Portola is located on the Middle Fork of the Feather River, and was named for Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola (though he never explored this area of the state).

Portola is a crew change site on the Western Pacific Railroad (now Union Pacific Railroad) Feather River Route over the Sierra Nevada mountains.

The city is also home to the Western Pacific Railroad Museum, one of the largest railroad museum in the Western US. The museum is famous for its Run A Locomotive program, where the public can participate in a "fantasy experience" program allowing them to run a railroad locomotive on the museum grounds.

Western Pacific Railroad Museum
700 Western Pacific Way, Portola, CA 96122-8636; 530-832-4131; Museum Website;
VIP Tour : Drive a Diesel Locomotive yourself!
Feather River Rail Blog

Home to North America's largest and most complete collection dedicated to telling the story of one railroad. There are over 35 locomotives and 80 cars of various types, including Western Pacific No. 165, a 0-6-0 switching steam locomotive, built in 1919.

This is one of the few places where you can experience rail history in a truly "hands-on" way. Visitors are encouraged to climb aboard locomotives, passenger cars, freight cars, and cabooses. Take the throttle of a real locomotive under your control. Boy scouts can earn the Railroading Merit Badge here. WPRM & WPRRHS are divisions of the Feather River Rail Society.