THE TWO FOOTERS        

 

  Train Club Volunteers Adopt and Refurbish a Two-footer “Park Train”

A 1950s-era amusement park train is riding the rails again along the front acreage of the Conway Human Development Center (CHDC) in Conway, Arkansas. Members of the Central Arkansas Model Railroad Club (CAMRC) proposed in 2008 and the Center administration promptly accepted a plan to refurbish the rare two-foot-gauge train and operate it for the enjoyment of residents at the Center.

CHDC Superintendent Calvin Price welcomed the project and said, “The train has been at the Center since the late 1950s and was used for decades as a recreation resource for residents. It now shows signs of aging, so the efforts of the local train club to restore the train will make it run and look like new.”

In the summer and autumn of 2008, club members performed routine maintenance on the motor of the diesel-style locomotive – changed the oil, replaced the spark plugs, and started the engine. Like the “Little Engine That Could,” the train fired right up and made a short test run to the trestle and back. Then they replaced the electrical wiring, rebuilt the carburetor, and replaced the fuel pump. Thankfully, parts for the prime mover – a Ford tractor four-cylinder gas engine – are readily available.

Bobby Huber opens the MARS light housing to repair the oscillating headlight inside the nacelle.

The genuine oscillating MARS light mechanism in the lower nacelle of the nose of the locomotive was cleaned and lubricated and a new bulb installed. It is now fully functional.

“It’s a rare train with an interesting history,” said Daniel Gladstone, CAMRC President and a train hobbyist. “There are only a few of these vintage trains in existence, and Conway has one of them. Thankfully, the train has been well maintained and sheltered – even when inactive – so it’s in relatively good shape.”

      

Will McFadden, CAMRC club member & designated engineer, was at the controls and CHDC Superintendent Calvin Price was aboard the train as the sole “test passenger” during an initial run in the autumn of 2008.

Discovering its History

This amusement park train was manufactured in the early 1950s by National Amusement Devices (NAD) in Ohio. The company was formerly known as Dayton Fun House and Amusement Device Manufacturing Company. According to initial research by CAMRC, NAD manufactured about one hundred units of this train. The company was better known as a manufacturer of roller coaster cars, and the passenger cars of the train at CHDC bear a strong resemblance to that type of car. The company closed in 1978.

The train was purchased from NAD in April 1957 by Jess “Woody” Woods for use at the amusement park then called “Funland” at Burns Park in North Little Rock. In 1959, the Little Rock Chapter of The Railway Business Women’s Association offered to buy the train and track for use as a recreation resource for residents of what was then called The Children’s Colony. They solicited contributions from the nearly 30 railroads operating in the state at that time. The train and the track was purchased for about $20,000 and presented as a gift to the center in November 1959.

A group of Missouri Pacific employees donated their time to install one-third mile of track for the train and constructed two sturdy wooden trestles over the creek that meanders through the terrain around the Center. CAMRC recently learned that the father of Conway resident and attorney Tom Mickel was among a group of Missouri Pacific employees who originally installed the track and roadbed and then placed the train in operation at CHDC. A photo of that inaugural event was published in the MoPac employee magazine and included the elder Mickel.

The locomotive was repainted in 1992 in Union Pacific colors – yellow, red, and grey – at the UP Locomotive Repair Shop in North Little Rock and then named the “CHDC Fun Flyer.”

Under the Hood

The locomotive is powered by a Ford four-cylinder, water cooled, gas-fueled industrial motor, has a three-speed manual transmission, and is equipped with brakes. It even has dual air horns and a bell, like an actual diesel locomotive.  According to the manufacturer’s specifications, the train has sufficient horsepower to pull up to 20 cars fully loaded with passengers at up to 45 mph. “We haven’t challenged that specification,” said Will McFadden, the club’s designated engineer of the train.

  

Daniel Gladstone replaces a light bulb socket in one of the two number boards at the nose of the locomotive.

An Ambitious Program of Work

The track bed along the right of way needs attention in certain areas because of settling of the ground and weathered crossties. Some of the wood crossties will be replaced, some areas of track will be re-ballasted, and at least one section of damaged rail will be replaced. The entire train will be repainted for a fresh look and its bench seats reupholstered.

The two crossing signals along the right of way are now being restored and will soon operate in compliance with safety standards. CAMRC club member Bobby Huber is a Signal Maintenance Technician with a real railroad in the neighborhood – the Union Pacific. “The signals will be internally rewired and an automatic activation circuit installed,” Huber said. “It will work just like the signals on a real railroad where sensors are attached to the tracks and triggered by an approaching train.”

The Maintenance and Grounds Department at CHDC is a partner in the process of restoring the track. The staff has already buried the wiring for the crossing signals, installed a control cabinet, and provided a power drop for the system.

 

(L to R) CAMRC members Daniel Gladstone, Will McFadden, and Bobby Huber place a new crosstie into position at a rail joint during a work session in mid-April, 2009.

A CHDC Grounds Department tractor outfitted with a backhoe and front bucket is a useful piece of equipment for making track repairs – removing weathered crossties, hauling new crossties to areas where needed, and re-setting some areas of track to the correct gauge. As of mid-April, 2009, “About 100 feet of the right of way has been re-gauged for accurate correct spacing to avoid derailments,” said Bobby Huber who added, “only 300 feet to go!”

 

It’s not the GOLDEN SPIKE, but Bobby Huber drives one of many to be installed along the roadbed to maintain accurate spacing between the rails at 24 inches.

 Providing Access to Residents

Superintendent Price requested a wheelchair-accessible car be developed to accommodate residents who ambulate by wheelchairs. “We are looking for assistance in designing and building a car that will meet the standards of the United States Access Board,” he said. In the spring of 2009, Gladstone found original parts and the framework of a vintage NAD flat car through a Web search. The Center will hold fundraising events in order to purchase and rebuild this equipment and acquire additional rails to expand the trackage of the railroad.    The refurbished train will be operated for the enjoyment of CHDC residents but could possibly be opened to community on special occasions. The CAMRC and the staff at CHDC will seek grants, donations of services, and contributions to cover necessary supplies, parts, and maintenance items. Persons and organization interested in assisting with this project may contact Daniel Gladstone by phone at 501-269-3030 or by email at: ca_mrc@yahoo.com