Hillcrest Park in Lemont, IL. Recently closed… They had a great train loop that was fun to ride. Here is a link:
http://capital2.capital.edu/admin-staff/dalthoff/adventures/tr2003/ushc01.html
Some years back, There was a pretty extensive train ride around the Knoxville, Tennessee Zoo. It was visible from I-40’s lanes.
I never rode it, but I wonder if anyone has any details on this Zoo Attraction? Any details would be appreciated. Thanks.
Two others that are still going in California.
Of course, the first one I forgot is right outside our World Famous San Diego Zoo and is actually now owned by the Zoo Society. I probably haven’t ridden it for fifty years or so (it’s been there almost sixty years) but it is still a popular ride for kiddies, I think. Basically, it looks like a Santa Fe streamliner in maybe a little smaller than 1/5 scale, goes through a little tunnel. Costs $1.75 for the three-minute ride.
The second one is just south of Sonoma on CA 12, at Train Town, where two 15" gauge steamers pull passengers around an interesting route. This one I rode thirty years ago and haven’t gotten north of SF since, but I expect that it is still an interesting ride. (And after chugging around, you can visit a few of the wineries in the area and take the tours. Lot’s of fun, or even go over to Napa and take the wine train.)
Bay Beach amusement park here is Green Bay has a nice “layout”. The trains (3 F-Units) are painted in a scheme that honors the Soo Line / WC passenger units from the 50’s. Road #'s represent actual units from that roster (#2500, #500 and #715 (WC GP-30 preserved at the Natl RR Museum in Green Bay.) (I got to help with the repainting project about 10 yrs ago). WC donated the paint (pre-CN abomination). The locomotives were built by a company in Renselaer, IN. Propane Powered. Scroll down to a photo (not the greatest) about 1/2 way down the page. http://www.ci.green-bay.wi.us/geninfo/baybeach_web/baybeach_rides.html
The Milwaukee Zoo has a very nice small scale train w/ steam and diesel power as well. Its rather large compared to most amusement park trains I’ve seen. The steamer (live steam) is remarkably well done. Its a Pacific if I recall correctly. Here’s a photo. http://www.milwaukeezoo.org/map_train_station.html
Here’s an interesting link to videos filmed on Park Trains
http://trains.uoregon.edu/drupal/parktrainvideos.html#milwaukee
There was also one about 20 miles north of Kalamazoo, Michigan. At the rural "Plank Road Farm amusement park. It was about a mile long loop thru the woods. Drove that thing for a summer. Now I get to play with the real ones!!
When I was a youngster, there was an amusement park in my hometown of Sioux Falls, and it was known as “Joyland”. It had a small train that ran on a loop of track through a tunnel that was made of concrete blocks, painted green. The train was pulled by a steam locomotive, and the wheel arrangement I think, was a 2-6-2. This amusement park was dismantled in the early to mid 1960’s to make room for something else. And while I don’t remember the exact location of this amusement park, I think it was in the general vacinity of 33rd Street and Minnesota Ave. Murphy Siding might know a little more about it, and I might ask him.
CANADIANPACIFIC2816
Long before my time. I moved to SF in 1984. I do remember the train cars that were used as motel rooms at the Tower Motel, accross I29 on west 12th. Sad to say, I never stopped to check them out before they were gone.
Lake Compounce, on the Bristol - Southington town line in Connecticut, still has the ‘Lake Train’. This one is, as I recall, gasoline powered – or certainly was at one time. It has an interesting history, having once been owned by the actor Will Gillette and was in operation at his ‘Castle’ on the Connecticut River for many many years. After he died, Lake Compounce (which was started as a classic end-of-the-line trolley amusement park about a century ago and has operated ever since!) bought it – this must have been just about World War II – and has operated it ever since.
Story about the guy who recently saved the Vilas Zoo train in Madison, Wisconsin:
When my parents were having their dream home built in Hanover Park
we used to go to the railroad loop outside of Elgin you mentioned. It
was called thr hoot toot and whistle railroad and was steam operated
as I recall. The property has been an RV lot for quite a while and the
original station is well cared for by the dealer. road the train circa 1961
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
…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.
Does anyone know if the amusement-park-sized Santa Fe train still runs thru Hermann Park in Houston? - a. s.
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.
Kennywood Park in W.Miffilin is being sold by the family owned company, which also owns Idlewild Park…
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…
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.
…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.
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.
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.