Friday, September 25, 2009

Griffith Park Miniature Train, circa 1956

Griffith Park is one of my favorite places in Los Angeles; it's a sprawling, rugged and hilly park that includes the beautiful art deco observatory, the Greek Theater, and the Los Angeles Zoo. And the Hollywood sign! It also has the merry-go-round that was a favorite place for Walt Disney to bring his daughters; he recounted that as he sat there eating peanuts, he envisioned a place where kids and adults could have fun together. Which makes it sound like Griffith Park is a big snooze. But I love it!

Besides the merry-go-round, another feature is the Los Angeles Live Steamer's Railroad, founded in 1956 by railroad enthusiasts "...for the purpose of educating people in railroad history and lore and to further the avocation of live steam, gas-mechanical and electronic scale model railroad technology."

Here are three photos, that probably date from 1956 or '57, showing the miniature railroad. Walt Disney shared a love of miniature trains, although this example is a more modern diesel-style locomotive.


As you can see, the park really is a kind of oasis in the middle of L.A. You can still ride miniature trains in Griffith Park, but when I looked at the website, it appears that this specific locomotive has been retired. There are now three different trains: a steam train, a diesel train, and an electric train.


The Live Steamers Railroad also obtained the barn that housed the control center for Walt Disney's miniature train layout at his home in Holmby Hills (it was saved by Diane Disney Miller, and reopened in Griffith Park in July of 1999). The barn is open to the public on the third sunday of every month, with guided tours from 11 am to 3 pm. Be there or be a dodecahedron.

12 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

Love these! I wanna go ride them now! And with the recent reports of Coyotes attacking people in Griffith Park, it might be like riding thru a bloody Nature's Wonderland.

PTA Transit Authority said...

Went there many times. Definitely a place where you can re-kindle childhood memories. A train fan's dream world. Great pictures Major!

Chiana_Chat said...

Wow. A double dose of thanks for this post Maj. I'm gonna have to tell my mom about this. She remembered going there as a youngun', train and all. She'll love seeing these! :)

Matterhorn1959 said...

Don't forget that before the barn was moved there, most of the track from the Disney home was laid down. The trains still run over the track in Disney canyon. Next to the Live Steamers is Travel Town with full size trains to explore and ride.

Capt. Tomorrow said...

Actually, Walt’s barn is owned by The Carolwood Foundation and operated and maintained by The Carolwood Historical Society; the land actually belongs to the L.A. Live Steamers (thanks to them for their on-going support. The Carolwood Foundation also owns Ollie Johnston’s station (right next to Walt’s barn) and is currently in the process of obtaining the combine from the Santa Fe & Disneyland RR that was purported to be Walt’s favorite car on the railroad. I encourage joining the CPHS (http://www.carolwood.com) as it is a fantastic organization, the yearly dues are very low, they have great events throughout the year, and their sole mission is to save and preserve Walt Disney’s railroading legacy. Yes, I’m a member of the CPHS and this IS a shameless endorsement of the society.

Nancy said...

who doesnt love trains!?!

this sounds like a wonderful place to see...will have to add it to my list for our next visit to California! :D

Old Person said...

I'm pretty sure the train here is not part of the Live Steamers. This looks like the little train that operated (perhaps still does) at another location in Griffith Park.

olddisneylandfan said...

Being another "Old Person," I agree that this train isn't part of the Live Steamers. The pictured train operated quite a distance away from the Steamers, over near Los Feliz Blvd. I remember riding it when I was quite young.

outsidetheberm said...

It's surprising how many of these trains were captured on film only to then have their location mislabeled by the photographer. Have bunches from Balboa Park in San Diego as well as Griffith in LA. Sometimes they are easy to identify - and sometimes not so much. I just appreciate 'em all regardless!

Thanks, Major!

Major Pepperidge said...

Thanks for the corrections and additional info, everybody! Old timers, I had NO idea that there was another miniature train ride in Griffith Park.

Outsidetheberm, these slides were not labeled, so I can't blame the photographer... I thought I knew what I was talking about. DOH!

Anonymous said...

The train in the picture is the first G16 train set (S/N 501) manufactured by the MTC company. The pictures were taken on the original figure 8 layout, prior to the changes caused by the construction of the Golden State Freeway. In the mid 50’s the old layout was replaced by dog bone shaped layout, and a 2nd train added. The train in the picture is still operating on a private layout and is in like new condition in Northern California. While in high school during the mid 50’s I had the envious job of operating the train, and also designed and installed the signal system for the new layout. I would be pleased to answer any questions about the train and its’ operation.

Major Pepperidge said...

Anonymous, thanks for the info... I received an email from a reader with much of the same info, but your comment had some unique info as well! There must have been a lot of love for the old MTC trains.