Jump to content

The Amusement Park Railroad Thread


Recommended Posts

  • 2 weeks later...
22 hours ago, SonofBaconator said:

I haven't been able to do Carowinds yet because I'm fishing for more info. I'll probably enter it in before the end of the week!

Very cool. Looking forward to that and any other entries. Specifically with Kings Dominion, I never knew they removed theirs. Interesting how being a transport to the water park has somewhat kept KI's relevant. Back in the day, there was all this clamoring to revert it back to its own attraction. I believe there was at once a proposal to place Snoopy's Starlight Spectacular throughout the train's course, to be used after the water park closed during daily operation. Instead, the park made that half-hearted mess of burnt out Christmas lights.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Gordon Bombay said:

Very cool. Looking forward to that and any other entries. Specifically with Kings Dominion, I never knew they removed theirs. Interesting how being a transport to the water park has somewhat kept KI's relevant. Back in the day, there was all this clamoring to revert it back to its own attraction. I believe there was at once a proposal to place Snoopy's Starlight Spectacular throughout the train's course, to be used after the water park closed during daily operation. Instead, the park made that half-hearted mess of burnt out Christmas lights.

I still believe that is was a Paramount decision to get rid of the train. Look at World's of Fun where their train is just an inner loop of the park with only one station. I honestly don't think Paramount wanted to keep the trains unless they served a greater purpose, like a transport ride.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Fun Fact, Kings Island's #12 locomotive had a nearly identical locomotive made in 1972 for Lakeside Amusement Park located in Salem, VA. This locomotive was later bought by Busch Gardens Williamsburg in the 90s and received a huge overhaul to where its not even recognizable to its original design.

railroad1.jpg

railroad2.jpg

railroad3.jpg

https://www.facebook.com/Fireup611/posts/did-you-know-that-611-is-not-the-only-roanoke-area-steam-locomotive-still-in-ope/830368660471477/

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Chapter 4- Carowinds

There isn't much to be found on Carowinds without some serious digging. Carowinds used to have a railroad that circled the park and featured two operating steam locomotives and one that was never used by the park.

Here are some pictures I found from Carowinds Early Years- a fan site that specializes in old Carowinds history.

http://www.carowindsearlyyears.com/train1.html

#1 

#1 was an old prairie engine rebuild by Crown Metal Products. The locomotive is currently owned by a businessman out in California and operated on the Pacific Coast Railroad with an ex Six Flags Astroworld Train and an ex Cedar Point train.

melodia-bbdepot.jpg

melodiaVM.jpg

train2b.jpg

#1 renumbered to #3 at the PAcific Coast Railroad with the original Disneyland passenger cars

3580.RKTT-14.jpg-500x0.jpg

#2 

#2 was an original Crown locomotive that bares a resemblence to Kings Dominion's old #601. It operated at Carowinds, South of the Border Park, and eventually ended up at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch but was too but to operate continuously on the rails. 

ole-blue.jpg

train4 (1).jpg

#2 at South of the Border SC

CESNqtVWMAAVmCd.jpg

#2 renumbered to #1 at the Neverland Ranch

Billede1.jpg

Billede3.jpg

#3

#3 was never operated on the Carowinds railroad and is on display in Huntsville, Alabama.

huntsville.jpg

http://trains.nute.ws/4-4-0/P&W3.htm

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

A little over a month ago a train at Busch Gardens Williamsburg caught fire, one park employee sustained minor injuries and according to the park the train was not in service when the fire started. The train being #661 Balmoral Castle, is a 3ft narow-gauge Crown with the same, if not similar specifications as Kings Island’s Crowns. The Balmoral Castle is 1 of only 3 trains that Crown customized to look like a European locomotive, 2 of which operate in Busch Gardens Williamsburg. More info of the accident in the link below, the pic attached is the Balmoral Castle prior to the accident. 

83CB907C-1FC3-49F0-A833-16D7EE07273F.jpeg

https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/williamsburg/busch-gardens-train-escape-from-pompeii-fires-ruled-accidental-officials-say/1376333600

57751EA9-325C-4663-BCDD-BA11E791432E.jpeg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/13/2018 at 1:51 PM, SonofBaconator said:

Chapter 4- Carowinds

There isn't much to be found on Carowinds without some serious digging. Carowinds used to have a railroad that circled the park and featured two operating steam locomotives and one that was never used by the park.

Here are some pictures I found from Carowinds Early Years- a fan site that specializes in old Carowinds history.

http://www.carowindsearlyyears.com/train1.html

#1 

#1 was an old prairie engine rebuild by Crown Metal Products. The locomotive is currently owned by a businessman out in California and operated on the Pacific Coast Railroad with an ex Six Flags Astroworld Train and an ex Cedar Point train 

train2b.jpg

#1 renumbered to #3 at the PAcific Coast Railroad with the original Disneyland passenger cars

3580.RKTT-14.jpg-500x0.jpg

 

I flipped quite a few rocks on google and found that the #3 train prior to being rebuilt by Crown was originally a 0-6-2T H.K. Porter named Melodia B., Interesting enough there was another steam locomotive that operated at the same plantation at the time which was a Baldwin 0-4-4RT named Maud L. After both being taken out of service. Maud L. was sold to Cedar Point as one of the first locomotives to operate at Cedar Point. While Melodia B. ended up going through a couple owners prior to being rebuilt as a 2-6-2 Crown, then later to be acquired by Pat Hall, a developer of Carowinds. It’s stable mate Maud L. was rebuilt from a 0-4-4RT to a 2-4-4T while at Cedar Point and after 30 years was traded for Disney’s 2-4-4 Davenport (rebuilt as a 2-4-0, now known as the G.A. Boeckling.) Maud L. was given a Disney rebuild and is know known as the Ward Kimball operating out of Disneyland. Coincidentally both Ward Kimball (Maud L.) and #3 (Melodia B.) are operating in California and are pulling Disney passenger cars.

https://pcrailroad.wordpress.com/2007/01/20/history-of-no-3/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_Point_%26_Lake_Erie_Railroad

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Gordon Bombay said:

Any reason as to why No. 3 never ran at Carowinds? Was it just sitting in storage all those years?

Most amusement park railroads that have three or more trains usually only run two. Walt Disney World typically operates 2 locomotives unless its a busy day, the same can be said for Busch Gardens Tampa and Williamsburg. With regards to Carowinds, they most likely didn't have a need to operate a 3rd locomotive but kept it just in case.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...