McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, Scottsdale, Arizona

Discuss park gauge trains and large scale miniature railways having track gauges from 8" to 24" gauge and designed at scales of 2" to the foot or greater - whether modeled for personal use, or purpose built for amusement park operation or private railroading.

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Topics may include: antique park gauge train restoration, preservation, and history; building new grand scale equipment from scratch; large scale miniature railway construction, maintenance, and safe operation; fallen flags; track, gauge, and equipment standards; grand scale vendor offerings; and, compiling an on-line motive power roster.
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Glenn Brooks
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Location: Woodinville, Washington

McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, Scottsdale, Arizona

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Visited the McCormick Railway Park today in Scottsdale, Az. Very well done park offering manicured grassy picnic areas, kids play areas, an all miniature adobe brick kids sand box 'town' with a 1/2 scale stagecoach to climb on, two ice cream parlors, one of which is in an original 100 year old Santa Fe Train Station building the 15" ga Paradise &Pacific Railroad, an HO layout building, and a 7.5" pike built and operated on the weekends by the Scottsdale Live Steamers. The City of Scottsdale owns and operates the park and the 15 Gauge Railroad.
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They also operate a 1950's Herschel Spillman Carousel and a small, well maintained Railway museum. The Museum includes a fully functional 12'x12', one man, overhead belt driven machine shop, originally built and operated by Walter Lee 'Gabe' Brooks in 1930. Gabe apparently started building live steam minaiatire olocomotives in this shop, when it was located out in the desert on his Powderhorn Ranch. See pictures below...
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The a museum also displays a cosmetically restored Magma Railroad #6, 2-8-0 Baldwin Locomotive and two Pullman built cars- a circa 1900 Santa Fe baggage car and the Roald Amundsen Presidential Pullman car used by Presidents Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower. This is the Pullman that Ike used exclusively to campaign across America during his 1962 "Whistlestop Tour". I mention this detail as one of my earliest memories was waving to Ike while standing on the tracks at the platform end of this car as he gave a speech and waved to the crowd as the train departed St. Louis Station. Of course this was THE General Eisenhower, hero of the Normandy Invasion and Battle for Europe, so a very big deal to the crowd. I was ecstatic to somehow end up with an 'I like IKE' button and a little died yellow feather that symbolized being an Ike supporter. Completely amazed to find it here in Scottsdale in as-new condition -and be able walk through and sit in the lounge chair in the Parlor area, used by Ike, himself.


Great way to spend a day!

Glenn
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Motive power : 1902 A.S.Campbell 4-4-0 American - 12 5/8" gauge, 1955 Ottaway 4-4-0 American 12" gauge

Ahaha, Retirement: the good life - drifting endlessly on a Sea of projects....
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LVRR2095
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Location: Maine, USA

Re: McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, Scottsdale, Arizona

Post by LVRR2095 »

Glenn Brooks wrote:
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Great way to spend a day!

Glenn
Didn't you get a little dizzy hanging upside down?
:D

Keith
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