Ghost Town & Calico Railroad

Ghost Town & Calico Railway
Ghost Town & Calico Railway RGS 2-8-0 No. 41
Preserved operations
Owned byWalter Knott
Commercial history
OpenedJanuary 12, 1952

The Ghost Town & Calico Railway is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge[1] heritage railroad and amusement park attraction within Knott's Berry Farm, an amusement park located in Buena Park, California.[2][3][4]

Origin

Grand Opening of the Ghost Town & Calico Railway in 1952.
Ghost Town & Calico Railroad
Legend
Roundhouse
(open to public during special tours only)
Ghost Town
Bus transfer
(via short walk outside park)

Walter Knott began grading and laying a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad at his Knotts Berry Farm in 1951. He had acquired a collection of vintage rolling stock and other railroad equipment, and wanted to create a railroad experience to run it on. Service started that November,[3][5][6][7] and the railroad formally opened on January 12, 1952.[3][8][9]

The engines and most of the cars came from the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad and the Rio Grande Southern Railroad.[10]

The D&RG painted a narrow-gauge engine and a few narrow-gauge cars, in a color called Rio Grande Gold, for the Chicago Railroad Fair of 1949. The color was so popular that the company painted the equipment for “The Silverton” (which ran between Durango and Silverton, Colorado) the same color in 1950.[11][12] The GT&C rolling stock was painted this color when it commenced operations in 1952. The engine was fitted with a diamond stack (that was the wrong shaped diamond) and an overly gaudy paint scheme.[13]

In an effort to make it more authentic, the train has since been restored to its appearance in the 1940s. So, for example, the engines now have a boiler-tube pilot and straight stack. The passenger cars are painted in Pullman Green (which was mandated by the government when it took over the railroads during World War I).[14]

However, the engines were built in 1881, and the cars are from that time period also. And, Walter Knott’s objective in creating Ghost Town was to create an Old West town of the 1800s, not the 1940s.[15][16]

The engines, which were coal-burners, originally had diamond stacks (to catch the coal cinders), a wooden pilot, and a sand dome that was a bit more ornate (see accompanying photos). The passenger cars have been modified slightly over the years, but they largely retain their original appearance, except for the paint scheme. They were originally painted in Passenger Car Red, rather than Pullman Green.[12][17][18]

Locomotives

The roster includes two C-19 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotives built by Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Denver & Rio Grande in 1881. When retired from service in Colorado, they were D&RGW No. 340 Green River (formerly D&RG #400, named Gold Nugget No. 40 for many years on the GT&C) from the Denver & Rio Grande Western and RGS No. 41 Red Cliff (recently renamed Walter K at the 60th anniversary ceremony January 12, 2012) from the Rio Grande Southern.[19][20] D&RGW No. 340 was rebuilt in 2016 and is in use, alternating service with RGS No. 41.[21]

A GT&C engine today, restored to its 1940s appearance (with a straight stack, boiler-tube pilot and plain sand dome).
GT&C engine #340 (GT&C 340 was originally D&RG 400) as it appeared in the late 1800s (with a diamond stack, wooden pilot, box headlight and more elaborate sand dome). It probably had decorative trim on both the sand dome and the steam dome originally.

"Galloping Goose" motor rail buses kept the Rio Grande Southern Railroad viable from the 1930s by carrying mail. Their last use was to scrap their own line in 1953. Knott purchased the RGS Motor #3, which is run on the GT&C during the off-season – when ridership is too insufficient to justify hostling a steam locomotive. The Galloping Goose was constructed from a Pierce-Arrow limousine frame, engine, radiator, cowling and body with a four-wheel truck at the front and putting flanged wheels on the rear axle. Later a bogie truck replaced the rear axle, linked to the front truck by a chain drive. A RGS shop-built freight box (converted with trolley seats for passenger service in 1950) articulates on the kingpin over the chain driven center truck. The wooden limousine body was replaced after World War II with a 1939 Wayne military-surplus bus body with both left and right doors. The Pierce-Arrow gasoline engine has been replaced, first with a war-surplus GMC gasoline engine at the RGS, then at Knott's with a war-surplus 6 cylinder in-line Diamond-Reo gasoline engine. In 1997 the engine was replaced once more with a Cummins Diesel engine supported with an I-beam frame extension salvaged from the demolished Windjammer Surf Racers roller coaster.

This photo of a Rio Grande Southern business-car train in the 1800s shows what the Ghost Town & Calico engines looked like in the 1800s (e.g., diamond stack, wooden pilot, box headlight, and trim on the sand dome and steam dome). The business car next to the engine is the "Rico," which is now at the Colorado Railroad Museum. The other business car appears to be the "Edna," which is now at Knott's Berry Farm.
Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Class 70 (C-19) Engines (numbers 400-411) as they were configured in the 1800s. Both of the Ghost Town & Calico RR engines are Class 70 (C-19) engines.

In late 1973, the park received ex-D&RGW K-27 #464, a Mikado 2-8-2 locomotive. However, due to clearance issues, in 1981, Knott's donated the locomotive to the Huckleberry Railroad in Flint, Michigan.[22]

Around 2010, Knotts Berry Farm became the home to an H.K. Porter 0-4-0ST tank locomotive "Jennie K.", formerly used on the Cedar Point and Lake Erie Railroad. The planned restoration of this locomotive did not happen and it was sold in 2017 to Garner Holt of Garner Holt Productions, who is planning to restore it to operating condition.

Rolling stock

Revenue

When the route opened on January 12, 1952, for passenger service, the locomotives would haul several yellow vintage closed-vestibule wooden passenger coaches led by a No. 103 parlor car Chama which was converted at Knott's in 1954 to combination baggage/coach Calico with arrows simulating an Indian attack embedded near the baggage door. The arrows have since been removed and the cars have been painted in heritage period Pullman-green livery of D&RGW. The consist also includes a gondola (converted from a flat car for open-air passenger seating), and a stock car which was converted from a gondola, fitted with side benches and a wheelchair lift. Rio Grande Southern 0402 is the only caboose on the railroad and is used today.

These cars on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad are painted in the Passenger Car Red color that the GT&C cars had when they were originally built in the 1800s.
These cars on the GT&C today are painted in the Pullman Green color scheme of the 1940s.

Display

The parlor car Durango restored in 2011, the Silverton observation sleeper and the No. B-20 Edna were held with the short way car "bobber" caboose and a wooden box car D&RGW No. 3350, on sidings during normal operation. Nowadays the Silverton has been converted to revenue service as a chair coach, and the caboose serves to embark bandits while in motion.

The Business car B-20 Edna (formerly San Juan) was built for use by the Rio Grande Southern president Otto Mears on sidings and spurs as a portable office and temporary home while making track orders. She is fitted with

The GT&C business car Edna was originally the traveling office and living quarters of Otto Mears, the first president of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad, who named it the San Juan in 1890. However, three years later, the RGS went into receivership in the silver panic of 1893. Edward Turner Jeffery, the president of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (which held a large block of RGS bonds) became the receiver, and later president of the RGS. In 1899, the car was named for his daughter, Edna.[23] Jeffery served as president of the D&RG, the RGS, and later, the Western Pacific Railroad concurrently. The Edna is one of only a small handful of narrow-gauge business cars in the United States still in existence.
  • An external pantry mounted to the open vestibule and equipped with overhead ice hopper
  • galley (kitchen)
    • a coal hopper
    • water tank
    • heating-plant/boiler/stove/oven/warming-tray combination appliance
  • multi-use crew dormitory
  • lavatory commode with dry bin toilet
  • stateroom with large bed, closet, chest of drawers
  • a large multipurpose open area convertible to
    • office/day-use
    • sleeping bunks
    • meal service
    • et cetera
  • conductor's desk near the end window and speedometer

Track inspection as well as observation is facilitated by the open vestibule and enlarged end windows. These were deluxe temporary accommodations compared to a caboose, but it was far less opulent than private varnish of its day, which pales by comparison to the amenities offered aboard today's motor homes and recreational vehicles such as a shower or microwave oven.

Galloping Goose #3

See also

References

  1. ^ Steamlocomotive.info
  2. ^ Nygaard, Norman, Walter Knott: Twentieth Century Pioneer, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1965, pp. 97–99.
  3. ^ a b c Merritt, Christopher, and Lynxwiler, J. Eric, Knott's Preserved, Angel City Press, Santa Monica, CA, 2010, pp. 77–82, 94.
  4. ^ Mello, Michael (January 6, 2012). "Sixty years later, Knott's train still puffing". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  5. ^ Alan M. Cranston, "Your Ticket for the Ghost Town Train Robbery", Live Steam Magazine, Mar.–Apr. (1954): 13.
  6. ^ Salts, Christiane Victoria, Cordelia Knott: Pioneering Business Woman, The Literature Connection, Buena Park, CA, 2009, pp. 52–3.
  7. ^ Mello, Michael (January 12, 2012). "Golden spike pounded into Knott's track — again". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on January 23, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  8. ^ Reprographics Department. Ghost Town and Calico Railway. Knott's Berry Farm, 1953, p. 33.
  9. ^ Jennings, Jay, Knott's Berry Farm: The Early Years, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC, 2009, pp. 54, 79, 88–89, 99.
  10. ^ Ghost Town & Calico Railway, p. 52, Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, California, 1953.
  11. ^ Danneman, Herbert. A Ticket to Ride the Narrow Gauge: A Chronological History of the Denver & Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Passenger Trains and Their Equipment, 1871-1981, p. 197, Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, Colorado, 2000.
  12. ^ a b Danneman, Herbert. Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Varnish: A Denver & Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Passenger Train Car Roster, 1871-1981, pp. 7, 19, Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, Colorado, 2003.
  13. ^ Danneman, Herbert. A Ticket to Ride the Narrow Gauge: A Chronological History of the Denver & Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Passenger Trains and Their Equipment, 1871-1981, pp. 210, Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, Colorado, 2000.
  14. ^ Danneman, Herbert. Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Varnish: A Denver & Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Passenger Train Car Roster, 1871-1981, p. 19, Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, Colorado, 2003.
  15. ^ Ferrell, Mallory Hope. Silver San Juan: The Rio Grande Southern Railroad, pp. 588-9, Pruett Publishing Company, Boulder, Colorado, 1973.
  16. ^ Danneman, Herbert. Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Varnish: A Denver & Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Passenger Train Car Roster, 1871-1981, pp. 21-5, Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, Colorado, 2003.
  17. ^ Ferrell, Mallory Hope. Silver San Juan: The Rio Grande Southern Railroad, pp. 88-9, 184-5, 588-9, 601, 611-12, Pruett Publishing Company, Boulder, Colorado, 1973.
  18. ^ Danneman, Herbert. A Ticket to Ride the Narrow Gauge: A Chronological History of the Denver & Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Passenger Trains and Their Equipment, 1871-1981, pp. 84, 122, 136, 210, 213, Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, Colorado, 2000
  19. ^ Holmes, Roger and Bailey, Paul, Fabulous Farmer: The Story of Walter Knott and his Berry Farm, Westernlore Publishers, Los Angeles, 1956, pp. 139–152.
  20. ^ Harris, Richard, Early Amusement Parks of Orange County, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC, 2008, pp. 26–31.
  21. ^ Eades, Mark (August 17, 2016). "A Knott's Berry Farm Steam Locomotive is Reborn". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  22. ^ Resolution by Parks and Recreation Committee. City of Flint, MI. January 22, 1981.
  23. ^ Parker, Dana T. "So, Who Was Edna?" Ridgway Railroad Museum Newsletter, May 2022, pp 10-13, Ridgway, Colorado.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Calico Railroad.

33°50′39″N 118°0′1″W / 33.84417°N 118.00028°W / 33.84417; -118.00028

Read other articles:

Berlin Police

Berlin PolicePolizei BerlinAgency overviewFormed25 March 1809Employees25,153 (2017)[1]Annual budget€1.545 billion (2019)[2]Jurisdictional structureOperations jurisdictionBerlinLocation of Berlin shown in GermanySize891.85 km2Population3,754,418 (2019)Governing bodySenate of BerlinConstituting instruments(ASOG Berlin) (Law of the protection of public safety and order)(StPO) (Code of criminal procedure)General natureLocal civilian policeOperational structureHeadquartersPl...

 

Pemilihan umum Afrika Selatan 1994

Pemilihan umum Afrika Selatan 19941989199927 April 1994Seluruh 400 kursi pada Majelis Nasional Afrika Selatan201 kursi untuk meraih status mayoritasKandidat   Partai pertama Partai kedua Partai ketiga   Ketua Nelson Mandela F. W. de Klerk Mangosuthu Buthelezi Partai Kongres Nasional Afrika Partai Nasional (Afrika Selatan) Partai Kebebasan Inkatha Kursi yang dimenangkan 252 82 43 Suara rakyat 12,237,655 3,983,690 2,058,294 Persentase 62.65% 20.39% 10.54% Peta persebar...

 

Persebaya Putri

Persebaya PutriNama lengkapPersatuan sepak bola Surabaya PutriJulukanWomen in GreenBerdiri10 November 1978; 45 tahun lalu (1978-11-10)StadionGelora Bung Tomo(Kapasitas: 55,000)PemilikPT. Persebaya Indonesia[1]Presiden Azrul AnandaHead coach Ridwan Anwar[2]LigaLiga 1 PutriSitus webSitus web resmi klubKelompok suporterBonek Kostum kandang Kostum tandang Kostum Alternatif Musim ini Persebaya Surabaya Tim utama Tim wanita Tim satelit Tim U-20 Tim U-18 Tim U-16 Persebaya ...

Hendrikus Haris Haryanto

Hendrikus Haris Haryanto Kepala Badan Pengembangan Kebijakan dan Teknologi Pertahanan KemhanMasa jabatan2 Mei 2023 – 1 April 2024 PendahuluJulexi TambayongPenggantiPetahanaKepala Staf Komando Pertahanan Udara NasionalMasa jabatan23 Februari 2021 – 21 Januari 2022 PendahuluI Wayan SulabaPenggantiNovyan Samyoga sebagai KaskoopsudnasKomandan Lanud Sultan HasanuddinMasa jabatan29 November 2018 – 23 Februari 2021 PendahuluBowo BudiartoPenggantiDanet Hendriyanto Inf...

 

Viktor Zubarev (politician)

For the footballer, see Viktor Zubarev. Russian politician (1961–2023) Viktor ZubarevВиктор ЗубаревZubarev in 2016Member of the State Duma for Krasnoyarsk KraiIn office5 October 2016 – 31 May 2023Preceded byconstituency re-establishedSucceeded bySergey YeryominConstituencyDivnogorsk (No. 56)Member of the State Duma (Party List Seat)In officeNovember 2012 – 2014[when?]In office24 December 2007 – 21 December 2011 Personal detailsBornViktor...

 

Bloom*Iz

Bloom*IzSampul digital (Karya seni dari sampul versi I*Will)Album studio karya Iz*OneDirilis17 Februari 2020Direkam2019GenreK-popDurasi40:31BahasaKoreaLabelOff the RecordStone MusicKronologi Iz*One Heart*Iz(2019) Bloom*Iz(2020) Oneiric Diary(2020) Singel dalam album Bloom*Iz FiestaDirilis: 17 Februari 2020 Bloom*Iz (dibaca bloom eyes) adalah album studio debut karya grup vokal perempuan Korea Selatan-Jepang Iz*One, sebuah grup proyek yang dibentuk melalui acara kompetisi realitas Mnet tah...

Yamao Yōzō

Japanese samurai engineer (1837-1917) Yamao YōzōViscount Yamao YōzōBorn(1837-11-05)November 5, 1837Yamaguchi, JapanDiedDecember 21, 1917(1917-12-21) (aged 80)Tokyo, JapanNationalityJapaneseOccupation(s)Engineer, Educator, Politician In this Japanese name, the surname is Yamao. Viscount Yamao Yōzō (山尾 庸三, November 5, 1837 – December 21, 1917) was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period who became an influential member of the Meiji era government of Japan. Early life Yama...

 

Oh My Girl

Halaman ini berisi artikel tentang grup vokal wanita Korea Selatan. Untuk album mini debut grup ini, lihat Oh My Girl (album mini). Untuk drama Jepang, lihat Oh! My Girl!! Oh My Girl오마이걸Oh My Girl pada Mei 2021Dari kiri ke kanan: Arin, Hyojung, Jiho, Seunghee, YooA, Mimi dan YubinInformasi latar belakangAsalSeoul, Korea SelatanGenreK-popTahun aktif2015 (2015)–sekarangLabelWMAriola Japan[1]Situs webohmy-girl.comAnggota Hyojung Mimi YooA Seunghee Yubin Arin Mantan anggota...

 

St Nazaire Raid

British amphibious attack of 28 March 1942 Operation Chariot redirects here. For the proposed construction of a harbour by nuclear weapons, see Project Chariot. St Nazaire RaidPart of the North West Europe Campaign of World War IISt Nazaire on the Loire estuaryDate28 March 1942LocationSt Nazaire, France47°16′30″N 2°11′48″W / 47.27500°N 2.19667°W / 47.27500; -2.19667Result British victory Normandie dry dock rendered inoperable for the rest of the warBelliger...

Salmo trutta

Salmo trutta TruiteClassification Règne Animalia Embranchement Chordata Sous-embr. Vertebrata Super-classe Osteichthyes Classe Actinopterygii Sous-classe Neopterygii Infra-classe Teleostei Super-ordre Protacanthopterygii Ordre Salmoniformes Sous-ordre Salmoniformes Famille Salmonidae Sous-famille Salmoninae Genre Salmo EspèceSalmo truttaLinnaeus, 1758 Statut de conservation UICN LC  : Préoccupation mineure Salmo trutta est une espèce de poissons de la famille des Salmonidés qu...

 

Bareboat charter

Chartering or hiring of a ship without crew or provisions This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Bareboat charter – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Admiralty law History Code of Hammurabi Corpus Juris Civilis Digesta Ordinamenta e...

 

Visa policy of Abkhazia

Policy on permits required to enter Abkhazia Politics of Abkhazia Constitution Executive PresidentAslan Bzhania Vice PresidentBadr Gunba Prime MinisterAlexander Ankvab LegislaturePeople's Assembly Speaker Valery Kvarchia Public Chamber Political parties Elections Recent elections Presidential: 20192020 Legislative: 20172022 Local: 20112016 Administrative divisions First level: Seven Districts Second level: Towns / Urban Settlements Foreign relations Ministry for Foreign Affairs Minister: Inal...

Outline of Jamaica

Overview of and topical guide to Jamaica See also: Index of Jamaica-related articles The Flag of JamaicaThe Coat of arms of Jamaica The location of Jamaica An enlargeable map of Jamaica The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Jamaica: Jamaica – sovereign island nation located on the Island of Jamaica of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea.[1] It is 234 kilometres (145 mi) long and 80 kilometres (50 mi) at its widest. I...

 

Belgue

Place in Centre-Est Region, Burkina FasoBelgueCountry Burkina FasoRegionCentre-Est RegionProvinceBoulgou ProvinceDepartmentGarango DepartmentPopulation (2005 est.) • Total516 Belgue is a village in the Garango Department of Boulgou Province in south-eastern Burkina Faso. As of 2005, the village has a population of 516.[1] References ^ Burkinabé government inforoute communale Archived 2008-10-11 at the Wayback Machine vte Boulgou ProvinceCapital: TenkodogoBagré ...

 

علم الكلام

جزء من سلسلة مقالات حولالإسلام العقيدة الإيمان توحيد الله  الإيمان بالملائكة الإيمان بالكتب السماوية الإيمان بالرسل والأنبياء الإيمان باليوم الآخر الإيمان بالقضاء والقدر أركان الإسلام شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمد رسول الله إقامة الصلاة  إيتاء الزكاة  صوم رم�...

Abortion in South Dakota

Overview of the legality and prevalence of abortions in the U.S. state of South Dakota Abortion in South Dakota is illegal. Anyone who induces an abortion is guilty of a Class 6 felony.[1] An exception is included to preserve the life of the pregnant female, given appropriate and reasonable medical judgment.[1] There were 878 legal abortions in 2000, 895 in 2001, 819 in 2003, 551 in 2014, and 444 in 2015. History Legislative history By 1950, the state legislature had passed a ...

 

Granary

Storage building for grain This article is about granaries in general. For the Bristol granary, see Granary, Bristol. For the record label, see Granary Music. This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. (December 2015) A simple granary (early 19th century), Slovenia A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. ...

 

Gajah sumatra

Gajah sumatra Gajah sumatra jantan di sekitar Borobudur Bayi gajah sumatra di Taman Nasional Tesso Nilo, Riau Status konservasi Kritis  (IUCN 3.1) Klasifikasi ilmiah Kerajaan: Animalia Filum: Chordata Kelas: Mammalia Ordo: Proboscidea Famili: Elephantidae Genus: Elephas Spesies: E. maximus Subspesies: E. m. sumatranus Nama trinomial Elephas maximus sumatranusTemminck, 1847 Gajah sumatra (bahasa Latin: Elephas maximus sumatranus) adalah subspesies dari gajah asia yang hanya...

Formula

Concise way of expressing information symbolically For other uses, see Formula (disambiguation). On the left is a sphere, whose volume V  is given by the mathematical formula V = ⁠4/3⁠ π r3. On the right is the compound isobutane, which has chemical formula (CH3)3CH. One of the most influential figures of computing science's founding generation, Edsger Dijkstra at the blackboard during a conference at ETH Zurich in 1994. In Dijkstra's own words, A picture may be worth a...

 

The Mirraz

The Mirraz 2011年12月基本情報別名 ミイラズ出身地 日本ジャンル オルタナティヴ・ロックインディー・ロックポストパンク・リバイバル活動期間 2006年 -レーベル mini muff records（2007年 - 2010年）KINOI RECORDS（2011年 - 2012年）EMIミュージック・ジャパン（2012年 - 2014年）DEATH PYRAMID RECORDS（2015年 - 2017年）Kinoi,inc.（2017年 - ）公式サイト the-mirraz.comメンバー 畠山承平（ボーカル・ギ�...