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[sdcforever]

^Great story!  Gotta love the unexpected moments.

[SteamFreak]

That is a great story, nothing like busting out laughing in the middle of class...being the only one....

[dkparks]

Okay, I know SteamFreak is going to like this. And, I am sorry, but the fact that no one knew this should make us all question our knowledge of SDC.

I found out some more information regarding the steam locomotive that is on display across from the station. I think it was Steam that even found a postcard on ebay recently showing it in use at SDC in a different paint that what it currently is in. Well, this information comes from... wait for it... The Story of Silver Dollar City by Crystal Payton. A friend of mine bought a copy of this last time we all were down there.

I was at there house tonight (bored) flipping through the book and found this on page 54-58:

"From the beginning the Herschends took their projets and reinvested them in the City. Adventure Town of Alexandria Bay, New York, a frontier-themed amusement park, was making way for a golf course and their equipment was for sale. Pete saw the ad in Amusement Business magazine so they sent him to buy a train. He brought the Davy Crockett Express, a narrow gauge railroad including locomotive and tender ($15,000) and their two stagecoaches ($5,000) back to the City for the 1962 season.

The coaches each had a story: one had been made in New Hampshire in 1888; the other was a Tally-Ho road coach once owned by the Vanderbilts. They had been held up on every trip through Adventure Town. The train was something special. It had been used by Henry Ford's grandchildren to learn the rudiments of steam locomotive operation. According to the Greenfield Museum at Dearborn, Michigan, it had cost Henry Ford over $60,000 to re-design this locomotive to duplicate the 4-4-2 engine. A favorite attraction at Adventure Town, it, too, had been held up by masked men on horses on every outing.

The train was a dandy addition to the young city but it took some time and ingenuity to get it into operation. It couldn't quite climb the grade back up to its new station. It kept sliding back down the hill, wheels churning furiously, setting fire to the surrounding trees. The problem was solved in a classic frontier-theme-park style when it whistled into operation in 1962. While the boilers built up steam for the uphill push, Ozark outlow Alf Bolin, and his gang held up the train's passengers. "

Okay, there we go. There is a good picture on page 54 in this book. I will try to scan it in this week and post it. There also are a couple of pictures of it on the website of Adventure Town: http://www.adventuretown.net/

The first picture you can see the cars in the distance in the background. A little further down the page, you can see a good picture of the train and the robbery.

Now, I guess the big question is: What happened to the original two passenger cars?

SteamFreak, you want to take this homework assignment?

[rubedugans]

I assume this is from the Crystal Payton book correct?

[sdcforever]

Great find!  I wonder why none of us thought to look in The Story of Silver Dollar City by Crystal Payton for info?

Someone had posted a while back about the need to build up steam, and therefore, the true purpose of the robbery.  It's great to have more info about the display locomotive.  I bet Old Guy knew all of this but he was holding out on us!

[SteamFreak]

WOW, awesome thing to read first thing in the morning, you're great! Just using info from the post card and from several other old pictures it seemed there was a caboose, which is the same caboose that you see along the ride. As for the cars, little bit harder of a story, assuming the train was a different gauge and crystal knew what she was talking about when she said "narrow guage" in which case the tracks were origionaly 3ft apart. So that solves the caboose problem. Now, as for the cars, my guess is they were used as a model for the new cars and they were simply scraped not a lot of use for car too big for the tracks. I'm going to find a copy of that book as soon as I can.

[dkparks]

Actually Steam, in the book, there is a picture showing the engine pulling two cars. One car is not too much different from what we have today. The other looks like a frankenstein between that type of car and a caboose in that it has a upper spot for a conductor to sit. Once again, I will have to try to get it scanned in today and posted. If someone has a picture of the caboose where the hobo is taking a shower that they could post, it would be interesting to see if perhaps that is one of the cars originally bought from Adventure Town.

[SteamFreak]

Hmm interesting.

[rubedugans]

I have the book, and a plethora of old Post cards, but man I wish I could speak train like you can Steam. Narrowhoozits and whatchamabobs and ratios 4-4-2-9-0-2-1-0, it all ends up sounding like dr. Seuss or morse code to me! Thats why I will leave all the explinations up to you. I will just paint pretty pictures that look nice.

[SteamFreak]

Narrowhoozits woo...good giggle on that one.

[crsjrr]

Great back story! So the original locomotive is the display locomotive.  Any chance of restoring it.  Maybe use it on special occasions with a shorter train?  I personally enjoy the more "Americanized" look of the original locomotive.   

[shavethewhales]

Where is the old train now? It's former resting place is now one of the back corners for the hole.

[crsjrr]

Let me suggest if not restored to operational status, how about a cosmetic restoration to it's original condition.  Since Henry Ford turned into an American icon, doesn't the locomotive hold some historical value?  Maybe the locomotive could be displayed somewhere in the park under some type of cover?  How about creating an area with other items of historical valve.  Has SDC collected and saved items that may be deemed historical? 

[Old Guy]

"I bet Old Guy knew all of this but he was holding out on us!"
Holding out? This is from a posting last march on this very site! (Random Stuff Roundup)
"Picture the Frisco Barn a bit past it on the left and behind the train a 100 yards or so, the Waterboggin Tower. You got off at the midtown depot when you arrived in town. Cool way to enter town, but restrictive in capacity. The poor little trains were underpowered too. Before the track was regraided there was actualy a chain lift to pull the train up one slope. The robbery was actualy designed to give the train a place to top up on water because that would also run out before getting "Home"."Dig people dig!
P.S. Keep in mind the train ran the other way back then.
   Re: Random Stuff Round-Up
« Reply #56 on: March 23, 2008, 10:28:06 PM »   

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Here's a postcard with what I'm assuming is the old train depot:

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/sdc_joy/Personal%20SDC%20Collection/Postcards/S6300244.jpg

Here is more from the same Thread
The building to the left of the curlycue bridge over the train tracks in midtown, is the sight of the origanal train depot!. Last time I looked there were still stairs down there. Another old train dept. was just about where the red/gold hall is now. This was the "new" entrance to the park after the square ceased being parking. You bought your tickets and boarded the train which went in the opposite direction than now, and arrived at the city in midtown. Cool huh?

[sdcforever]

^Oh man, I remember reading that.  I just forgot about it.  Sorry for the false accusation, Old Guy.   As always, thanks for the info.  You are a wealth of SDC knowledge!