The Human C. P. Huntington

The roots for this episode began growing a long time ago. I was looking at pictures of miniature theme park trains on Google. I started seeing these trains that looked really similar, except for the numbers on the sides, and started casually making A List. I later learned they were called C. P. Huntingtons, but I still had that question: what was the deal with all these trains?

The story of the C. P. Huntington trains begins with a member of “The Big Four”, the four tycoons who built the Central Pacific Railroad. We start our story with a great man from the 1800s: robber baron Collis Potter Huntington.

Collis had a nose for buying and selling. If you’re at all a fan of Star Trek, he would’ve made a fine Ferengi – very concerned with profit. Born in 1821 on the East Coast, Collis came westward in his late twenties, making money by selling supplies during the California gold rush. He was an entrepreneurial man, making his way up in the world by moving on to hardware store ownership before setting his sights on the “railroad issue”.

Collis invested in the new Central Pacific Railroad Company, along with the other members of the Big Four: Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford, and Charles Crocker. Ultimately, their railroad in California connected with railroads from the east to finally make transcontinental travel possible.

Starting in 1861 in Sacramento, CA, the Central Pacific railroad began building eastwards until it met the Union Pacific Railroad at Promontory, Utah, in 1869. This was accomplished with the driving of a ceremonial “golden spike” which is now on display at Stanford University.

This was a huge deal – coast to coast train travel was finally possible, allowing for people to reach the opposite coast in about eight days. This replaced months-long sea voyages around South America’s Cape Horn, or rickety and dangerous wagon rides across the United States.

Huntington continued on throughout the rest of his life as a railroad tycoon, getting involved in the Southern Pacific Railroad line, too. He became a lobbyist, bribing politicians and Congressmen. He was reportedly one of the most hated railwaymen in the country by the end of his life, due to his preference for profit over people. According to his contemporaries, he was “possessed of the morals of a shark.” 

The CP Huntington Locomotive

Now that we’ve talked about the man, let’s get into the story of the locomotive that bore his name: the C. P. Huntington. 

“In the early days of locomotive building, it was considered a great achievement when that pygmy engine with a flaring superfluity of a smokestack, the C. P. Huntington, was put on the road,” wrote a 1926 newspaper op-ed.

Stories from a century ago often seem to bring up the wild adventures of these “Monarchs of the West” as the early Iron Horse engines were called. Apparently, all of these vintage engines were known for having interesting stories or thrilling escapes. 

The CPH was one of these. 

Origin of the CPH

Collis Potter Huntington needed some engines for his transcontinental line, but nothing else was available due to the Civil War – only these two small identical engines. Both engines had originally been built for a different railway back East, but were never delivered as the original purchaser did not pay for them. Collis Porter Huntington went ahead and purchased the CPH and her sister.

The engines shipped from Cooke Locomotive Works (also known as Danforth-Cooke) in New Jersey, all the way to San Francisco in a journey of 131 days around Cape Horn. CPH was #277 out of the locomotive works, and given the #3. The identical sister engine was #325 out of the factory, less popular in cultural references, was named the #4 T. D. Judah, in honor of the CP railroad’s first chief engineer who surveyed a passable route over the Sierra Nevada mountains. The CPH engine was put to use to help build Huntington’s transcontinental railway. 

The CPH: 4-2-4T

In technical details, the CPH is a 4-2-4T. I’ll give a layman’s definition of what this means, but I’m not a true train junkie (yet?), just a research nerd, so please forgive any errors. (I already know I’ll get letters about calling it a “train” and not a “locomotive”. Be kind, my train-friends.) 4-2-4T is train shorthand for the configuration of the wheels on the locomotive. A 4-2-4T has four leading wheels on two axles, two powered driving wheels on one axle (on the CPH, the big wheels) and four trailing wheels on two axles that support the tank (here, a “side tank” is noted with the T-suffix). There were other trains beyond the CPH that also bore this configuration, but a 4-2-4T is apparently colloquially known as a Huntington.

Working History of the CPH

The CPH did good work on the Central Pacific Railway, used in construction as well as pulling some passenger cars. Notably, she pulled the first passenger cars over the newly completed Western Pacific Railway from Sacramento to Stockton in August of 1869. In 1871, Southern Pacific purchased the engine and re-numbered it the #1. 

Under Southern Pacific operation, things were not as rosy for the CPH. In 1872, the train suffered a massive collision with a larger train. The engineer in the CPH was killed. Quote: “The San Jose Mercury of June 7, 1872, noted: “the construction locomotive is small, and when the collision occurred the larger engine went completely through the smaller, taking in steam boxes, cylinders, smoke stack, driving wheels, boilers, etc., and leaving it a mass of ruins.”” 

It took several years before the engine was rebuilt. Quote from “May 1, 1875, the following account appeared in the Minor Scientific Press of Nevada – most likely taken from an article originally appearing in a San Francisco newspaper. “Certainly a peculiar looking craft it is [the CPH]. The engine is of a most unique pattern, there being but one or two others like it on the coast. ”” 

However, the CPH was only put to limited use once she was rebuilt.

Around the turn of the century, the engine spent some time in storage before being rebuilt as a weed burner (someone’s got to clear the tracks, after all). Reportedly this didn’t last long either. The engine was rebuilt again back to her original configuration, and bounced back and forth out of storage in Sacramento at Southern Pacific’s machine shops, where it was put on a platform to display at the shops. She was pushed into official service retirement around 1900.

Disuse of the CPH

Why all this bouncing around instead of actually using the engines? Well, apparently this 4-2-4 locomotive design had significant issues. The single driving axle was too light and did not carry the full weight of the engine’s trailing rear end. The engine couldn’t reliably pull trains, particularly not on gradients. And the Forney-style water tank was too small, so the trains would consume all their water (necessary to make the steam) if they went any moderate distance. 

Something that’s hard to convey from all of this discussion so far is how small the CPH is. Technical schematics indicate she is 7 ¾ ft wide, 12 ½ ft tall, and 29 ½ ft long. This is incredibly small compared to many other locomotives. Indeed, some of my favorite pictures of the CPH I’ve found during my research are those where she is posed next to a larger engine.

The CPH Out of Working Service

As the years went on, loads grew larger, and the small CPH just couldn’t handle the requirements for larger modern loads of the times. With a need for bigger locomotives, the small 4-2-4s were left in storage, on back spurs at the train yard, or up on high trestles in the paint shops, for longer and longer, until they were scrapped.

The T. D. Judah, C. P. Huntington’s sister engine, was rebuilt into a 4-2-2 configuration at some point in the late 1800s. Some reports indicate that the Judah worked at a sugar plantation in the Hawaiian islands (“Sandwich Islands”); others say she was sold to the Wellington Colliery Company in British Columbia, sometime around 1889. Ultimately, the Judah was scrapped in between 1912 and 1914. (Though several of the 1922 texts I found indicated she was still in active service, nothing else I could find to substantiate this. Another 1899 text indicated she had been scrapped several years earlier. Central Pacific #93 was also converted to a 4-2-2 configuration, so it’s likely that the confusing reports is a result of mixing up the two. Big mystery, our T. D. Judah.)

Why the Poor Railroad Records?

As an interesting sidebar, you might be wondering why the stories of the CPH and the Judah are relatively light with details and mixed in with a bit of confusion. Well, as so often happens, this is a tale of fire damage. The 1906 San Francisco fires, the result of a devastating earthquake, destroyed nearly 80% of the city. Among the losses were those of the railroad: records, drawings, and photographs. A decade later in 1917, another fire in the Sacramento train shops destroyed more railway documentation. What we have available to us now from the time of the Iron Horses is what was saved by families of employees and the occasional state library record – the tip of the iceberg compared to what had been.

Back to the end of the working service record, we’d been talking about the scrapping of the T. D. Judah.

The C. P. Huntington was nearly scrapped in 1914 as well, but was saved this fate by the decision to have her put on display for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. This was a World’s Fair, meant to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal and showcase San Francisco’s recovery after the 1906 earthquake. 

At the World’s Fair, the C. P. Huntington was displayed alongside a much larger loco, a 2-4-4-2 Mallet. This was meant to drive home to the visiting audience the massive changes in railway needs over the prior 50 years, and it did so very well. The 1840s CPH looked practically like a child’s toy next to the large and modern 1900s locos.

The Original CPH on Display

Thus began the history of the original C. P. Huntington engine as a display piece and a showcase from a different era. 

In January of 1920, national papers reported the CPH being put on display in a place of honor outside Sacramento’s train shops. They called her “California’s oldest locomotive”, and in a bit of revisionist history, the papers declared that she had been the first loco to ever operate in California, a claim which certainly cannot be true. Tall tale or not, the CPH was getting a rest, and getting the due come to her.

She next went on major display at the “Days of ‘49” celebrating the 1849 Gold Rush. Not just a poem by Joaquin Miller that was turned into a song by Bob Dylan…no, in this context, I’m talking about the May 1922 celebrations in California to commemorate the Gold Rush. Old #1 was cleaned up and hooked up to a flat car with seats. She pulled passengers around the city for a modest fare of 49 cents. 

After this, she was kept in better repair, and participated in other displays and showcases, such as being part of the filming for the 1924 movie “The Iron Horse”, the highest grossing movie of that year.

The Iron Horse movie (click for more information).

Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre, a lavish movie palace in downtown Hollywood that opened in 1922, held the premiere of “The Iron Horse”. During the movie’s run there, the little CPH was parked in the forecourt of the theater, facing the street, in order to help promote the film. 

She went to state fairs, dedicated bridges and railroad depots, and so on. When she was not out on display, she sat in front of the railyard there in Sacramento, under a small pavilion.

On December 16, 1935, she was even driven on a flat car down to New Orleans, where she was the first train to cross the new Huey P. Long Bridge. 

1939 Opening Ceremonies

In 1939, the engine participated in the opening ceremonies for the Los Angeles Union Station. 

The occasion was observed by Ward Kimball. If this name sounds familiar to you, that’s because he was one of Walt Disney’s “Nine Old Men”. Kimball was an animator, responsible for the creation of Jiminy Cricket (Pinocchio), Jaq and Gus (Cinderella), and the Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) among many many others. 

Kimball was also a railway fan. He had his own narrow-gauge railway collection which he ran in his 3 acre backyard. Reportedly, Kimball’s train enthusiasm bumped up against Walt Disney’s, and Kimball helped encourage Disney to install the iconic railroad at Disneyland when it opened in 1955. 

Well, don’t mind me, going down a Ward Kimball rabbithole. He was a very interesting man, particularly if you’re into Disney. 

Why did I bring him up? 

Oh yes. Kimball was on hand to observe the opening ceremonies for the Los Angeles Union Station in 1939 because he was a train buff. Not only did he see the ceremonies, he filmed them on 16mm color film video, incredibly expensive in 1939. 

Kimball captured the only known footage of the opening. Decked out in brilliant red and green paint, Southern Pacific’s engine #1 was a relic from a different time, even in 1939 – the little engine was 76 years old at that point! It can be seen puffing smoke, wheels churning, steaming down Alameda Street in downtown Los Angeles.

It’s an incredible sight.

This was likely one of, if not THE, last time the boiler of the venerable CPH was fired and moved under her own steam.

Later Years of the CPH

The CPH was towed out for a few more railway events in the late 50s and 60s, but primarily sat on static display in the Sacramento park in front of the trainyard.

The railway donated the CPH to the state of California in 1964. It was displayed at the Stockton fairgrounds for years. After refurbishment at the Southern Pacific’s Sacramento train shops, the CPH was moved to an exterior display at the Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station.

C. P. Huntington on display. Click for more information.

In 1981, the CPH moved into the newly-opened California State Railroad Museum, where it is still on display in 2019. 

She was restored to her 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition appearance, covered in complicated and artistic gold leaf highlights. A 1930s newspaper article on California railroad history devoted several newspaper inches to descriptions of the paint schemes of the old wood-burning locomotives – what a luxurious, different time it was to see a newspaper devote column inches to such a thing.

The engine is reportedly the only surviving standard steam engine of its type. Danforth-Cooke’s factory produced well over 3000 engines in the Iron Horse era between 1852 and 1926. Of these, only 11 reportedly remain in existence now in 2019, one of which is the CPH; she is the only 4-2-4 remaining.

Reportedly, this locomotive will never operate under its own steam again. The California State Railroad Museum made investigations as to the state of the CPH in 1998. Reportedly “the boiler shell is too worn out to be safely steamed again without major repairs and replacements that would compromise the state of the otherwise intact artifact.”

The C. P. Huntington is the second oldest locomotive owned by the California State Railroad Museum, and one of the older surviving locomotives worldwide. (The oldest known locomotive is the 1813 “Puffing Billy” at London’s Science Museum, an engine some fifty years older than our heroine the CPH.) The CSRM currently owns eight of the 45 pre-1880s locomotives still extant in the US, inclduing the CPH. The CPH silhouette even serves as the logo for the museum.

The Chance CPH

Now, if you’ve sat through this episode in confusion so far about how all this locomotive talk ties into the theme of the podcast, get ready to have a galaxy brain moment. You might think back to the Joyland episodes, for a bit of a clue to the rest of the story. 

In the mid-twentieth century in Wichita, Kansas, a man by the name of Harold Chance was building miniature steam trains. First under the Ottaway Amusement Company name, Chance incorporated his own company as Chance Manufacturing in 1961. A year earlier, in 1960, Chance had begun production on the first version of a new miniature train.

It was the beginning of something magical.

According to the CSRM, the C. P. Huntington had been displayed at at least two occasions: the Southern Pacific Centennial Celebration in 1955, and the Salute to Steam Age in 1958. (The latter event was a good-bye ceremony marking the last run of the last steam engine of SP, #4294. The engines were placed side-by-side in the park in Sacramento to mark the beginning and end of the steam era in Southern Pacific’s history). 

Additionally, scale models of the train were reported nationally around this time in the papers, including a 1951 half-size model by a man named Jack Collier, and much smaller 1.5” scale rideable models by a man named Bob Harpur. Oh, and a very large model made entirely out of fruit by an enterprising Lions Club. 

Being a person interested in trains, it’s highly likely that Harold Chance saw news reports of these events, at the very least, particularly the reports on the end of the steam era for the Southern Pacific in 1958. And like a train at a switch, we can see the leap Harold Chance might have taken.

He began building a miniature C. P. Huntington train for use in amusement parks.

Chance’s CPH was a one-third scale model of the original. His miniature version was faithful to the original as far as looks – handmade, and incredibly detailed. The littler steam engine had the unique design of the original, with the iconic stack and wheel arrangement. 

From a mechanical perspective, his models made some changes. Apparently the big “drive” wheels are false (they can even be removed without affecting the locomotive’s operation, which many operations do to ease maintenance) and the engine powers drive shafts on the front and rear trucks of the locomotive. Gone too was steam power: Chance’s model used gasoline for fuel.

He delivered his first engine to Joyland Park, there in Wichita, Kansas, in 1961.

Joyland’s iconic train served that park from 1961 until 2006. “Joyland’s train really launched Chance Rides,” said Larry Breitenstein, National Sales Director at Chance Rides, some time later. The train was last seen publicly when the park closed in 2006. Reportedly, it is in the hands of a private collector local to Wichita.

Other Chance CPHs

Joyland’s CPH wasn’t Chance’s last miniature CPH, though.

The company has produced over 400 miniature CP Huntington rides as of the time of this recording – 400+ trains over about 60 years. 

Some basic stats: engines run about $200k, and coaches run around $60k (prices from Wikipedia, date unclear). The trains are a narrow gauge. Most CPHs are 24” gauge. However, some of the early CPH models were 20” gauge. Chance still provides individual parts for the CPH in their sales inventory. This is unsurprising, as the CPH is reportedly Chance’s most popular ride.

To some in the amusement park world, the train is frowned upon – considered a cookie cutter train, which is both sad and inaccurate. Each engine has its own modifications and personality, and each engine runs differently. But to a general audience, the CPH is an incredibly popular thing – because it’s a train! Who doesn’t love to go on a train ride?

CPH #1-400+

I’m not going to talk about every single engine on this podcast – that would be a wild, very long episode and I’ll tell you right now that this will already be a long one as it is. But I will hit a few highlights. 

Why should you care, and what is the reason for me even doing this episode in the first place? 

Rabbitholes and those giant numbers on the side of the locomotive.

The best and worst thing about these trains is that they often (but not always) have the engine number visible on the side. This number is usually (but not always) the loco number from Chance. This is the reason I got into the topic in the first place – I got sucked down into a Google image search, wondering why there were similar-looking trains all around parks and zoos, and why they had the numbers they did.

A minute ago, I said “usually” the numbers reflect the manufacturing number from the factory. It’s not always true. Some park remove the numbers, some parks never have the numbers installed, and some parks change the numbers to reflect internal numbering schemes, confusing us all. The only way to accurately know which number CPH a particular train is would be to look at the builder’s plate, attached to each loco, which contains the engine’s serial number. But sometimes these too have been removed, or have become illegible.

Additionally, they are usually robust little trains. (Engine #2 has been in operation for almost 60 years at the time of this recording!) Given their hardy nature, the trains are often sold from park to park. This often leads to confusion about the trains, as when they are in storage or in the hands of private owners, their locations are unknown or unclear. Some engines have also been scrapped, such as the #29, formerly of the St. Louis Zoo, where it was involved in an accident that more or less destroyed the entire engine. Others are nearly so, such as the #8, which currently sits without wheels on the dirt at New Orleans City Park.

Should this podcast ever make money (lol) it would be fantastic to do a history on each of the parks associated with a CPH. I cannot count the number of times during my research for this topic that I would get stuck down a rabbithole for a particular train.

I’m not even going to include a list of the CPHs in my shownotes, the List being the holy grail of CPH research. For that, I’m going to direct you to the incredible Facebook group “C. P. Huntington Train Project”, where you can find an incredible Excel spreadsheet and some very smart people and a lot of cool photos.

Anyhow, let’s talk about some of the engines. Every engine has a story, and here are a few.

#2 – “Robert D. Morrell” at Story Land (Glen, NH)

The #2 is the oldest train currently in public operation, as the #1 from Joyland is in storage or private ownership. It lives at Story Land in Glen, NH, a small family amusement park aimed at the under-teen set. They have five CPHs: #2 (red), #4 (blue), #14 (in storage), #18 (used as a backup), and #47 (green).

There are a lot of interesting things about the Story Land engines that we could get into at another time. For today, we’ll talk about the number on the front. Every CPH has the year 1863 on the front of the engine – that was the year the original CPH was manufactured. There’s only one exception: CPH #2, the red engine from Story Land named “Robert D. Morrell”. It says 1861 on the front. It’s a bit of a mystery why this is. One possibility is that this is a reference to the incorporation date for the Central Pacific Railroad, which of course was where the original CPH first operated as engine #3. It’s not clear why only one engine has this plate, however (and only #2, not #1!). 

#34 – Coney Island and Lake Como Railroad

The trains with the smallest numbers are the oldest, and some of these have been through multiple hands. Let’s take the case of #34, and I’ll illustrate how you might go down a rabbithole of fascination with just a single engine. 

This engine #34 was a 1964 model, part of the “Coney Island and Lake Como Railroad” in Cincinnati. It was painted light blue and red, the “standard” color scheme, and was called “Mad Anthony Wayne.” Coney Island in Cincinnati is a park with an incredibly long history, which we may get to one day. For now, we’ll just talk about the train,where engine #34 operated with engine #35 (“George Rogers Clark”). The train and amusement park delighted guests there at the site of a former apple orchard until 1971, when Coney Island moved to Kings Island. This was a larger site, further away from the river floods that had constantly plagued Coney Island throughout its history, and most of the rides from Coney Island were moved over to Kings Island. However, Kings Island already had trains – larger Crown models, so the small CPH engines were no longer needed. 

CPH #34 was sold to the World of Golf in 1971, reportedly along with the former station which had been cut into sections. Unfortunately, shortly after it was all installed, the nearby Florence KY sewer treatment plant overflowed in 1976 into the area, and the park, including railroad, was shut down. The train was reportedly stored in the deteriorating station for most of the next 20 years. 

In the early 1990s, it was sold to the Oil Ranch in Hockley TX. It has been repainted black and red and lost its number but still operates there as of this recording in 2019.

#235 – Michael Jackson’s Neverland

Other notable trains belonged to public figures. Take #235. Michael Jackson was a hugely influential public figure, of course, no matter what your stance on his personal life and the decades of abuse allegations against him. 

His private ranch, Neverland Ranch, was over five times the size of Disneyland. It had a zoo, a movie theater, an amusement park, and two different trains. One was a CPH – #235, a 1990 model. It was customized for Michael Jackson, and had extra twinkle lights around the coach canopies, extra decorations, and a high end sound system installed. When Jackson died, David Helm (of Helm and Sons Amusements based in CA) purchased the CPH as well as other amusement rides. The engine hasn’t been seen in public since then.

#195, 196, 178, and 89 – Heritage USA

Other problematic public figures had CPHs, too, like Jim Bakker over at his Heritage USA “Christian Disneyland”. (Don’t worry, Heritage USA is a whole, giant episode for the future. The story of Heritage USA is absolutely wild.) Although general public reporting only refers to one train at Heritage USA, it turns out that there were actually FOUR. 

Two trains were delivered new to Heritage USA in 1979, funded by the many private donors who believed in Jim Bakker’s televangelism – these were #195 and #196. One of these was featured on the Tammy Faye Bakker album cover for “Movin’ On To Victory”. The other two trains were purchased used (one was described as a “shell” and the other barely ran), one of which was #178. 

When the park went under in the late 80s as Bakker’s pyramid scheme collapsed, the amusement park assets were liquidated. #195 had been involved in a minor collision with a gate during Heritage USA’s operation, and suffered cosmetic damage. It also was reportedly cannibalized for parts to keep #196 running. As such, #195 was reportedly traded back to Chance Rides during the liquidation of the park in the late 80s (1987/1988). Chance rebuilt the loco, and sold it. This engine is currently in operation at Lakemont Park in Altoona, PA, home of Leap-the-Dips, the world’s oldest surviving, still operational rollercoaster. 

#196, the loco in better shape, was purchased by private collector Mokey Choate, who owned 13+ CPH locos under the business name Big Mokey Trains, Inc. While Mokey passed away in 2016, the business is still in operation. Big Mokey Trains leases out its fleet of trains to parks. Perhaps someone needs short-term extra capacity for an event, or perhaps a park finds it cost-effective to have the trains only during the season and outsource any maintenance costs. This of course adds an extra level of confusion for any CPH hunters, as trains are rotated in and out for maintenance and may not always be at the same park. #196, then, is one of the Mokey trains, and was last seen operating at the Jackson Zoo in Mississippi.  

The other two locomotives, #178 and the unknown loco, have not been seen since.

Electric #400 and it’s Electric Brother, #402

If you’re in Houston and you’re hearing this, I hope you’ve visited the Houston Downtown Aquarium. That’s the home of the groundbreaking landmark CPH #400, the first electric CPH train from Chance. It was named “Electric Eel”. CPH #402, also an electric CPH but this time with a blue color scheme, went to the aquarium just recently, in July of 2019. 

Both trains run through an incredible exhibit called the Shark Voyage, where the trains travel through a completely see-through tunnel with a unique view on a massive shark aquarium exhibit.

Chance Rides spent quite some time perfecting their electric train. One of the few train videos they’ve posted on YouTube is from fall of 2017, showing the electric prototype in a stripped down state, taking some test laps in the Chance lot there in Wichita. 

It is likely not surprising considered today’s environmentally conscious consumers, but it appears that Chance will be making a big push for electric trains as the main CPH going forward. Reportedly, many places looking to make a new train purchase have inquired about electric models. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the next trains be predominantly electric over gasoline models, particularly for more environmentally-minded zoos.

The St. Louis Zoo’s Many CPHs

Finally, the last in the case studies I’ll cover today…the St. Louis Zoo. If there were a record for the place that has had the most CPH engines pass through it, that place might be the St. Louis Zoo.

The zoo has a long history with the engines. They started with engines #27, 28, and 29 in 1963 and 1964. The Zoo caught the CPH bug, and began purchasing additional trains for what became known as “The Emerson Zooline Railroad”. They are reportedly the business that has purchased the most trains direct from Chance, and in the early years, replaced their trains after 10 years of service. 

So when it came time to purchase the next engine, we reach the slight snag in the story. Remember how I mentioned that sometimes, the big numbers on the side of the tender don’t always reflect the manufacturer’s number? This is one of those times. The St. Louis Zoo wanted the numbers of the new trains to be consecutive. So St. Louis Zoo #30 was not CPH #30, muddling the issue of The List significantly. And, as noted, they’ve moved through a number of different trains, with their old trains being sold across the country, continuing to muddle the history of the individual trains. 

All told, St. Louis Zoo has owned a total of 23 different CPH trains to date. The current trains in operation are St. Louis Zoo #45 “Daniel Boone” (CPH #247), #46 “Pierre LaClede” (CPH #263), #47 “Lewis and Clark” (CPH #289), #48 “Ulysses S Grant” (CPH #300), #49 “Charlton Tandy” (CPH #303), and #100 “Emerson” (CPH #362, purchased during the zoo’s centennial). 

Reportedly, the Zooline Railroad is in the preliminary steps of exploring an electric locomotive purchase. Apparently the Zooline Railroad is reputedly the steepest of any CPH railroad, and there is some question as to whether the electric version could handle fully loaded trains on that grade. 

And if you’ve got a child who’s a train lover, you’ll love the St. Louis Zoo – they’ve got a program where kids can shadow an engineer for part of the day.

Other Variations on the CPH

Of course, Chance isn’t the only game in town when it comes to the CP Huntington. 

Western Train Co CPH

Western Train Co, in California, builds its own variation of the 24” miniature engine, suitable for theme parks and zoos as well. There are subtle differences between the WTC versions and the Chance version, but both are beautiful miniature trains.

Little Engines and Bob Harpur

Or, if an even smaller version is your speed, Little Engines makes a 1.5” scale model. Yep, still to this day! These can hold 2-4 people, perched on top of the cars like giants. Remember the 1950s model written up in the newspaper by Bob Harpur that I mentioned, oh, thirty minutes ago? Yep, that was these. Bob’s miniature CPH can actually be seen onscreen in the 1956 film “The King and I” starring Yul Brenner and Deborah Kerr. http://www.trainweb.org/jeffhartmann/CPH_models.html 

The episode is running long, so we probably don’t have time to get too in-depth here. However, the short version is that Bob Harpur was a fascinating man. He was incredibly involved with the live steam engine scene through his work with the Little Engines company after his discharge from the Army. He met Walt Disney in 1949 when Walt and his daughter came to the shop to look at the trains. Bob ultimately joined the Walt Disney company as an Imagineer twenty years later, in 1969. He had his hands in a number of different projects, notably including the trains at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Disney Paris, and WDW Animal Kingdom. 

So there you go, information on two different Disney Imagineers in an episode that has little at all to do with Disney. Isn’t life grand?

CPH in Pop Culture

Elsewhere in pop culture, the CPH (or T. D. Judah, depending on your perspective) are iconic, providing inspiration for books, film, etc. The most well-known of these is the design for the Little Engine That Could – think on that friendly blue engine in your mind, and you might immediately see the parallels. Of course, as I’ve already mentioned, the logo for the California Railway Museum is a silhouette of the CPH. And the engine was featured on the cover of the Nostalgia version of Monopoly.

#44, #55, the Pittsburgh Zoo, and Chris Churilla

It’s not just the classic Little Engine That Could, though. There’s a whole series out there in recent days, aimed at the elementary school and younger audience, starring zoo trains Zippy and Guido. 

The best part is that Zippy and Guido aren’t fictional. The series is based on author Chris Churilla’s experiences with the real trains, CPH #44 and CPH #55, both from from the Pittsburgh Zoo. I know I said I was done with case studies of individual trains, but let’s get into just one more.

Churilla actually spent several years as engineer for the #44 and #55, there at the Pittsburgh Zoo. At the age of 14, he began spending summers as “host” of the trains (since he wasn’t allowed to engineer/drive them until age 18). At that time, the Pittsburgh Zoo train ride was dilapidated, giving out a lot of problems for the zoo and receiving very little love in return. After all, the trains had been there since 1965. Chris was instrumental in restoring the trains. He gathered together a group of train lovers, and together they cleaned up the trains, performed regular maintenance, and began raising funding from donors to keep the trains running. 

Eventually, Chris became the primary engineer, in charge of the whole train operation. “Engineering them was a dream come true!” he told me. In 2010, he upgraded the train exhibit (along the train route) to tell the history of the Pittsburgh Zoo and breathe new life into the ride. 

Unfortunately, despite a new paint job for the trains in 2011, the entire train ride was shut down indefinitely in 2013. Although the trains themselves were in good shape, the tracks weren’t. The zoo didn’t see sufficient value in the train ride. They were unable to find funds to repair the tracks, and were looking instead for a place to locate a new dinosaur exhibit. 

To honor Zippy (#55) and Guido (#44), Chris honored them by writing and illustrating first one, and now four, books about them. “There were so many people who loved riding the zoo trains so I wanted them to be able to continue to bring smiles to families for years to come!” If you follow him on social media, he’s recently been showcasing delightful hidden details from each book, such as the real-life counterparts to the cats, coaches, and other engines in the book. 

He still loves trains today. The CPH Facebook group I referred you to is a project Chris moderates, along with several other train-minded folks. There, they collect information on each of the C. P. Huntington trains. Chris now travels the world to ride CPHs, especially those where he can participate in “engineer for a day” programs to get his engineering fix. He also consults with zoos and parks on all things train: finding used trains, operations, and historical information. 

As of the time of this recording, a private train collector has purchased the real #44, Guido, and the real #55, Zippy, and is in the process of slowly restoring them.

No End to the CPH Rabbithole

There’s something about the CPH, that quirky little engine and her 400+ quirky little Chance copies. The CPH gets in your head, gets her hooks in you, and you can’t stop falling down the rabbithole. Maybe it’s something in the steam?

I don’t quite understand it, myself. I’ve reiterated this a few times on the podcast so far, but I’m not really a train buff, not particularly interested in the technical specs and all that. But this episode on the C. P. Huntington train is the one I’ve been working on the longest. If you’d told me ten years ago that I’d spend fifteen single-spaced pages writing an essay about theme park train history, I’d have called you mad. But there’s just something about the diminutive overall size, the comically large smokestack, the proportions of the wheels…the CPH just such a classic-looking train, and she really gets in your head.

There’s so much interesting information out there, not only about the 400+ Chance trains but about the namesake engine herself. Someday I hope to visit many of the places I’ve covered on the podcast and visiting the original CPH on display in northern California is definitely high on my bucket list.

Chances are (see what I did there?) that there’s a CPH at a zoo or theme park near you. Maybe get out there and ride one soon. 

All aboard!

Acknowledgements

I’d like to particularly thank Chris Churilla for patiently answering my many questions on the C. P. Huntington trains. You should check out his Facebook group “C. P. Huntington Train Project”, an exhaustive resource and archive for the person interested in compiling a more complete history of each Chance C. P. Huntington. And check out his books about Zippy and Guido – ask your local bookstore, or find them at a major online retailer. 

I also recommend the 1943 article by D. L. Joslyn, “The Life Story of the Locomotive C.P. Huntington As Told By Itself”, available for free online. It’s a charming chatty first-person history of the original locomotive, and I think you’ll enjoy it.

Podcast cover background photo is by 4045 on freepik.com. C. P. Huntington photo is by Chris Churilla, used with permission. Theme music is from “Aerobatics in Slow Motion” by TeknoAXE. Incidental sounds and ambience: FreeSound.org (Dungeness miniature railway – jjbulley; old railway station – YleArkisto; Jacksonville Zoo Ambience – inspectorJ; Amusement Park – _alvaro_; Steam Train Interior – allh; Brighton carousel – onetwo-ber) and freesfx.co.uk (Blacksmith Working on Anvil With Hammer).

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show on your podcast app. You might also leave a review, or share an episode on social media. Your word of mouth brings new listeners to the Abandoned Carousel fold.

I’ll be back soon with another great episode, so I’ll see you then. As Lucy Maud Montgomery once said, nothing is ever really lost to us, as long as we remember it.

Remember that what you’ve read is a podcast! A link is included at the top of the page. Listen to more episodes of The Abandoned Carousel on your favorite platform: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RadioPublic | TuneIn | Overcast | Pocket Casts | Castro. Support the podcast on Patreon for extra content! Comment below to share your thoughts – as Lucy Maud Montgomery once said, nothing is ever really lost to us, as long as we remember it.

References

I’ve included a complete list of references used while researching this topic. It’s hidden under the link for brevity.

The post C. P. Huntington appeared first on The Abandoned Carousel.

This was first written for The Abandoned Carousel podcast, which you can listen to or watch. Or, read on below.

Origins of the Abandoned Planes

Gigi Stecca reportedly spent years managing nursing homes in Venice. His time brought him into conversation with many elderly Italians who wistfully gazed at the skies, and who expressed the desire to board such airplanes. The story goes that he decided to make a place where anyone could see the inside of a plane if they so chose. But given that this is a story to be covered on The Abandoned Carousel, we can be sure it wasn’t just any regular type of place. 

Stecca purchased two airplanes from a private collector, and at considerable expense, had them disassembled and moved to a place near Venice. In the quiet town of Villamarzana, at the site of a former convent, he had the airplanes reassembled. 

One was a Douglas DC-6 airplane; this model is notable for serving as Air Force One for Truman and JFK. The other was a Tupolev TU-134-A, a Soviet model. 

Reportedly, Stecca was quite proud of his purchases, as one of these planes had been Italian president Leone’s personal aircraft for a time. The DC-6 was apparently used as a disco for some time in the 1980s, prior to coming to Villamarzana. The Tupolev has the operating number OK-CFE. 

Michelangelo da Vinci

Stecca didn’t want a simple airplane museum or airplane graveyard, though, which are fascinated and can be found all over the world. No, he wanted more than that.

He had the planes “parked” almost nose to nose at a roughly 90 degree angle. 

And then he built a “control tower” between them. 

Then he built a swimming pool underneath the wings.

And this was all part of a complex containing a former convent and church.

Did I mention that there’s a helicopter, too?

It was named Michelangelo da Vinci.

Glory Days for Michelangelo da Vinci

Stecca had students from the school of art in Venice decorate the gardens and the interior of the buildings. The theme was “Renaissance”. There were statues and sculptures and frescoes in every corner of the outdoor gardens, incongruous next to these shiny airplanes. 

Oh, and the helicopter, the Agusta AB 47J-3 Super Ranger, shiny and red, parked on some fake aquaducts behind the planes. This helicopter was built in 1962 and served as part of Italy’s National Fire Corps until 1984. 

And inside, massively oversized versions and cheap imitations of classics: The Last Supper, the Mona Lisa, the head of David. They all sat amongst the stately remains of the convent, with its beautiful architecture and grand central area. The former organ served as part of the inside bar.

Dining at Michelangelo da Vinci

Michaelangelo da Vinci opened as a restaurant in fall of 2000, offering guests delicious pizza and excellent beer, as well as the opportunity for a unique dining venue. 

Initially, guests could dine inside the two planes (the kitchen was the fake control tower). However, this apparently changed within the first few years. Reportedly, the concept of dining inside the planes was better than reality. Fitting four-person tables in the narrow planes was difficult. In addition, carrying the food up and down the narrow stairs was not easy. Reports online from 2010 say that even then, the interiors had been closed for several years.

Guests could dine inside the main buildings, however, apparently even able to eat sitting inside a confessional cabinet. 

TripAdvisor reviews generally paint the food and drink as excellent, although there are mixed opinions on the service. And apparently the place held a few private events, with ambitions to become a nightclub at one point.

You might be asking yourself why, if this place had such a unique theme and pretty good food, why we’re talking about it on TAC. 

Legal Troubles for Michelangelo da Vinci

Locals, in various online discussions, sing a common refrain: that the restaurant was built in the wrong area, and that the location is not a place where one would profit. Too far from city centers, they say. Management costs for the large size of the property also didn’t help. And as online reviews make clear, the quality of the food started out excellent and then declined as the money problems began.  

In addition, there were troubles with the local government. Apparently only three months after the restaurant opened, the municipality of Villamarzana fined Stecca’s company, citing “mega-building abuse”. There’s a bit lost in translation here, as this sounds quite dramatic to my American ears, but essentially, it sounds like Villamarzana didn’t like Stecca’s planes parked as a commercial venture. There’s some speculation that he built the place without the proper permits, but that’s not quite clear.

Bureaucracy and the Abandoned Planes

What happened next was the slow-moving gears of bureaucracy. The municipality fined Stecca’s company to the tune of 1.3 billion lire. At that point, there began to be negotiations and appeals, with dissatisfaction between both parties. Reading between the lines, the municipality appears to have been quite displeased by the large planes parked on easy display from the road. 

Quote from a former local via Reddit: “Having lived for many years in Italy myself I know how slow the gears of bureaucracy can grind, and if the local Council have it in for you then you’re going to face years of legal wrangling and endless disputes, visits from officials, and expensive interventions from your Avvocato (Attorney). I’m not surprised the guy gave up after 14 years, he had probably had enough. Running a restaurant is hard enough on its own without the rest of that shit on top.”

Ultimately, Stecca closed the restaurant and business in 2014. The legal battles were an ultimately Pyrrhic victory: the municipality was able to collect its fines, but with the company and business shuttered, there was no one to collect the fines from. 

The Abandoned Planes

The Planes, as the site is known locally, now sit. The once-glimmering blue pool is now sludgy and green, much more menacing than originally intended.

The planes themselves are still in place and the interiors of the site appear in good repair, likely due to the security systems that multiple urban explorers have gotten themselves caught in. Minus a coat of dust, the interiors appear closed almost yesterday.

On the exterior, though, with no one to maintain them, the planes have become covered in grime and look incredibly weather-worn and sad. Streaks of green and gray obscure the formerly brilliant paint, which is starting to peel in places. 

The garden surroundings have become overgrown, and the exterior too looks weather-worn, grimy, and unhappy. 

Future of the Abandoned Planes

Several deals on the property appear to have come and gone. In 2016, it was reported that a Paduan entrepreneur had purchased the property, with the intent of reopening it as a restaurant as well as potentially using the space for film sets. However, by 2017, this deal had reportedly fallen through. 

In March of 2019, the local paper reported on the current status of the attraction, though of course, the article is light on details. The mayor of Villamarzana has apparently received an offer from an entity interested in reopening the airplanes. More information will apparently be available after the bankruptcy auction of the property, date unknown. 

Gigi Stecca’s Prospects

And what about Stecca?

He’s still alive, moved on to other business ventures. These days, he’s receiving awards for the “Ray of Life” glassware he created while operating the Michelangelo da Vinci. You see, Stecca was apparently trained in an abbey in Belgium, so he’s got some brewing creds. His glassware has special ridges on the inside that release the carbon dioxide, reportedly allowing the drinker to absorb less alcohol into their bloodstream.

We’ll have to wait and see what comes next for the abandoned planes of Villamarzana. For now, let’s raise our glasses and toast to a very interesting restaurant concept, indeed. 

Remember that what you’ve read is a podcast! A link is included at the top of the page. Listen to more episodes of The Abandoned Carousel on your favorite platform: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RadioPublic | TuneIn | Overcast | Pocket Casts | Castro. Support the podcast on Patreon for extra content! Comment below to share your thoughts – as Lucy Maud Montgomery once said, nothing is ever really lost to us, as long as we remember it.

References

I’ve included a complete list of references used while researching this topic. It’s hidden under the link for brevity.

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Listen or watch this episode below, or keep reading for the text version!

The Soviet Union

During the later years of the Soviet Union, many power plants were built across its lands. The most famous of these, of course, was the doomed Chernobyl nuclear reactor. (Now, there’s a massively popular podcast and TV show already out about Chernobyl, so I’m not going to dwell overmuch on this one.)  

Construction of the power plants also included construction of nearby cities to house the workers and their families. In the doomed Chernobyl plant, this was the city of Pripyat. In the case of Lithuania’s Elektrenai power plant, Elektrenai came from the name for “electricity”.

City of Elektrenai

Elektrenai is a small settlement between Lithuania’s capital (Vilnus) and second-largest city Kaunas. Lithuania, of course, was once part of the former Soviet Union, but became independent in 1991.

Construction on the town of Elektrenai began in 1961, and most of Elektrenai’s structures are large monolith housing projects that date to this time. The town was built to provide housing and entertainment to the power plant’s workers.

The Elektrenai power plant required a water source for cooling, and this was accomplished with the Elektrenai Reservoir, an artificial lake created by damming the Streva River. This lake is actually quite large. Several villages were drowned by the reservoir, requiring at least 140 households to be relocated. The lake also swallowed a handful of other small natural lakes.

Since 2009, the oil and gas power plant at Elektrenai has become the main power source for all of Lithuania. 

Children’s World Elektrenai

Vaikų pasaulis in Lithuanian means “Children’s World”.

Children’s World opened in 1986, when the area was still under Soviet control. This park was reportedly the only amusement park in Lithuania. The park was created to provide entertainment for the workers and families in the area.

Reportedly, the park was planned to be reconstructed in 2000, which never happened. The park suffered during Lithuania’s independence, which began in 1991. Quote from 2009: “In Soviet times, thousands of tourists from all over the country visited the amusement park every weekend. Today, the colorful lights are dark, the music has gone silent, and the roller coaster rusts away. Most of the time, the park’s employees sit idly on a bench in front of the ticket window. “People don’t have the money to come here,” one of them says. ”

The park opened with similar rides to those seen in Chernobyl’s park – a large iconic Ferris wheel, bumper cars, some flat rides. 

The Jet Star 2 rollercoaster was acquired from Moscow’s Gorki Park in 2002. Reportedly the ride often malfunctioned. In one video from 2009, passengers can be seen rocking a car to get it moving after it got stuck at the top. As of 2011, the park was reportedly only using a single car, with the other two being used for parts.

Closure of Elektrenai’s Children’s World

In 2012, an incident occurred which may have sealed the fate of the park. A coaster car got stuck at the top, and riders were forced to clamber over the cars and down the coaster’s metal structure to get back down to safety. No one was hurt, but reportedly the people lost confidence in the park. 

Attendance plummeted, and the park, already struggling under the general economic decline of the post 9/11 world, was forced to close. Lack of attendance and lack of funds spelled the end for the park. In addition, I’m reading in translation, but the issue appears to be some sort of non-compliance – maintenance or security, perhaps, is the context?

Children’s World permanently closed in 2013.

Abandoned Elektrenai Children’s World

After the park’s closure, everything in the park was left in place. This is one of the reasons the park is so iconic on social media. In addition, though the park is abandoned and the rides sit, decaying, the flora of the park is well-maintained and the grass is regularly mowed.

Abandoned Elektrenai amusement park is reportedly quite the tourist destination, with locals grabbing a coffee and going to visit. This can be offputting for some, though I suppose it depends on the type of urbex atmosphere a person prefers. 

Quote “The experience was relaxed. Although you’re not allowed to go in, we saw that curious locals still hang around the theme park and have fun.”

Others describe the place almost like a late-Soviet-era open air museum. While the park has been open for longer under independence than under Soviet control, more information signs are written in Russian than in Lithuanian or English. 

Two dominant features are the Jet Star 2 Coaster and the Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel can reportedly be seen from most of the city of Elektrenai, and one article noted that the wheel and the power plant were the two most iconic images of the city itself. Visitors can still climb in the lowest buckets, and pastel paint still clings to much of the metal structure. The concrete pedestal for the ride is covered in layers of graffiti, much nicely done.

Jet Star 2

As I’ve already briefly mentioned, The Jet Star 2 is an iconic metal coaster with very attractive circular drops. Seen from the top, it is a figure 8 layout. At the time of its purchase, the coaster was only one of two of its type in the world. The articles about Elektrenai, all in translation of course, emphasis the American style of the coaster.

 The coaster was designed by Allan Schwarzkopf and Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH. Per the RCDB, there are ten of these coasters; 7 have been relocated, for a total of 17 different places. Sister rides that are still operating can be found at Furuvik (Sweden), Lagoon (Farmington, Utah), and Lunapark Robland (Poland). The rest have been removed. Elektrenai’s is the only Jet Star 2 SBNO. One of the coaster cars is still on the tracks, and visitors often can be seen pushing it around.

Music Express

The ride I find most interesting in the park is the indoor ride called a Music Express.  The Music Express rides are all based on the original Caterpillar flat ride.

Caterpillar

The Caterpillar ride itself was designed by Hyla Manes, an inventor in New York. Caterpillar debuted in Coney Island in 1925. Riders go around in a circle, up and down, (like a tilt-a-whirl, but with a train of cars and no spinning) and are flung outward by centrifugal force. A canopy rises up to cover the cars when they reach maximum speed, leading to the Caterpillar look.

The Caterpillar was originally such a popular ride it was found at most every amusement park. Today, only two operational Caterpillar rides exist: Canobie Lake Park (Salem, NH) and Heritage Park (Calgary, Alberta, Canada). There are reportedly a handful of Caterpillars in storage, as well as a few conversions and remakes.

Elektrenai’s Music Express

Back to the Music Express – as previously mentioned, this is a ride based on the Caterpillar. Differences include changes in speed and direction, and as the name implies, music is a big part of the experience.

At Elektrenai, the ride sits inside a uniquely-shaped building, almost like an onion. Bright primary colors of paint flake off from the surfaces. An arched multi-paneled ceiling rises overhead, sunlight peeking in through the cracks. The tarps covering the central mechanism are torn and fading, and the whole building is covered in graffiti now.

Other Rides at Elektrenai

Other rides are at the park included a swing chair ride, rotating standing swings, a rocket ship flat ride, and a handful of games inside a hall. The swing chairs are fairly unique, in that the ride can still be moved without a machine – one good push from a friend and the whole set of swings are spinning around. 

There is also of course a bumper car building. Inside are a few decaying bumper cars, very similar to those at Chernobyl. On the back wall of the hall, a gorgeous multicolored, incredibly detailed mural. Done in a quite 80s style, there are swooshing lines, gorgeous colors, and scenes of different types of imaginary cars. I find it very attractive, even under the layer of graffiti it now sports.

Future of Children’s World Elektrenai

Some draw comparisons to the abandoned amusement park in Pripyat, which had been slated to open a few days after the Chernobyl disaster. Pripyat’s amusement park never opened, though rumors indicate it may have operated for a short period during the Pripyat evacuation, as a distraction. The comparisons are there. After all, the cities were built for similar purposes and the parks have similar rides. It’s interesting to look at Elektrenai and see what Chernobyl could’ve been. Where Chernobyl is serious, dark, and a little haunted, Elektrenai exudes a cheerful, charming air.

Reportedly, the local government plans to turn Children’s World into a public park by late 2020. 

A June article indicates that work will begin on the property in August 2019, and should last for 18 months. Reportedly, the space will become a nice public park with a coffee shop, among other things. Reading the article in translation, it’s not clear how many (if any) of the rides will remain – likely, all of the rides will be scrapped. The mayor is quoted discussing safety issues with the park as it is, particularly considering its popularity.

Some residents, of course, are worried. Quote: “The park should be preserved. Just do not know how much investment would be needed and whether they would pay off. I wonder how many visitors would be. Now, most of us come here to look at the monument to the Soviet era.”

It’s clear that change is on the horizon for Children’s World at Elektrenai. For the next few months, at least, the abandoned park still stands, a vibrant monument to a different time.

Remember that what you’ve read is a podcast! A link is included at the top of the page. Listen to more episodes of The Abandoned Carousel on your favorite platform: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RadioPublic | TuneIn | Overcast | Pocket Casts | Castro. Support the podcast on Patreon for extra content! Comment below to share your thoughts – as Lucy Maud Montgomery once said, nothing is ever really lost to us, as long as we remember it.

References

I’ve included a complete list of references used while researching this topic. It’s hidden under the link for brevity.

The post Elektrenai appeared first on The Abandoned Carousel.

This episode is best experienced as a video or audio podcast. Listen or watch; both players are embedded below.

American Adventure’s Earliest History

The Shipley estate is an ancient manor in Derbeyshire, England, and when I say ancient, I mean ancient. The Domesday Book, the 1086 England survey ordered by King William the Conqueror, mentions the Shipley estate. 

Early on, the land was used primarily for hunting and farming. Starting in the 16th century and fully entrenched by 1722, coal mining began to be the primary source of profit for the land owners, the Miller-Mundy family. The mines continued operating under family ownership for the next 200+ years. 

(If you’re wondering whether you stumbled into the wrong podcast, fear not. We’ll get to the theme park soon enough.)

In 1920, the Shipley Colliery Company took over the running of the mines from the Miller-Mundy family who’d owned the land previously. During World War II, coal reserves in the UK were taken under the control of the government for the war effort. The National Coal Board was created to run all UK collieries, and took over operations completely as of Jan 1, 1947. This included the Shipley Colliery.

Once there were 3 coal mines, working 15 seams of coal and 30 railway sidings covering 176 acres in the vicinity. However, coal mining in the UK peaked in the 1910s, and began drastically falling in the 1960s. Coalpits of Woodside and Coppice, located at Shipley, were regarded as uneconomical and closed at this time.

Shipley Country Park

Working with the National Coal Board, the Derbyshire Country Council purchased the land, and decided to create a park as a memorial for the former mining activities in the area. The NCB and KLF mining spent four years reclaiming the former colliery land using opencast methods. Two additional years were spent contouring, seeding, planting, and constructing, in order to make the land available for public use. 

Shipley Country Park opened in 1976. Shipley Lake, to the west, was artificial and had originally been created for and near Shipley Hall, the long-gone estate manor. During the open-cast mining in the early 1969s, the lake had been drained. As part of the reclamation process, it was lined with clay and refilled, becoming the 37-acre freshwater Shipley Lake.

Surrounding Shipley Lake was Shipley Lakeside, which was designated for privately-owned leisure development. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, discussions began to occur about the future of the area. A tentative agreement was settled on for a park about the best of all things British, past, present, and future.

Private company KLF group negotiated a 100-year-lease from the Derbyshire County Council (DCC) on the property, and discussion moved forward about the leirsure park. The residents of Shipley caught wind of this agreement, however, and were against the concept and its expected traffic congestion and noise pollution. There was much political infighting in the best local style, but KLF finally got the go-ahead to begin construction for their park.

Britannia Park

The park was to be called Britannia Park. 

Britannia Park was envisioned as quite the grand affair, with multiple themed areas, largely based off the EPCOT idea. In Festival Village, there was to be a traditional village green with a Blacksmith, and of course plenty of cafes and shops. A 1/25th scale display was planned with displays of English landmarks done in miniature. Traditional British crafts would also be showcased. 

A Wonderland area was proposed for children; an Adventureland area for a family-friendly amusement park; and the lake for water activities and sports.

The star of the park was the eight pavilions of the British Genius exhibit, where commercial investors could highlight the importance of their products to the average Brit. 

It looked like it could be a charming park, but after irritating both the locals and the DCC taxpayers, there was a steep hill to climb. And since this episode is called American Adventures Park and not Britannia Park, I’m sure that you can guess things didn’t go well.

Money troubles happened, for one. KLF hoped sponsors would cover some costs (“To participate in Britannia Park is to contribute to the success and share in the benefits of a major national tourist centre,” was the promise in the park’s brochure.) and ultimately only about 20M lbs were raised (EPCOT cost approximately $800M).

The park opened on June 27th, 1985, and it wasn’t at all complete. The former heavyweight champion Henry Cooper gave a speech. There was a flyover by the Concorde. Then things began to go downhill. Only five of the eight British Genius pavilions were complete (occupied by the National Coal Board, the Royal Mint, and the Bass beer brewery) and there was half a mile of miniature railway. And that was it. The rest of the park was reportedly a muddy mess, much not even landscaped. 

The season was a disaster. Mother Nature even seemed to be out for the park – it was an extremely rainy summer. This rain kept both visitors and construction workers away. 

Only weeks after the grand opening, KLF was already selling shares in its business to pay off the creditors for the park, and staff were even laid off.

By November of 1985, Britannia Park was closed for good, after only 12 weeks of operation.

Ramifications of Britannia Park’s Closure

There were no buyers waiting to take on the failed Britannia Park. Derbyshire County Council was forced to buy back the land for 2.5M lbs. 

Years later, Peter Kellard and the KLF Group were the subjects of (reportedly) the longest criminal trial in UK history. Over 14 months, it was revealed that KLF was in debt to the tune of 8.7M. Park debts went unpaid, even the appearance fee for Henry Cooper.

Peter Kellard was found guilty on several counts of fraud, for which he was sentenced to four years in prison (and served one). The chairman of Britannia Park, John Wright, received a six-month sentence for his part in the fraud.

The Origin of American Adventure Theme Park

Enter John Rigby, associated with Park Hall Leisure. This company is perhaps better known for its association with the UK theme park called Camelot Theme Park, which opened in 1984. Rigby negotiated a deal with DCC in August of 1986. Another 100-year lease, but this time reportedly with less strings attached. 

Rigby wanted to capitalize on his success with Camelot and open a new theme park. This was going to be a “fully-fledged Cowboy vs. Native” theme park.

Rigby essentially took the infrastructure from the old Britannia Park, and put an overlay on it: Native Americans on one half of the park, Cowboys on the other half. The entrance pavilion was given a stars and stripes paint scheme. 

Rides at American Adventure

American Adventure opened with incredible theming for the time – Alton Towers was the other big park at the time and wouldn’t add a big themed ride for a few years. “Major new theme park”

The former British Genius pavilion, essentially an empty warehouse, was given a fiberglass makeover. Possibly the most famous part of the park (at least in its abandonment), the building was covered in faux hills and giant fiberglass faces painted as Native Americans. Inside, a giant play area for kids under 8. 

A replica of the Alamo, reportedly quite convincing, camoflagued an area for horseback stunt shows called Wild West Shootout. Lazy Lil Saloon was another area for live shows, where saloon girls would dance to entertain guests. 

A Zamperla Buffalo coaster opened with the park. 

A log flume called Cherokee Falls. At the time of the park’s opening, this ride was the tallest in the UK. 

A small miniature train ride went around the park, repurposing old Britannia Park tracks. The train was called Santa Fe Railway, and went all the way around the park – popular for both transportation and excellent views.

Fort St. Lawrence opened the next year with the Great Niagra Falls Rapids (later called Grand Canyon Rapids and then Rocky Mountain Rapids). The rapids ride had 12-seater round boats and was considered by some to be the best ride of its type in the UK.

Boom Years for American Adventure

American Adventure was a moderate success after its opening, but it didn’t do as well as expected. The park was still overshadowed by fallout from the Britannia Park disaster, which the media was still focusing on.  

Possibly in a bid to distract the media and boost attendance, in 1989, a new ride came to the park via the Glasgow Garden Festival. It was called The Missile and was a Vekoma boomerang ride. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin opened the ride. “Most intense ride in the UK” at the time, despite being similar to another ride at West Midlands Safari Park, nearby. The next year in the 1989 season, “Spaceport USA” section was added around The Missile.  5 years before similar Nemesis opened at Alton Towers nearby – cost of 4M pounds for the section. 

1991 was American Adventure park’s most popular season.

In 1993, cowboys vs natives theme dropped for all over red, white, and blue. The time for immersive theming was over. 

“Nightmare Niagra” was an upgrade to the log flume ride formerly called Cherokee Falls. This became a highlight of the park – The extra drop made it the tallest log-flume in the UK throughout its operational life (this record has now reverted to Loggers Leap at Thorpe Park as this ride used to hold the record before the new drop was added). Unfortunately this new ride was never advertised to any great extent.

Competition from the other parks in the area during the 1994 season was intense, with most of them opening major rides. American Adventure didn’t have anything new to offer. They began throwing things at the wall to see what would stick:

The children’s play area Pioneer Playground was closed and the space given to a Motion Master 4D movie.

Go-karts were installed at the expense of one of the live horse stunt shows. 

Lightwater Valley, a theme park in Yorkshire, was looking to free up some capital. They sold a ride to American Adventure in 1995. It was called “Iron Wolf” and themed as the Gladiator’s Arena from the itv game show. This was a double loop coaster. Opinions are mixed on this one, with some loving it and some hating it. Quote: “It was a massive mistake buying something as uninspiring as Twin Looper.” The ride reportedly still had Lightwater Valley logos visible on it throughout its first operational year.

Soon, there were struggles with attendance. It became clear that there was no longer any interest in detailed theming like in the early years of the park. Although the detailed theming had been dropped in 1993 with the change to the red, white, and blue “theme”, it wasn’t until 1996 that this became an obvious negative.

1997 heralded big changes for American Adventure, and potentially the turning point in the park’s history. Granada sold the leases to Venture World, and John Broome, the original developer of Alton Towers. This was part of a broader movement during that time, where public companies exited from the attractions sector. Following the sale of American Adventure, Granada also sold Camelot, the neighboring amusement park, to that park’s management in a buyout. The Tussauds Group, which owned three major UK parks, was sold by its parent company around the same time.

A Skycoaster was installed at an upcharge.

1998 saw a short-lived attraction called the Flying Island. The ride had a habit of getting stuck, requiring fire department intervention, and the ride closed after two years. 

1998 also saw the closure of the grand entrance. The main entrance to the park was suffering from mining subsidence (essentially sinking and collapsing). What was once one of the most attractive areas of the park was closed off. The amazing feeling of walking down the steps from the entrance plaza and seeing the park unfold in front of you was gone. It was another negative for the park, particularly as the new entrance had a view of the portapotties.

Around this time, John Broome tried to promote name changes – he very much disliked the American theming. “American Adventure World” was the new name, and the long term goals was to remove the “American” aspect of the park. The name changes were short-lived, however, as was Broome’s position.

John Broome left management of American Adventure in 1999. The park was sold to the THG Group, who owned Blackpool Tower, Winter Gardens, and Piers (other UK parks). Major changes were afoot and many smaller rides were removed and sections closed off. A series of extra-pay attractions were added, including the JCB diggers, where guests could pay to spend five minutes in a real digger. Most rides were beginning to show wear, with malfunctioning parts and ride structures badly in need of paint.

2003 saw a JCB overlay including a JCB digging attraction, at an upcharge.

Less and less attention began to be paid to maintenance of the park. 

2004-2005 was another period of huge turmoil for the park. It was the end of Nightmare Niagara.

Around the same time, the Missile closed, standing empty for all of 2005. So too did the water rapids ride, which was said to be because of structural issues and water pollution.

The park became a shell of its former self. Most structures and buildings were left standing, despite being abandoned/closed.

In 2006, new marketing came out, promoting American Adventure as a place for cartoons and family rides. New rides opened up, including a handful of “carnival” type rides and a Zamperla runaway mine train ride.

On January 4, 2007, American Adventure Park announced it would not reopen after 19 years of operation. The lease went back to the county council.

American Adventure Rides: Sold

Missile closed at end of 2004 season, stood unused for all of 2005; sold to Pleasurewood Hills in 2006 as “Wipeout” and is still open

Buffalo Stampede → Twin Lakes Theme Park in May 2007

Mini Mine Rush → Flamingoland (via Gullivers)

Twin Looper → Poland – lagendia theme park Tic Tac Tornado

Many rides → billings aquadrome

Big Country Motioneering – runaway train (near CF/NN) – ride was sold and traveled, went to Dubai

Abandonment of American Adventure

Many people began visiting the abandoned site – 2008 videos with the Aztec faces. In 2008 or 2009, much of the park was demo’d in order to avoid becoming an attractive nuisance.

In 2012, an announcement was made that the land would be redeveloped. However, nothing seemed to come of it.

In Feb 2018, “Shipley Lakeside by Waystone” was supposed to begin construction. This site would be a housing development, business park, possible healthcare, retirement facility, and pub. However, 2018 came and went. 

Many petitions went around, looking to reopen the park. One had over 10,000 signatures.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is said to be purchasing 160 acres surrounding the site to create a nature preserve.

Many urbex videos are available on Youtube. A 2018 video really establishes what is left.

there are signs marking what was located in the different areas. Nearly all that is left are concrete footings. Paths are overgrown with weeds, pavement and brick crumbling. 

Near the Missile, was Lunch Pad (restaurant) and Space Port Driving School (kids driving ride). Spaceport Cinema, a 3D/4D ride, like a big circle. The concrete portion of a lift hill at the rapids ride is still partially visible. 

Trees were all reportedly cut down in 2016 and many have grown back.

Water and many canals for Nightmare Niagra (log flume) are still visible, though crumbling and incredibly overgrown with flora. Nearby, there is a rusted metal footing that used to support the Runaway Train ride. In this area, the pavement is very crumbly.

The bare outlines of the arena can still be seen. 

Pier 49, nearby the arena, is sinking into the water on one side.

Out on Tentacle Island, the footings for the ride can still be seen, with large rusted bolts sticking out of solid concrete blocks. Floating aimlessly in the lake where the wind takes it, the platform that once held fireworks and a hole for the golf game sits. No longer covered in any astroturf, sadly.

Near the main shop area, traintracks from the miniature train are still visible and relatively clear of weeds – wooden logs on a gravel sea. By the original main entrance, a nearly-rotten wooden bridge stands. 

In the former staff parking lot, on grass-covered ground, sits one of the former river rapids cars – now solely the structural components, “concrete”-looking plastic and rusted metal, upside down. A thin border of red paint is all that makes it clear that this once was a ride car.

A wheel that could be a spare from the Twin Looper coaster sits in a patch of weeds, rusted and falling apart.

Work for the Shipley Lakeside development is finally about to begin. Concrete crushing of all old foundations said to start in mid-2019, with land ready for housebuilders in 2020.

Helen McLoughlin, development director, said there was still 12 to 18 months of work to do on the old foundations before the first homes could be built. 

Quote: “This is all weather dependent because what we have to do is take out old foundations that were left behind from the legacy of the American Adventure and they have to be re-crushed and used on site.” 

Quote: “It’s literally just a lake surrounded by the overgrown foundations of all the rides, you can still see where the rides used to be. It just felt eerie, really eerie – you wouldn’t think it had ever been a theme park.”

In April 2019, four construction vehicles at the site were set on fire by arsonists. 

American Adventure was once one of the largest and most popular theme parks in the UK. A series of poor management choices spelled the end for the park; change came too little and too late for the American Adventure park. However, the land has carried on since the Dark Ages, and it will continue on in a new form soon. For now, nature is reclaiming the land.

Remember that what you’ve read is a podcast! A link is included at the top of the page. Listen to more episodes of The Abandoned Carousel on your favorite platform: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RadioPublic | TuneIn | Overcast | Pocket Casts | Castro. Support the podcast on Patreon for extra content! Comment below to share your thoughts – as Lucy Maud Montgomery once said, nothing is ever really lost to us, as long as we remember it.

References

I’ve included a complete list of references used while researching this topic. It’s hidden under the link for brevity.

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• C. P. Huntington
• The Abandoned Planes of Villamarzana
• Elektrenai
• American Adventure

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