Old Miniture Railroad at Hershey Park

[Schaffner]

I saw some photos from the early decades of the 20th Century showing a railroad at Hershey Park in PA. One of the pictures shows a train full of parkgoers without a locomotive of any kind. Also visable is what looks like a third rail in the middle of the two running rails. Was this railroad electrified? The "third rail" doesn't look electrically insulated from the ties in any of the pictures, but that could just be the angle they were taken from. If anyone has an info on this park railroad, such as the year it was discontinued, please post it here.

[GrizzlyFlatsFilms]

You've found your Hersheypark expert! The 22"-gauge miniature railway opened in 1910 as one of the park's earliest rides. It was designed and built by the Lancaster Iron Works and was considered a significant technological achievement at the time. The railway was indeed powered by direct current from a center third rail. The powered car/locomotive was located in the third car of the four-unit consist (capacity was 30 passengers). The train travelled point-to-point through the park to its baseball field, though the initial plan was to connect the park to the site of a proposed hotel some 5 miles away. The railway remained in operation until the mid 60s when it was replaced by the steam-powered Dry Gulch Railroad; the NHRS sponsored a 50th anniversary event in 1959.

[ex Budd man]

You've found your Hersheypark expert! The 22"-gauge miniature railway opened in 1910 as one of the park's earliest rides. It was designed and built by the Lancaster Iron Works and was considered a significant technological achievement at the time. The railway was indeed powered by direct current from a center third rail. The powered car/locomotive was located in the third car of the four-unit consist (capacity was 30 passengers). The train travelled point-to-point through the park to its baseball field, though the initial plan was to connect the park to the site of a proposed hotel some 5 miles away. The railway remained in operation until the mid 60s when it was replaced by the steam-powered Dry Gulch Railroad; the NHRS sponsored a 50th anniversary event in 1959.

Could /would you share some photos of the old park line?

[joshuahouse]

I saw some video on this on the Nebraska Public TV channel of all things a few weeks ago. The locomotive is as mentioned not where you would normally find one. The seats on all the cars could be flipped in much the same way as in a commuter car. So there is video avalible out there. I actually have a meeting with NET next week I'll try and find out what the program's source and name are.

[GrizzlyFlatsFilms]

Could /would you share some photos of the old park line?

I'd forgotten about this thread... I'll see if I can find some pictures later today. BTW, the train was actually five cars long; my mistake.

[polybalt]

Here is a web page with a small photo of the train. It ia part of an advertisement of a book for sale on the subject




http://www.hersheyhistory.org/

[qdrman]

The Friends of the Hershey Trolley and Hershey Entertainment &
Resorts, the parent company of Hersheypark, have announced that they
will be working together to restore the Hershey Park Miniature
Railroad Train.

This little gem operated in Hershey Park from 1910 until 1970. Brad
Ginder and Jay Robinson are co-chairman of the restoration project
and are seeking volunteers to assist with woodworking and
refinishing; volunteers are also needed to assist with research and
with photo and history archiving. HE&R has made an initial
donation for materials and is providing the workspace for the
restoration.


UPDATE AUGUST 2009

The train project sat idle for about 18 months but now things are moving at a fast pace. We have a deadline date of 2010 which will mark the 100th anniversary of the train. To date, one passenger car is finnished. Top priority is presently being given to the center engine car. The remaining frames for the additional three passenger cars are also presently being constructed. A dedicated group of people have been spending their Saturday's working in the old Hershey Trolley Barn restoring the train.