Looking for photos of amusement park trains

Anyone have photos of the trains at:

1. Benson's Wild Animal Farm, Hudson, NH

2. Kiddie Ranch, Saugus, MA

3. Stoneham Flyer RR, near today's China Moon Restaurant, Stoneham, MA

These were all large scale, commercial, diesel-replica trains. They operated in the 1950s.

This little engine lives at Canobie Lake Park in NH. Not on your list, but thought I'd show it anyhoo... I think it may run on oil or gas, not sure. But it's a fun little "narrow gauge" ride!

I believe the Canobie Lake train uses a Crown Metal Products engine which is fired on propane. I saw it some years back. Think it's 2-foot gauge. I know a man who used to run it, along with his cousin, at one point early on.

Thanks for the input!

Looks like the photo isn't appearing anymore... but that sounds right, as there is a crown logo on the front of the engine.

Steam wrote:I believe the Canobie Lake train uses a Crown Metal Products engine which is fired on propane. I saw it some years back. Think it's 2-foot gauge. I know a man who used to run it, along with his cousin, at one point early on.

Thanks for the input!

Well i can answer tihs one for you Since i work Security at Canobie Lake Park, yes we do have that steam/propane fired engine. Works fairly well, but with wet tracks and no sander gets it into problems

So that's why anytime there is little moisture the train is out of service. Come to think of it, it does have some sharp curves to navigate along with a decent climb going from lake side to the middle of the park.
On another note: with the exception of Disney World, Canobie Lake park is the only amusement park I have been too that operates a real steam engine and not a look-a-like engine with tractor motors in them or whatever. Does inspections of the Canobie Lake engine need to fallow the same criteria as those of a regular one?

b&m 1566 wrote:So that's why anytime there is little moisture the train is out of service. Come to think of it, it does have some sharp curves to navigate along with a decent climb going from lake side to the middle of the park.
On another note: with the exception of Disney World, Canobie Lake park is the only amusement park I have been too that operates a real steam engine and not a look-a-like engine with tractor motors in them or whatever. Does inspections of the Canobie Lake engine need to fallow the same criteria as those of a regular one?

NO idea on that Brian.hmmm I know the Train falls under the classification of the "rides" department. I only go near the thing if theirs a issue w a passenger or it get stuck somewhere. It's not a bad engine i must say, they keep it in good condition. I know it's Steam Powered, and their is Propane in the thing as well, (a tank in the tender) I will have to ask my friend who works on the train if he knows anything about it

If there's an actual boiler involved, it has to pass some sort of periodic inspection.

Otto Vondrak wrote:If there's an actual boiler involved, it has to pass some sort of periodic inspection.

All i know about the train is this : i know if the pressue builds up too much without anyone doing anything, a Pressue Relief Valve opens and lets the excess pressue go out. As far as I know working their, the only people that have dealing with the workings of the train is the Mait. department. Otherwise than that Rides is who in charge of actually running it for the public

Is the "steamer" at Canobie Lake Park,what is (was,for some industrial applications,such as oil and chemical tank farms before the diesel) what was known as a "Fireless Steamer"???

Bud

When I saw the Canobie Lake engine some years ago, (in fact I rode the cab with the engineer...you sit side by side in the front of the tender) it was a conventional steam locomotive built by Crown Metal Products. The fuel was propane, but other than that, it was a similar design to all the other CMP amusement park engines in their various sizes. It most definitely was NOT a "fireless" type steamer. Propane was used because of its ease of operation and cleanliness in a park atmosphere. Many small scale "live steam" locomotives operated by hobbyists (especially in areas where coal is not easily obtainable) use propane to fire their models. It's virtually smokeless, produces no soot, cinders, or ash. When you're done running, you just turn off the burner, like your gas grill at home! Of course some of us prefer the smoke, soot, and smell of a coal burner... but for an amusement park operation, propane is more practical. As far as inspections, I would suspect that any "pressure vessel" over a certain size, and especially hauling people in an amusement park, would be subject to annual boiler inspections by both the state and the insurance company which covers the park rides. At least this is a "real" steamer, not a replica with a gasoline motor, or a "diesel" replica, as most parks have.

The little engine in the picture is a Crown 24" gauge steamer. When I was a teenager Crown advertised a fee catalog for an SASE in Model Railroder. I sent for it and that's what the 24" engine looked like. I seem to recall it being offered RTR for about $25,000.

The 36" gauge Crown looked in every way to be a "real" locomotive that could haul tonnage at a respectable speed. In the late 1970s Crown offered it for $175,000. I remember several of them at Busch Gardens in Tampa haulling 5+ car trains of decent sized 8 wheel coaches.

Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford had a train at one time! What ever happened to that?

Didn't the Topsfield Fair have a park engine train ride?

Yep, it did.......it was a 7-1/4" gauge line called the JOY TOWN RAILROAD. It was operated by local "wealthy man" LESTER FRIEND who owned, I believe, the loco and the cars.....maybe the track too, although maybe that was owned by the people of the Fair.

The loco was a coal-fired 4-6-4, often operated by a high school / college gal. There were also a couple of "diesels" (basically lawnmowers on train wheels, with locomotive-looking shells)....they were not real "diesel".

It (JOY TOWN) was very popular in the mid to late 1950s, but I believe that age, health, and other interests got the best of Lester Friend once the 1960s arrived. My understanding is that JOY TOWN stopped operating sometime in the 60s; perhaps others can confirm this or provide better dates & information.