Abandoned Amusment Park Railroads..

[Semper Vaporo]

I know of two amusement park type engines that are (probably!) still in use.

One I was preparing to buy several years ago.  It was in City Park in Iowa City, Iowa.  It was just a small oval of track, an engine and 2 or 3 multiperson passenger cars.  18-inch gauge (I think, its been a while!).  The family that owned and operated it for many, many years decided to quit the business and wanted the city to buy it, but the city was reluctant to do so.  So they put out feelers to see if someone else would buy it.  I was still attempting to arrange for cash to bid on it, when the city reversed itself and bought it.  After that I heard that they had built up the track on a high berm and there were complaints about safety.  When it was right on the ground, if it tipped over the passengers would just land on their sides, but with it elevated, if tipped over the whole car would roll completely over and put passengers UNDER the upside down cars.  I just checked on Google Earth and using the "History" function I can see the old track layout.  The images from today show a MUCH longer (and curvy) track loop.  Google Earth's "Street View" also has images that show the track and it is back down at ground level for the most part and much safer from that standpoint.  I gotta go visit this summer!  :-)

The other track is a fairly large oval on the grounds of the Nowthen (Minn) "Threshing Show".  I think it is 24-inch gauge (maybe 30").  Smooth ride but the engine is sort of strange looking... somewhat reminiscent of an F3 Diesel, but mounted WAY ABOVE the trucks/wheels so it looks like it is tiptoeing around the loop. See, youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDT9_VOQvRc

[Tom Burke]

Not sure when the minature railroad at Chilhowee Park in Knoxville (near the zoo) closed but here is a view of some of its equipment.  

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39092860@N06/30141451475/in/album-72157667696069211/

[Tom Burke]

That Richmond minature railroad was taken up in 2014.  Here is a link to a photo of its yard.  You can see other photos of mine of this minature railroad on Flickr from 1998.  

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39092860@N06/20935380630/in/photolist-HPgh72-J3BbKG-J3BbCY-J3BbyQ-CZpob1-xeJczr-xU77Bz-yaHsQy-xU1snY-xTZihs

[RobertSchuknecht]

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.

 

Roethke Park near Saginaw, MI has one of these trains. Before being taken over by Thomas Twp. in 1973 the train was privately operated and called Indian Trails. The train ride included being attacked by indians and being defended by cowboys.

[usmc1401]

Two not on the list.

Nut Tree Railroad Vacaville CA

Michael Jacksons Neverland Ranch near Los Olivos CA.

Nut tree was a small gauge line. Neverland Ranch may have been 36"

[samfp1943]

Interested in Operating Steram in American Amusement Parks? Here is a link to a site that will provisde lists of those locomotives and their locations:

@ http://www.trainchasers.com/theme-park-steam.html

Also Look up Cagney Bros. They manufactured live steamers around the turn of the 20th Century, I think thier plant was in the Buffalo,NY area(?). Their trains were primarily in the 15", gauge and required some training to operate them. They had a large presence in the PanAmerican Exposition 1901.

From the site: "...For ten cents, passengers could board small, open cars and ride to the end of the line. The locomotives, called the Class D series, weighed 1,000 pounds and were 36 inches high from the base of the wheels to the top of the smokestack. They were steam-powered, their driving wheels 16 inches in diameter..."