The outdoor Medford Railroad train museum and park, at 799 Berrydale Ave., Medford, is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. the second and fourth Sunday of every month through October. Visitors can learn about local train history, take a diesel train ride, see model railroad layouts, tour historical railroad equipment and exhibits and more. Admission is free, donations accepted. See ci.medford.or.us or call 541-613-1638.

Railroad Park in Medford is ready for its annual spring opening, which lands this year on Easter.

“I’ve been here about 12 years, and this is the first time this has happened. We’ve had Mother’s Day or the Pear Blossom,” said Bruce Kelly, vice president of the Southern Oregon Live Steamers and president of the Southern Oregon Railway Historical Society.

When asked whether opening day may come with a visit from the Easter Bunny, he said despite his efforts, potential rabbits have been shy.

“One of our members from the Live Steamers said she’s got a bunny outfit. I’ve asked some people — so far no takers,” he said.

Every year on the second Sunday of April, the park reopens for the year, closing again when the weather cools in October. During spring and summer, the park is open to the public for free every second and fourth Sunday, but the four groups running the park are always hopeful for donations, he said.

Railroad Park is run jointly by four nonprofit clubs — the Southern Oregon Live Steamers, Southern Oregon Railway Historical Society, Rogue Valley Model Railroad Club and Medford Garden Railroaders. The city of Medford does not charge the groups for the land, and in return they make the historical and model trains on the property available to the public.

This year, a purchase and a hope over two years in the making will be added to the park.

“It’s a 2-8-0 H10 steam engine. It’s the first one for the Steamer Club to purchase. It’s being shipped here … should be arriving at the end of the month,” he said.

“We followed it as it was being built — the builder got hurt at one point, and we all thought, ‘Oh, is it going get finished?’ But it’s actually coming out,” he said.

The 7-acre park features train rides for children and adults, model trains and steam engine replicas.

Last year, the club endured a problem familiar to many in Medford — break-ins, theft and illegal camping.

“The Live Steamers had a pile of ties waiting to be preserved. They broke in and stole about $3,000 in ties,” he said.

The park also struggled with camping in the parking lot and people doing “bad things,” Kelly said.

“We worked with the city, and they said, ‘You now have control over the parking lot,’ and now we have the fence,” he said, gesturing to a chainlink fence over 6 feet tall.

“It’s a shame because people used to be able to come in here and use the parking lot, but other people abused it,” he said.

The park also worked with the city to obtain solar-powered lights and a camera system, which have been installed.

The park has a long history, Kelly said. The land where Railroad Park is located was once Medford’s sewage treatment plant until about the 1970s, he said.

One of the park’s prize attractions is Medco locomotive No. 4, “one of only six Willamette locomotives that have escaped the cutting torch,” according to the Southern Oregon Railway Historical Society website.

The No. 4 began and ended its career in the forests around Butte Falls. It became the Medford Corporation (Medco) locomotive No. 4 in 1932 after the financially troubled Owen-Oregon Lumber went into receivership and was reorganized by the creditors as the Medford Corporation.

In 1959, the No. 4 was retired by the Medford Corporation and donated to the city of Medford. It was moved to Jackson Park, where it was turned into a piece of playground equipment, the website says. By 1976, the locomotive had deteriorated considerably. It had settled into the dirt and was in danger of tipping over. The city of Medford considered the locomotive a liability and was prepared to give it to a museum group in Portland. Some local rail fans made an appeal to the city to retain the locomotive in Southern Oregon.

In September 1997, the Railway Historical Society acquired the No. 4 from Medford with the intent of restoring it to operating condition. Today, Medco No. 4 is undergoing a complete restoration at Railroad Park and is about 90% complete, the site says.