Lee’s right on this one. The possibility of the line being rebuilt is, at best, a dream. Would be nice, but alas it is only a dream

Nobody ever said otherwise.

Back to the crowns, what’s the grade on the Omaha zoo Railroad. I need to check it out sometime!

The zoo also has a Krauss "U" class 0-6-2T https://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocom ... splay=1386 which has much better pulling capabilities than the Crown

Crowns were designed to pull short trains of their own lightweight amusement park cars - I don't recall what their TE is, I'm thinking maybe 4000 pounds or thereabouts....... hauling legitimate railroad cars would eat a lot of that up on just tare weight alone.

A copy of a Crown catalog with specifications can be found here: http://www.trainweb.org/NarrowGaugeNews/crownall.html. It states the 36" gauge engine has a tractive effort of 5,700 lbs.

- Alan Maples

I'm sure you guys are right about the prospects of rebuilding the line. However, unless the roads in question are four-lane freeway type roads, I would note that it is a lot easier to relocate a road than it is to bring tourist dollars into a depressed area like the NC/TN border area.

I can only assume you've never been to the area.
Building the highway through there was a very difficult and expensive process.
If you really look into the lay of the land there and where highway is, you'll see how you wouldn't bet a penny on anyone moving the road.
There's a really good reason why the highway was built on the railroad right of way...

We have a video of the Crown in operation! Looks like just test running for now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4ByQKOUkJs

Very cool!

The photo in the Catalog of the 24" on the Bridge with the ducks in front was taken at Idewild Park between Latrobe and Ligonier, Pa. in the mid-'60's; it is crossing the Loyalhanna Creek.

Some of the Parks's line was actually the Ligonier Valley RR which interchanged with the PRR at Latrobe.