Trolleys and Trains

[Robert E. Rathke]

I remember at least three versions of the Kennywood train from about 1947
to the present.  However, I recall only one version of the West View Park
train.  West View was probably 24" gauge, and its equipment was not as
wide as the Kennywood train.  The West View locomotive was an F7-type
diesel with the engineer sitting in an opening in the roof at the rear of
the locomotive.  Cars were side-loading benches, with space for no more
than two adults on each bench.  I seem to recall two trainsets at West
View, and three at Kennywood.

Speaking of amusement park trains, I have a 1961 photo of the train at
Idora Park in Youngstown, OH.  It was similar to the West View train,
except that the locomotive was painted in a rather accurate PRR 5-stripe
diesel scheme.  I haven't been to Idlewild Park in Ligonier in 19 years,
but they had two separate railroads - one used a small bullet-nose "steam
locomotive" (gasoline powered) and ran around the lake; the other
railroad was larger and was pulled by a live steam locomotive.  And, I
have a photo of a live steam locomotive running at the Allegheny County
Fair in 1959; this was a train manufactured by Crown Metal Products in
Wyano, PA.

Bob 9/16

On Thu, 16 Sep 1999 18:25:36 +0000 Kenneth and Tracie Josephson
<kjosephson at sprintmail.com> writes:
>Robert E. Rathke wrote:
>> 
>> Thanks, Ken.  Let me know if you find any photos of the West View 
>Park
>> train.
>> 
>> I just re-read the Riverside & Great Northern brochure.  It says the 
>R&GN
>> was built on the former right of way of the Milwaukee Road line that 
>was
>> built in the 1850's, but was taken out of service in 1902 when the
>> Milwaukee Road built the low grade line.  This "new" low grade line 
>is
>> the current Soo Line (Amtrak) that is west and parallel to the R&GN 
>line.
>
>Ooooops...you are correct. :-) I forgot about that! The "low grade" 
>line
>was the realignment which resulted in the Milwaukee to Twin Cities
>"raceway", famous "Route of the Hiawatha."
>
>What did the West View Park train look like? I found pictures of the
>Hershey train, a steam train replica and a Santa Fe replica and a 
>Union
>Pacific replica. The latter was a miniture of the UP train with the
>futuristic locomotive. These pictures were all taken between mid 1962
>and mid 1964. Ken J.

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