Abandoned Amusment Park Railroads..

[vlmuke]

Hesston steam museam is very nice place to visit they have all kinds of steam powered stuff in addition to trains I just wouldn't wear anything real nice as our clothes were full of soot by the end of the day also about 45 minute away is a small RR in Wakarusa IN its not steam but it is diesel powered they used to have rides on the weekends and seasonal  ones don't know if it still around or not I see the track is still there though

Anyone know if Kings Island near Cincinnati OH still has theirs it seemed pretty extensive back in the seventies

Also what ever happened to the Freedom Train back in 76

[Modelcar]

....How about the railroad that was in Opryland Park, Nashville, Tn....I believe it was steam powerd too.  Don't remember the gauge.  Also, not sure if the one at Idlewild Park, Ligonier, Pa. is still running.  It is many decades since I rode on that.....it was about a one foot gauge but powered by gasoline engined "diesels".  Possibly by steam before my time.  The Park is well over a hundred years old. One of the oldest in the country.  {Check it on the internet}.

And years and years ago....{abandoned in 1952}, the Ligonier Valley RR passed right along side of it at one location as it passed right thru the middle of the Park. 

[al-in-chgo]

Does anyone know if the amusement-park-sized Santa Fe train still runs thru Hermann Park in Houston?  - a. s.

 

[grampaw pettibone]

Along about 1970 or so, I was doing a construction job in a state park somewhere north or northwest of Greenville SC. We found the SWAMP RABBIT RAILROAD. I was more into guns and wimmins back then, so I didn't know much about trains, but I remember it had an old steamer, lettered Bethlehem Steel Company, three gondolas converted to carry passengers and an old dilapidated wooden caboose. The whole consist had been shoved off onto a short spur and abandoned. Several miles further along, we found the Swamp Rabbit Amusement Park, also abandoned. Several weeks later, we passed it again and the loco was gone. I have since learned that the Carolina, Knoxville and Western originally worked that area, and was known as the Swamp Rabbit. The ride was so rough that leaving a bowl of cream on the floor would give a bowl of butter on arrival.

[BaltACD]

...The famous Idlewild Park near Ligonier, Pa. had a park railroad for years....I seem to remember it {the RR}, is not operational anymore...{Anyone know for sure}...? The park is over a 100 years old and at one time had a real railroad...{Ligonier Valley RR}, running right through the center of the park. Some coal trains and a daily doodlebug passed through. LVRR was abandoned in 1952. At one time special passenger trains came to Idlewild from Pittsburgh. There were sidings for these trains to be placed. The park actually had a {very small}, RR "depot" inside it.

Kennywood Park in W.Miffilin is being sold by the family owned company, which also owns Idlewild Park.....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22204266/

[ArtOfRuin]

While it's not abandoned, Canobie Lake Park in Salem, NH (which itself is a former trolley company-owned amusement park) has a pretty cool boneyard with old amusement park rides. It's mostly roller coaster cars, bumper cars, etc., but there's also the remants of the oil-fired(?) narrow-gauge steam locos and open passenger cars that run around the park. It's supposed to be off-limits to the general public but the park employees don't seem to mind the occasional visitor(s) as long as you're over 15 and don't touch anything or venture too far into the area. I haven't seen it in four years, but the last time I saw Canobie's boneyard, they ran it somewhat like a railroad deadline- they struck out unit numbers on numbered rides and cannibalized parts.

I think one or two other amusement parks further north in NH's White Mountains region have closed. They both had amusement park-sized trains. I wonder what happened to them. Lotsa tourist railroads in the White Mountains...

[edblysard]

Al,

Yes, it still runs.

Kids still have a blast on it, at least they did last summer.

 

The SP steam engine Herman park had on static display was cosmetically restored, and moved to Minute Maid Park, which is located downtown where Union Station was...in fact, the old station is part of the baseball field now.

 

But the trains at AstroWorld is gone, as is AstroWorld itself.

The park couldn't take the refugees living in the Astrodome burglarizing the parking lot, park patrons stayed away in droves, and AstroWorld lost 25% of its gate that summer...25% loss is fatal.

They demolished the park in under a month...the land is being developed as a HUD housing project.

 

I have no clue if the trains there was saved, sold or scrapped.

Does anyone know if the amusement-park-sized Santa Fe train still runs thru Hermann Park in Houston?  - a. s.

 

[Modelcar]

....BaltACD:

Yes, I remember the Kennywood Park owners have also owned Idlewild Park for many years now.

My home is located just 20 miles east of there on rt. 30.

Idlewild has been a beautiful and fun place to visit in years past and suppose still is....Our school used to have a day long outing and picnic there on the last day of school.  Really looked forward to that visit.

I have been in the park many years ago as the Doodlebug passed thru....and made a stop at the tiny station right in the park.

[TRAINCATS]

There was not to long ago there was an old train with cars sitting on a hill to the left going north out of birmingham,alabama on I-65. It was on private land and I could not get to it.

Is there anyone out there that can tell me anything about it. I bet it has some great history on it.

 

 

[Boyd]

What about Old Tuscon? It was about 1/4 scale or so maybe 15" gauge. There was I think also a operational full size steam engine there used for movie shots. That one could be a new thread all by itself. I rode the 1/4 scale one sometime in the 80s. One big loop going out of town. A car or engine derailed at a  point farthest from the Village and we walked back.

[tatans]

WAS a nifty little steam train in Stanley Park in Vancouver B.C.  I wonder what ever happened to it ????

[switch7frg]

Anybody in the Phoenix Az. area recollect  Ledgend City ? It had a loop rail going  round the park .  The train had a diamond stack and was oil fired , and had 3 or 4 coaches . It died  in the 70s., replaced by the Salt River Project main Head shed electric & irrigation works.~~~ Just pleasant memories now remain . Cannonball

[Boyd]

For the movie "The Jerk", I wonder what park that was filmed in?

[spokyone]

For the movie "The Jerk", I wonder what park that was filmed in?

I'm not real sure, but it could have been in Griffith Park out by Burbank.

[squeeze]

Kennywood was sold to some Spanish outfit. Idlewild has some very small guage RR running around it, also has a trolly with Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood theme for the young ones. Sand Castle was part of the deal, as well as The Soak Zone. LVRR still has a depot but not at Idlewild.

Sq

[Modelcar]

....Sq:  Yes I fully understand about the beautiful depot in Ligonier.

When the LVRR ran right thru the park, there was a very small depot {perhaps better word would be station}, located near the vicinity of the Merry go Round.  It was a very small building...perhaps just 10 ft. square or so....I have no idea if that building may still be there or not.

People used to ride to the park on the Doodlebug and get off there or reboard, etc....

[twh67]

Drove by the area last Saturday, and saw that the track was torn up.  It was there last fall.  Drive up to Wisconsin almost every weekend during the summer.  

[twh67]

Poppa_Zit

 

South of town.  At the southeast corner of Hill Rd and US12/IL31.

You can see the loop through the sheds on Google Maps. HERE.

 

Isn't it behind the building with the Lionel Trains sign out front?

He's still running. I recently bought a DVD of amusement park trains and his got significant play on it. He has either an F or E diesel unit and passenger cars painted in SP Daylight colors, plus other rolling stock. It's right near where the old CNW line to Lake Geneva crossed under the Milwaukee Road.

 

Went by last Saturday and the track was ripped out.  It was there last summer/fall.  We go buy there every week during the summer, on our way to Wisconsin.

[cacole]

There is still quite a bit of 12 inch or so gauge railroad track running around the Pima County Fairgrounds at Tucson, Arizona, but it doesn't appear that it has been used for many years.

 

[ndbprr]

Traverse city michigan had one in Clinch park until two years ago when they got concerned about liability after a derailment. In spite of hundreds of people objecting with no one complaining it was sent to buckley michigan to a steam club that runs it for steam days in august.

[seppburgh2]

Disney's Fort Wilderness in Fla. had a RR and back in 1996 the rails were still there.  From what the park employees told me there was too much issues between cars and the RR crossing.    The simple solution was a conversion to small vans and buses.  The rails were left to add to the decore (when not being covered by Codzy a major problem back then.)  Does anyone know what equiment was used and last run?

[MidlandMike]

I rode the House of David park live steamer (15" gauge IIRC) in Benton Harbor, MI in 1971.  I know it was abandoned soon after, however, I see by web search, parts of the park have been historically recreated, including part of the RR with restored steamers.

[KCSfan]

Riverview Amusement Park was a Chicago landmark from 1904 until it closed in 1947. The park covered 74 acres and at one time was the largest amusement park in the US. I'm guessing that the railroad that ran around a part of the park was about 18" gauge.  Two trains were operated one painted red (including the locomotive) and the other painted green. The engines were live steamers and as I recall were 4-6-2's. My grade school made annual class trips to Riverview and most of the kids would head for the rollercoasters but not me. My first stop was the railroad to ride and watch those fascinating little steamers make their rounds.

Mark

[MidlandMike]

Freedomland was a historical theme park in the Bronx, NY in the early 60s.  It borrowed historical Maine 2 footer steem engines from Edaville.  Of course Edaville itself has had its own abandonment episodes

[Dr D]

Many of us lament that NONE of the famous Milwaukee Railroad "Hiawatha" passenger trains remain.  Grade crossings west from Chicago had a warning posted on them "Trains pass this crossing at over 100 miles per hour."  Thats right none of the great Milwaukee streamline HUDSON 4-6-4 engines of this fame are left.  Gone are the winged feet always driving on of the "Hiawatha."

Unless you go to the Detroit Public Zoo in Royal Oak, Michigan where a complete passenger railroad in miniture exists and has for almost 50 years - all trains hourly pulled by the famous "Hiawatha" streamline hudsons.  A complete multi train railroad with signal system which carries most of the visitors to the ZOO.  My God! riding on this thing you think you are really on a Class 1 passenger railroad!

Hiawatha hudsons were built and a gift to the park by the old Chrysler Corporation.  I'm talking before Dalmer-Benz bought Chrysler and everyone in the company changed their name to Klaus or Henrich, and before it became slick Italianized by Fiat.  The good corporate managment of America's own Chrysler Corp gave a full set of Hudson steamers to the public zoo!

Now I ask you, Detroit was never served by the Milwaukee Railroad, but it was served by the New York Central with streamlined Mercury Hudson locomotives and by Grand Trunk with semi streamlined Northerns running just blocks from the zoo.  Also C&O served Detroit as did Pennsylvania RR.  Never did hear of Pennsy's Raymon Lowey streamline steam came to Detroit.  So why Didn't Chrysler Corp choose them?

Similar live steam railroad activity can be found on Saturdays in Royal Oak, MI in the summers at Star Park.

Go to the Zoo, ride behind the flashing rods the "Hiawatha" Hudsons!

Doc

[tree68]

The Detroit Zoo was a field trip for many of us in elementary school.  And a ride on the train.  

It was a bit odd hearing that purring (and they did purr) internal combustion engine in the locomotive...

[trackrat888]

Geahaga Lake Monorail Aurora Ohio.

[YoHo1975]

Man, this thread is old. A point of clarification. The Miniature Diesels in use at Kiddieland in Maywood Illinois..and the same at the San Diego Zoo AND at Bay Beach in Green Bay Wisconsin....along with probably any miniature F unit you've ever seen are all 16in gauge MTC G-16s. MTC standing for Miniature Train Company. They are quite literally scale models of the EMD F-2 built from the EMD plans that were given to them. That is to my knowledge the most widely used miniature amusement ride diesel train in the country. Kiddieland had I believe 2 trains. one with a single unit and one very rare AB set. There's photographic evidence of them running an ABA set, but with the engineer in the B unit. I suspect they just had the other A trailing or something since this never happened to my knowledge when I went there roughly 1975-2001 The default paint scheme was the Southern Pacific Daylight scheme which is why Kiddieland's units had it. I remember Bay Beach had a UP/Milw paint scheme the time I went. Also a clarification on the Kiddieland Steam engines. There were 2. The older of the 2 was a 4-6-4 and it never had the pulling power. She was replaced with a 4-8-4 both in 20th century limited livery. They are both at Hesston with the former Brookfield Zoo engines.

[rfpjohn]

King's Dominion in Doswell, VA had a couple of propane fired Crown 4-4-0s for their loop through the woods of maybe 3/4 mile. They also had a monorail line through the wild animal park. Both attractions were evidently to mild and space consuming to survive in todays intense thrill ride enviorment, along with most of the trees which made for pleasant, shady walkways. I think both rides came out in the mid-90s. You can still catch a glimps of the enginehouse for the Crowns from I95. Growing up in south Jersey, for a few short years, someone operated a 12"(?) gauge loop for the public in the quaint shopping village of Rancocas Woods. The power was a live steam 4-4-0. This is a couple of miles west of Mt. Holly. Poking around behind one of the gift shops, a few years ago, I noticed a shed with rails imbeded in the concrete floor, validating my childhood memories. Couldn't see inside, though. I still have a ticket stub from a ride in the early 60s.

[Deggesty]

Springs Park, outside Lancaster, S.C., had steam powered trains back in the mid-forties. My Sunday School teacher took her class there two or three times one summer, possibly in 1946, since there were also three WWII military planes which were great fun to play in.

I am not sure of the gauge, but the cars seated several people each, with the seats in one line.

I noticed, last week, that the park still exists, but did not know anyone to ask about the railroad.

Springs Park was owned by the Springs cotton mills, which were the province of Colonel Elliott Springs, the then president of the Lancaster and Chester Railroad.

The only other park railroad I knew about was in City Park in New Orleans; in the early sixties I wandered through there and saw what I considered to be a "gaudy dodad" pulling a train. The dodad had a vague resemblance to a steam engine, but anyone who knew anything about steam locomotives instantly saw that it was not even an imitation of one.