by Anita Mae Draper
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| 1872, Central Pacific's locomotive 173. Public Domain |
In 1949 when Walt Disney decided he wanted a miniature railroad in the back yard of his home, the Walt Disney Studios' machine shop built a 1/8 scale model of CP 173, an 1872 steam engine no longer in service. The Carolwood Pacific Railroad was open to the public from 1950-1959, giving pleasure to enough visitors to show Disney that it could be a viable attraction to his theme parks.
Disney's railroad was just one in a long line of small ridable railroads started by rail enthusiasts for their own use, but grew into rides to attract people to zoos, botanical gardens, and other tourist venues across the world. In 1899, a stereograph by the Keystone View Company of Meadville, Pennsylvania, showed an image they entitled the smallest steam railroad in the world.
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| The Smallest Steam Railroad Train in the world, 1899, Keystone View Company. Public Domain |
Unlike conventional railroads which are built on a standard 4 foot 8 1/2 inch track, most miniature railroads are built on a narrow-gauge track between 1 ft 11 5/8 in and 3 ft 6 inches. The narrow gauge allows for tighter curves and lighter rails. They are less costly to build and operate. Although suited for tourist attractions, they are in use in mountainous regions, as well as for industrial purposes such as logging and mining.
The Disneyland Railroad (DRR), formerly known as the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad, is a 3-foot narrow-gauge heritage railroad at Disneyland in Anaheim. As you can see, the difference between the small steam engine in the previous image and the DRR in this picture, is the width of the track allowing for a heavier engine and bigger cars.
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| Disneyland Locomotive 2 at Main Street Station, 1960. Public Domain |
The Miniature Railway Company of Manhattan, New York, operated ridable miniature railways in many parks throughout the world, as well as four World Expositions. The McGarigle Machine Company out of Niagara Falls, New York, and later out of Jersey City, built the equipment for the popular narrow gauge of 15 inches.
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| Miniature Railway Train, Atlantic City, N.J., 1903. Public Domain |
Coney Island, New York, had its own miniature railway as shown in the following images when taken in 1905 at short-lived Dreamland amusement park, next door to the famous Luna Park.
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| The Miniature Railway, Coney Island, New York, 1905. Public Domain |
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| The Miniature Railway, Coney Island, New York, 1905. Public Domain |
The White City Amusement Park in Chicago, Illinois, ran a double miniature train system on a narrow-gauge 12 inch track. The two trains passed each other on the half-mile track that had a station at each end. Track features were as simple or as elaborate as the builder wanted. As with most model railroad builders, the set is never completed and more tracks, equipment, and features are added all of the time. The same goes for many amusement park trains as they aim to bring people back over and over and must provide new ideas. Some of these features include bridging over water and going through a tunnel, elements that bring a sense of danger to the ride.
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| Miniature Train Operated by White City, Chicago, USA. Public Domain |
Have you ever ridden on a miniature train? Care to share the particulars and what you thought of the experience?
Anita Mae Draper served a 20-year term working on air bases in the communication trade of the Canadian Armed Forces before retiring to the open skies of the prairies. She uses her experience and love of history to pepper her stories of yesteryear's romance with realism as well as faith. Anita Mae Draper's published stories appear in Barbour Publishing, WhiteFire Publishing, and Guideposts Books. Readers can enrich their story experience with visual references by checking out Anita's Pinterest boards. All links available on her website at www.anitamaedraper.com
