Abandoned Amusment Park Railroads..

[Modelcar]

...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.

[KCSfan]

For years Riverview Park was the big amusement park in Chicagoland. Just a guess, but I'd say it probably closed in the early to mid 1950's. Once a year my grade school class would make a field trip there riding for almost an hour on one of the old red Chicago Surface Lines streetcars on the Western Avenue line.When we got to the park most kids would head to the "Bobs" or another of the roller coasters for which Riverview was famous. I'd head to the miniature railroad to watch and ride the live steam powered trains that looped around a goodly part of the park. There were usually two trains operating, one headed by a green and the other by a red painted engine. That was in the 1940's and I am a bit hazy on the details but IIRC both engines were 4-6-2's and rode on rails spaced about 16" apart.

Mark

[Chris30]

FYI... Santa's Village (IL) is gone, now & forever. Everything was auctioned off a couple of months ago.

CC

[senshi]

Someone in Richmond, IL. had a loop of track around his yard, but I don't know if it's still there.  

Last time I was by there it was still there, though I have never seen anything on it, they did have a shed near the back where the equipment probably was.

It's been a while since I have been there but does the Sandwich Fair still have their train ride or has that gone away.

[UP 829]

One of the longest and best in the Chicago area was the train ride at Kiddie Land in Maywood, IL. According to a fairly recent PBS show on local amusement parks, they've restored one of the steam locos and operate it on special occasions.

Someone in Richmond, IL. had a loop of track around his yard, but I don't know if it's still there. I believe Santa's Village near here had a larger scale train, but it failed to open this year for the first time and it's ultimate fate is still uncertain. 

[RABEL]

Until recently I operated a Train very simular to
the one pictured. A C.P. Huntington,2' gauge.
Ford gas powered tractor motor.We also had a Crown Metals live steam engine.
Hillcrest Park,Bolingbrook IL. Over a mile long ride with a thirty foot high wooden trestle.
Everything was auctioned with the acreage now warehousing.

[Anonymous]

http://www.dogpatch.8m.com/whats_new.html

Another place that I saw was a abandoned amusment park in Hudson Falls New York

anyone know any others?