A private one goes to the zoo

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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Greg_Lewis
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Location: Fresno, CA

A private one goes to the zoo

Post by Greg_Lewis »

This one in Fresno began in an amusement park in town many years ago. Spent the last 28 or so years on private property; now it's going to the zoo. I've never seen it run but the track that can be seen from the road doesn't look too reassuring. Hillcrest will be working on it before it goes to the zoo.

https://www.fresnobee.com/latest-news/a ... 53495.html
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
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Kimball McGinley
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Re: A private one goes to the zoo

Post by Kimball McGinley »

Did anybody notice the side rods? Looks like about 20-30 degrees out? The one seen part way into the video is not level?
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Greg_Lewis
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Re: A private one goes to the zoo

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Yikes! I guess Hillcrest has their work cut out for them.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
Glenn Brooks
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Re: A private one goes to the zoo

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Not surprising. Did you also hear the gas engine pushing it around? It sports injectors and a steam gauge, so must have been steam operated at one time. It’s a very nice looking 1870’s wood burner. At one time, I saw another one maybe in alive ?steam a magazine, with similar detailing, built by a guy in Northern cal. Perhaps this was built out of the same set of patterns?

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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Greg_Lewis
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Re: A private one goes to the zoo

Post by Greg_Lewis »

I don't know that much about this one. I talked to the owner, Earl Smittcamp, once and he told me that it came from a local amusement park called Pink City that was north of town back decades ago. Perhaps the 1950s. He said he bought it when they closed down. He planned on opening an old-fashioned small amusement park with kiddie rides in Clovis on Herndon Ave. with a carousel and a few other things but the city stopped him so he moved it to his ranch. The carousel was on his ranch at one time. I'm not surprised that the loco is a gasser. The steam gauge may be for air for the whistle and brakes. I'm fairly certain that the one at the zoo has air brakes; I know it has an air whistle. The folks at Hillcrest will know more about it than me.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
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