"park" as in theme park.

I was browsing steamlocomotive.info and came across a sizable looking 36 inch gauge 2-6-2 (see below link) that apparently was being built by the late Stan Matthews and his Shop Services Inc. at Mount Pleasant, IA. I was wondering who this engine was being built for (the photo suggests a "wild west look", so a theme park seems likely) and what is the future of this fairly complete-looking (at least in the photo) locomotive. While the boiler and other parts looks new, the chassis has an authentic "Porter" look to it (canted cylinders, etc.). Wondering if the chassis was "recycled" from a "real" locomotive. Sure seems a waste if it's still just sitting there--I believe Mr. Matthew died during the mid 90's, so it's probably been sitting since then. BTW, Mr. Matthews was the founder of the Midwest Central RR which operates in conjunction with the Old Settlers Threshers Reunion (a major antique steam and gas machinery show) at Mount Pleasant. His Shop Services Inc. did work on a number of "park" steam locomotives including engines at Cedar Point and a Crown 4-4-0 belonging to singer Micheal Jackson. So what's the story on the 2-6-2?

Second question: I was looking through some photos taken (I think) during the 1980's that shows a 3-foot gauge Crown 4-4-0 and cars running at the popular South Of The Border resort/tourist attraction in SC. It boasted a gaudy yellow and orange paint scheme and was lettered "South Carolina & Mexico RR" or some such thing. I believe that today S.O.T.B. has a smaller gauge park train featuring one of those gas-engined C.P. Huntington 4-2-4T's made by Chance Rides. From the photos, the Crown looked the "real deal" (steam vs. IC power) and sported single lung air pump and big chime whistle. So what happened to this park engine?

Regards,
Jim Robinson

Stan Matthews' 2-6-2

This engine was owned by a fellow in California who also owned the forney pictured and a 2-6-0 that were rebuilt by Shop Services. It was a genuine Porter frame and running gear I believe. Crown modified it to take one of their boilers and added the pilot truck. Stan died in 94 and the engine was finished soon after. I belive that was the last engine to leave Shop Services. The guy that owned it has now also passed away and I don't know where it is now.

cjvanwinkle@hotmail.com

I recommend checking the Yahoo "parktrains" group - they have a pretty active message board quite a bit of information posted in the "files" section, including quite a bit on Crown engines.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/parktrains/

Alan Maples


AMaples@aol.com

> Second question: I was looking through some
> photos taken (I think) during the 1980's
> that shows a 3-foot gauge Crown 4-4-0 and
> cars running at the popular South Of The
> Border resort/tourist attraction in SC. It
> boasted a gaudy yellow and orange paint
> scheme and was lettered "South Carolina
> & Mexico RR" or some such thing. I
> believe that today S.O.T.B. has a smaller
> gauge park train featuring one of those
> gas-engined C.P. Huntington 4-2-4T's made by
> Chance Rides. From the photos, the Crown
> looked the "real deal" (steam vs.
> IC power) and sported single lung air pump
> and big chime whistle. So what happened to
> this park engine?

The Crown that was at SOB is now on static display in Alabama, IIRC. SOB now has a 24" gauge railroad called the "Carolina & Upper Mexico RR." It's powered by a relatively late-model Chance CP Huntington steam-outline gas engine.

Someone else plugged the Parktrains yahoo list (thank you very much) at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/parktrains. I would also sugest taking a look at my Parktrains website at http://www.trainweb.org/parktrains.

The South Carolina Railroad Museum
mconrad@compuzone.net

Matt, thanks for the update on the Crown locomotive that was at South Of The Border. BTW, you have an excellent website on park trains--I visited it a while back (and again now), but didn't realize until now it was your work. Great job!

From Matt's website, the other post above and a couple other sources, I've dug up some backround on the 2-6-2. It's literally been coast to coast and everywhere in between!

The locomotive is indeed built on an "authentic" chassis. The 2-6-2 started life as a 0-6-2T built by Porter in 1897. In regular service it served a couple of different sugarcane plantations in LA, picking up the name "Melodia" along the way. Eventually Arthur LaSalle, a well known broker/outfitter of amusement park steam trains, bought it. The engine was then passed along to Jim Freeland, who once operated a 3' gauge steam train ride at the Daniel Boone Village in Hillsborough, NC (BTW, the Gold Coast RR Museum's ng 0-4-0 being asked about here a while back ran also at the DBV). At some point the engine traveled to Ken Williams' Crown Metal Products in PA and was rebuilt into its current 2-6-2 tender engine configuration. Crown fitted a new boiler at this time. The locomotive in its new form operated during the early/mid 1970's at the Carowinds Park located astride the NC/SC border. SEE THE BELOW LINK for a photo of it at Carowinds (from Matt's website). After Carowinds removed their train ride, the locomotive was eventually acquired in 1980 by George Roose (of Cedar Point & Lake Erie RR fame). During 1982-84 the engine was at yet another theme park, this one in MD. It went back to Mr. Roose's property in OH and following his death in early 1990's was acquired by Bill Norred of CA. Mr. Norred had acquired this and other steam locomotives for use at a planned "victorian village" theme attraction in CA. The engines he acquired went to the late Stan Matthew's Shop Services Inc in IA for complete rebuildings (as seen in the steamlocomotive.info photo). It's unclear if a second new boiler was fitted at that time or if the photo shows the boiler from the Crown rebuilding. The cab and other components certainly look new/different. As the other post stated, Mr. Norred passed away before his proposed village and railroad came to be. If my facts are straight, more recently the 2-6-2 has been acquired by a couple in CA (name and location withheld for privacy) and is operated along with another engine (a 2-4-0) on their ranch. I'm glad to learn that this neat looking little lok was finished and is operating.

Regards,
Jim Robinson


2-6-2 @ Carowinds Park