Eastlake Park Scenic Railway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eastlake Park Scenic Railway |
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Loco No 1903 of the Eastlake Park Scenic Railway
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| Technical | |
| Line length | 984 m (3,228 feet) |
| Track gauge | 18 in (457 mm) |
| Maximum incline | 7 % |
The Eastlake Park Scenic Railway was a super cool miniature railway that ran in Los Angeles, California. It was about 984 m (3,228 feet) long, which is almost a kilometer! This tiny train was built to a 1:3 scale, meaning it was one-third the size of a real train. Its tracks were 18 in (457 mm) apart.
This fun railway operated for a little over a year. It welcomed passengers from May 19, 1904, to May 11, 1905. You could find it in Eastlake Park, which is known today as Lincoln Park.
Contents
Exploring the Eastlake Park Train Tracks
The Eastlake Park Scenic Railway had tracks that stretched for nearly one kilometer (0.62 mi). These narrow gauge tracks wound through Eastlake Park, now called Lincoln Park. The journey began at a spot called Lakeside Station. This station was located close to the main entrance of the park.
From Lakeside Station, the train crossed a part of the lake. It rode over a strong trestle bridge made of steel and concrete. After the bridge, the tracks went through an area filled with pampas grass. The railway then curved around the edge of the park. It even ran alongside the tracks of the Southern Pacific Railroad.
The train passed a driveway lined with tall fan palm trees. It then twisted through a small forest of tropical plants. Finally, it arrived at Hillside Station. This station was an important spot for the railway.
Hillside Station Details
Hillside Station was where the train's locomotive shed was located. This is like a garage for the train engine. There was also a double-track area here. This allowed the locomotive to move to the other end of the train. This way, it could pull the train back for the return trip.
The station also had a water tower and an oil tank. These were needed to refuel the steam locomotive. There were extra tracks, called sidings, for storing trains. A ticket booth was also at Hillside Station.
The entire railway had five switches. These allowed trains to change tracks. The rails themselves were T-shaped, called Vignoles rails. Each yard of rail weighed 8 lb/yd (3.97 kg/m).
Including all the sidings, the total track length was 1,045 m (3,428 feet). More than 1,700 sleepers (wooden blocks under the tracks) were used. The sharpest turn on the track had a radius of 16.5 m (54 feet). Hillside Station was 5.4 m (17 feet 9 inches) higher than Lakeside Station. The steepest part of the track was a 7 % slope. This steep section was 9 m (29.53 feet) long.
The Railway's History
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A talented person named John J. Coit built the tracks for this miniature railway. He also designed and likely built the steam locomotive. Before this, Coit worked as a master machinist. He had also built and run another successful miniature railway. This was the Long Beach and Asbury Park Railway.
Coit faced a physical challenge for two years. This made him focus on designing a very easy-to-use locomotive. He had a friend known as 'Shorty' Chase. 'Shorty' was a person of short stature. He always looked sharp in a suit and a bowler hat. He worked as a conductor on all of Coit's railways.
Abbot Kinney, who developed Venice of America, was very impressed by the Eastlake Park railway. He hired Coit to build another miniature railway. This new railway was for the Venice Miniature Railway in Venice Beach.
The Eastlake Park railway's permit was canceled on May 11, 1905. This was due to some political changes. So, Coit moved his locomotive to Venice temporarily. A new locomotive for Venice was delayed. Coit's locomotive helped open the new railway in Venice on July 4, 1905.
Coit returned to Eastlake Park in 1908 after a disagreement with Kinney. He operated his locomotive, No 1903, and his three passenger cars. He continued to run them for about two years, until around 1910. Later, he moved his equipment to the Urbita Hot Springs Railway.
The Powerful Locomotive
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The main engine of the railway was an oil-fired steam locomotive. It was named No 1903. This locomotive was 5.80 m (19.0 feet) long from front to back. It stood 1,295 mm (51 inches) tall from the top of the rail to the top of its smokestack. It was a 2-6-0 type locomotive. This means it had two small wheels at the front, six driving wheels in the middle, and no wheels at the back.
Locomotive No 1903 had some cool new features. It had a special valve control system. This system didn't use eccentrics, which are common parts in steam engines. This made it easier to adjust and take care of. The locomotive also had automatic couplings. These made it simple to connect and disconnect cars. Coit even got a patent for his unique oil burner design.
The locomotive and its tender (the car carrying fuel and water) weighed 3.628 kg (8 pounds). Without the tender, the locomotive weighed 2,328 kg (5,134 lbs). The tender could hold 780 L (210 US gallons; 170 imperial gallons) of water. It also carried 322 L (85 US gallons; 71 imperial gallons) of oil for fuel.
The locomotive's weight was spread over its wheels. It had six large driving wheels, each 463 mm (18.23 inches) across. Two smaller wheels, called a pony truck, were at the front. These were 254 mm (10 inches) in diameter. The engine had a special Vanderbilt type boiler. This boiler could reach a maximum pressure of 10 bar (150 psi; 1,000 kPa). It produced 25 horsepower (19 kW) of power. The locomotive's cylinders were 5 by 7 inches (127.0 mm × 177.8 mm) bore by stroke. This powerful engine could pull with a force of 4.8 kN (1,100 lbf).
Comfortable Carriages
The Eastlake Park Scenic Railway also had passenger cars. These cars were designed for comfort. They had helical coil springs in their suspension. This helped make the ride smooth. Each car had ten seats for passengers.
The carriages were 4.26 m (14.0 feet) long. They were also 0.96 m (3.1 feet) wide. Each car weighed 680 kg (1,500 lb). Just like the locomotive, the carriages had Coit's automatic couplings on both ends. This made it easy to link them together.
