New, used, and hard-to-find books....
A6b. Portland Japanese Garden - 611 SW Kingston Avenue, Portland(link to directions). Note, this one is not free. But it's a lovely location with outstanding views - a bucket list item for Portland.
A6c. Oregon Zoo. 4001 SW Canyon Rd, Portland, OR 97221 (link to directions). 64 acres of animals (and okay, there's a train there too). The elephants are famous around the world - the Zoo has one of the most successful Asian elephant breeding programs in the world over the past 60 years.
A6d. OMSI - The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. 1945 SW Water Avenue, Portland. (link to directions). Home of the USS Blueback, one of the last diesel-electric submarines built for the US Navy. Features an IMAX theater, a planetarium, and regular events. If you've got kids along, it's a must-visit. And it's just around the corner from the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, home of the SP 4449, SP&S 700, and the rest.
A1. Tigard is part of the Portland Metro Area but is a sizeable town in its own right with a population of about 55,000 people. It's located in Washington County (Portland is in Multnomah County). It is adjacent to Beaverton. We're on the other side of a 500 foot ridge, a good sized river and over 8 crow-flown miles from where the 2015 convention was held. 12 miles from the 2018 convention. Yeah - we're serious about not being in Portland this year.
Q2. What's the sales tax in Oregon?
A2. What's a sales tax? We don't have one. You also can pump your own gas now if you want to.
Q3. Any train or hobby shops in the area?
A3a. We have two excellent dedicated train stores in the Portland area:
The Hobby Smith is located at 1809 NE Cesar E. Chavez Blvd, Portland, OR 97212 It is located just over 12 miles from the convention hotel.
Whistle Stop Trains is located at 11724 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97266 It is 18 miles away, or about a half hour with good traffic.
A3b. We also have multiple full service hobby stores:
Tammie's Hobbies is located at 12024 SW Canyon Rd, Beaverton, OR 97005. It is a full service hobby shop with a sizable model railroad section and possibly the best paint selection in town. It's also just a few (<3) miles away from the convention hotel down Hwy 217.
Hillsboro Hobby Shop is located at 345 E Main St, Hillsboro, OR 97123 It has a nicely scenicked HO scale layout in its front window: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX47IlfBWRE It is located 18 1/2 miles from the convention hotel, but you don't have to drive through Portland to get there.
Q4. How do I get there?
A4a.By air: Portland International Airport (https://www.flypdx.com) is consistently ranked as one of the best airports of its size in the United States.
Either rent a car and take I-205 to I-84 and follow the instructions in A4d, or hop on the Max (light rail) Red Line to the Beaverton TC Max station and the 78 bus from the nearby (221 feet) Beaverton Transit Center to the hotel. Get off at SW Eliander & One Embassy Centre.
A4b.By ground from the South: I-5 North to Exit 292A (Exit 292B works too, but isn't as easy), Highway 217 to Exit 4 (Scholls Ferry Rd), turn right on Scholls Ferry Rd and almost immediately turn right into SW Washington Square Rd, taking the left side of the wye. The hotel will be above you on the right.
A4c. By ground from the North: I-5 South to either Exit 292 (no A or B) and follow the directions above, or take I-405 (either end) from I-5 to Highway 26 (Exit 1D northbound or southbound on I-405), to the Highway 217 exit (the cloverleaves are tight, the 25mph limit is no joke). Take Highway 217 to Exit 4A (Hall Blvd). Take a left onto Hall Blvd over Highway 217 to Scholls Ferry Rd, turning right onto Scholls Ferry Rd and then left onto Washington Square Rd.
A4d. By ground from the East: I-84 to I-5, then I-5 to I-405 and follow the directions from the North.
A4e. By rail: Portland Union Station has service from the Cascades (Vancouver, BC to Eugene, OR), the Coast Starlight (Los Angeles to Seattle), and the Empire Builder (Chicago to Portland).
Driving from Union Station, take Glisan to I-405, follow the directions from the North.
Mass transit from Union Station: Get off the train, pull out your phone and ask Google Maps. The correct answer changes depending on the time of day, and the day. If enough people come by train, we might look at renting a van or something as a shuttle (extra charge).
Q5. What are the nearby food options?
A5. I'm glad you asked!
Onsite: Cascadia Restaurant & Bar - prices vary from $12 for a pizza to $49 for a 16oz bone-in Ribeye. A bacon cheeseburger w/fries, tots, soup, or salad is $18.
Offsite: Across Scholls Ferry:Taco Bell
Across SW Hall Blvd: FuddoYama Ramen Teriyaki & Iakaya (https://fuddoyamaramenpdx.com/menu), The Sports Page (sports bar w/ breakfast, create-your-own-pizzas, & pub fare), Jimmy John's. Dutch Bros. Coffee (recommended for your AM caffine fix).
In the Target strip mall: Sushi Hana (conveyor belt sushi & Japanese dishes)
In Washington Square Mall: The Cheesecake Factory, Bobadochi (boba tea, Mochi donuts, K-Dogs), Boom Crepes, Stripes Restaurant (burgers, hotdogs, chicken, etc...), Panda Express, Charley's Cheestakes, Turkish Cuisine (shwarma, kofta, falafel, Mediterranean), Bombay Wala of India, Gen Korean BBQ House (https://www.genkoreanbbq.com/), Din Tai Fung (Chinese), 85degC BakeryCafe
Past Washington Square (Southeast-ish): Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews, Ezell's Famous Chicken, Panera Bread, Thirsty Lion ("Scratch Kitchen" Craft Cocktails & Beer). Red Lobster, Margarita Factory.
Across 217: Benihana (Japanese Tepanyaki)
Down Scholls Ferry (southwest-ish): Mugen Noodle Bar (https://www.mugennoodlebar.com/), FOGON Criollo (Peruvian), Lionheart Coffee Company (https://www.lionheartcoffee.com/), McDonalds (about 2 miles from the hotel).
Up Scholls Ferry (North-ish): The Stockpot Broiler (Golf Course Steakhouse).
Down SW Hall (Northwest-ish): Society Pie (Pizzaria), Muchas Gracias (cheap fast Mexican), Si Senor Family Mexican Restaurant, The Fireside Grill (21+ gastropub), 7-Eleven, Arby's (at .8 miles from hotel).
Q6. What am I not going to think of visiting, but should if I need to get away from the trains?
A6a. Powell's City of Books. The world's largest bookstore not named "Amazon." There are actually multiple locations. The main store, which covers an entire city block and is four stories tall, is located at 1005 W Burnside St. Portland, OR 97209 (map of directions). Something like a half-million books. There's a much closer one Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing - 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. Beaverton, OR 97005(map of directions) but it's only 32,500 square feet of books. New, used, and hard-to-find books....
A6b. Portland Japanese Garden - 611 SW Kingston Avenue, Portland(link to directions). Note, this one is not free. But it's a lovely location with outstanding views - a bucket list item for Portland.
A6c. Oregon Zoo. 4001 SW Canyon Rd, Portland, OR 97221 (link to directions). 64 acres of animals (and okay, there's a train there too). The elephants are famous around the world - the Zoo has one of the most successful Asian elephant breeding programs in the world over the past 60 years.
A6d. OMSI - The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. 1945 SW Water Avenue, Portland. (link to directions). Home of the USS Blueback, one of the last diesel-electric submarines built for the US Navy. Features an IMAX theater, a planetarium, and regular events. If you've got kids along, it's a must-visit. And it's just around the corner from the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, home of the SP 4449, SP&S 700, and the rest.