Large Scale Central

Former White Pass & Yukon number 70

Prototypes
#1

The former White Pass & Yukon number 70 runs at Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge Tenn. The Mikado was built by Baldwin in 1938. Dollywood also has the former WP & Y number 192. But is was not operating the day I was there.

There are several good places in the park to shoot some video of the train. Unfortunately, it was raining while I was there. So I didn’t put a lot of effort into getting some video. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_OriEo4ZT0[/youtube] Over in Pigeon Forge I came acrossd this 15inch steam locomotive at one of the Christmas shops.

The little locomotive has an interesting history. Ralph

#2

Cool locos!

#3

Nice! Nothing like a Baldwin Narrow Gauge Mikado :slight_smile: Great sounding whistle too.

#4

How far does the train ride go?

#5

To the end of the track and then back to the station…:wink:

From the website:Our authentic 110-ton coal-fired steam engine takes you on a breathtaking five-mile journey through the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains where you’ll enjoy pastoral scenery and some of the most beautiful views that nature has to offer.

Map: http://www.dollywood.com/themepark/Map.aspx

#6

Five miles, that’s a pretty decent ride.

#7

Switching to the Cagney 15 inch gauge 4-4-0. Although I prefer the Crown Metal products 24 inch gauge 4-4-0s, I still think that the Cagneys were solidly built little locomotives. Several of them were still operable in the 1960s. I’d like to know how many of them are still able to steam now. At least this thread shows that one of them is still operable.

Best,
David Meashey

#8

Dave, I would love to have that Cagney. I was surprised to see it could haul 64 passengers. That’s a pretty stout little locomotive. Here are a couple of more pictures. Ralph

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/cabby/_forumfiles/Dolly08.JPG)

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/cabby/_forumfiles/Dolly09.JPG)

#9

Ralph;

Thanks for the additional photos. I wasn’t online much yesterday. Had to have a root canal done in the morning, and laid low for most of the afternoon. Feeling fine today. I’m just glad that I was able to dodge that bullet for 66 years, and if it’s another 66 years before another one catches up with me - That’s just fine by me.

It is evident that a lot of TLC went into restoring the Cagney.

Best,
David Meashey

#10

Thanks for putting up those images of that 15-incher, Ralph. Back in the day, Crystal Beach amusement park in, where else but, Crystal Beach, Ontario, a few miles from Buffalo, had a pair of steamers that were about that size. I can’t tell you how many tickets I bought to ride behind those things. I wonder what kind they were and where they are today–if they still exist.

BTW, Ralph, doesn’t Tweetsie also have one of the Alaskan locos?

#11

Joe,
Dollywood has numbers 70,71,72 and 192. I believe 71 and 72 are inoperable and maybe used for parts.
Number 190 is at Tweetsie Railroad.
The owner/founder of Tweetsie RR built what was to become “Dollywood” as “Rebel Railroad” in 1960.
It’s had several ownership/name changes since then, and was even owned by the Cleveland Browns for a time.
Ralph

#12

Yup, just as I suspected. Tweetsie does have an Alaskan loco, number 190, a mike that was part of an 11-locomotive fleet of 2-8-2s built by Baldwin in 1943 for the US Army.

Interestingly, Grover Robbins, the same guy who built the Tweetsie amusement park, also built Rebel Railroad, which ultimately became Dollywood. I guess Mr. Robbins loved “mikes.” :slight_smile:

#13
Joe Rusz said:
Thanks for putting up those images of that 15-incher, Ralph. Back in the day, Crystal Beach amusement park in, where else but, Crystal Beach, Ontario, a few miles from Buffalo, had a pair of steamers that were about that size. I can't tell you how many tickets I bought to ride behind those things. I wonder what kind they were and where they are today--if they still exist.
When was this Joe? I've been to Crystal Beach dozens of times. A few times as a youngster but mostly as a teenager in the late 60's / early 70's. I remember a train ride, but I don't remember it being steam powered. I grew up in Clarence, in case I hadn't told you that before.
#14

Jon, this would have been in the late 1940s, maybe into the early 50s (I graduated from grammar school in '52). The train was located on the right as you walked into the park from town and was on the right as you faced the lake. There was a hill there that separated the park from the surrounding cottages and the train was sort-of tucked up against the side of the hill, with tracks running into the woods. There was an engine house and an ash pit, where the hogger dumped the days coals. The tender and cars were wide enough for you to sit on (you didn’t have to straddle 'em). Next to the train was the Autopia, where I thought that I was teaching myself to drive, because if you actually steered the car (as opposed to having it just bang into the guardrails), it felt as if you were in control. I spent a lot of tickets on that too. Further down that entry walk was the merry-go-round, then a sort-of focal point where you could peel off and go left or right (kinda along the water) to the steel coaster and farther down on the left (next to the cafeteria) the wooden coaster. Both coasters were sold, dismantled, and reasssembled elsewhere after Crystal Beach closed.

As a kid, I went there on the Crystal Beach Boat, as we called her. Actually, she was called the Canadiana, sister to the Americana, which I think predated even me. I loved that boat and I used to stand on the boat deck (the entry level) and watch the steam engine pump away. Towards the end of the school year, there were neighborhood days when all the kids from schools on say, the East Side, all sailed over to Crystal together. In the evening, a band sometimes played on the boat and ya could “spark,” although at that age I was clueless and thought girls were just guys with bumpy chests and no sense of humor, adventure or goofiness.

Yes, Jon, I know you’re from Clarence. Matter of fact, we’re headed there in July. I have photographed and measured some buildings located on or near the corner of Clarence Center Road and ??? (the one that the sherrif’s station is located on). We walk there from my cousin’s house on the bikepath, which was once The Peanut Line. Great place to visit–in the summer :slight_smile:

Know of any garden railways around there?

#15

As I thought, your a few years (like 10 or so) ahead of me :slight_smile: My dad told stories of the boats, and big bands playing the casino, but they had quit running by the time I was big enough to remember.

Unfortunately I don’t know of any garden railroads in the area. I still have family there, but none of them are into trains.

#16

Actually, Jon, if still exists, there is an incredible indoor large scale railroad in Hamburg (or He-yam-berg, as they say down there). It is/was located in a dedicated building that formerly housed the car collection of a wealthy businessman (I’m leaving out the name for privacy reasons). Jack Verducci constructed it over several months and it’s one of those that goes from floor to about seven feet, with mountains, real waterfalls, trestles, et all. D&GRW of course. In another room there’s a large Lionel layout with probably every operating accessory the company ever made, set in a snow scene, as it’s supposed to be what you’d set up for Christmas. In the same room is a real caboose and other artifacts. I was told that the place was sometimes used to host benefits and such. I don’t know if it still exists because a few years ago when we in Bflo there was an add for a 2 acre property that sounded a lot like where this guys layout is/was. Maybe I’ll see if it’s still there and try to revisit it.

Other than that, we may do an outing to ride the Arcade & Attica, provided their steam loco is running (I hate dismals) :frowning:

Iwas gonna look up that crossroad in Clarence where the neat old building are, but I’m lazy. Maybe it’s Roll. Or Goodrich. Or ???

#17

Jon, I got off my lazy “dupa” and Googled Clarence Center. The crossroad is indeed Goodrich Rd. and one of the structures I measured and photographed is the Eschelman Building, which is on the corner. It’s kinda big–three stories with storefront–but what a classic! My cousin says that an upscale restaurant has moved into the property, which was orginally a kind-of dry goods/general merchandise store back in the late 1800s. So much great history that I missed out on when I was growing up in those parts (can you say "par-tay!). :slight_smile:

#18

Jon, here’s a site that will tell you more about Crystal Beach than ya ever want to know. There’s a shot of the train, but by the time that photo was taken, it was already a dismal.

http://cec.chebucto.org/ClosPark/Crystal.html

#19

I rode the train in “Pigeon Forge” back in 1972 . . . long before there was a “Dollywood”. It was a fun day ideed . . . had slept in my car . . . done the drive around in “Cades Cove” right when the entry gate was opened. Saw many deer in the fields and had to stop once to let a doe with her brand new fawn cross the road. Then went on to Pigeon Forge and saw that there was a STEAM TRAIN TO RIDE. :slight_smile: No doubt the same engine. And I LOVE that 15 in. guage engine ! WoW. . . that is the kind of “back yard train” to have ! :slight_smile:

#20

When I saw this post I wondered why they didn’t keep her up in Alaska. Then I saw HJ’s videos from his recent trip on the WP&Y. It would take a huge amount of steam power to pull 3 sections of long trains up the mountains and all of the expensive maintenance and infrastructure to do it. Not that it couldn’t be done, but it seems to make more financial sense to run diesel. Most of the the tourists come for the view, not the train itself.

#70 itself has a much easier retirement job at Dollywood :slight_smile: