NJ's Best Amusement Park Trains

There was also a small train ride on the Wildwood boardwalk, I beleive it was Hunts pier. If I remember correctly it was a 440 gas powered steamer with open coaches to ride in. I've also heard stories of a train ride in Lyndhurst, in one of the parks. The train shed is still there but all the trackage has been removed.

Yesterday, my five year old and I were out for one of our "mid winter but we wish it was warmer" drives when I decided to take us up to Keansburg Amusement Park. I had not seen the park in more than twenty years but my son visited it with his camp group last summer and he told me about riding two different trains. Sure enough , immediately adjacent to the street is a loop of track with a set of equipment decorated for Atlantic Coast Line poised and ready to go. Talk about hidden jewels! TCA recently ran a rather lengthy series of articles covering various amusement park trains in its quarterly membership publication. The stories were interesting and heightened my awareness of this equipment. I'll be sure to take my boy back when the park opens to ride that train. Recalling some of the amusement park trains I had the opportunity to ride over the years, seeing that little guy yesterday was a real blast from the past.

Regards,

Earle

There were so many amusement park trains at one time. Some of us can remember the Cagney trains (Point Pleasant, Spring Lake, Keansburg, Atlantic Highlands, etc). Asbury Park had a gas C P Huntington type of set up, the Zitarosa Family had the last Point Pleasant beach train, there were Belmar Playland, Storybook Village in Neptune, Cowboy City on Rt 33 in Howell, almost every amusement park had a train back then. And there was a 2-foot operation for a few years at Allaire Airport, the tracks are still there and so is the equipment.

So many good memories.

When you say Allaire Airport, is that the Monmouth Executive Airport?

Thanks
Mr. Ed

Before Pine Creek Rwy. moved to Allaire State Forrest, they had a smaller "ride on" steam train. Northlandz on the North side of U.S. Rte. 202 between Flemington and 3 Bridges, has an outdoor train, probably 2 foot gauge.

I went to Allaire airport a few months ago and the tracks are not complete there any longer for their train. We could not find the equiptment on the property and many parts of the tracks that cross the roads have been removed. Most of the ROW is covered by overgrown grass, weeds, and trees.

It is a shame what happened at Allaire Airport, I had many a good memory on those amusements of Mr. Brown's.

This may be of interest to everyone. I was searching the web for amusement park train information and found the following website:

www.trainweb.org/parktrains/

It appears to be very thorough and looks like it will provide a good deal of pleasant reading.

Enjoy!

Regards,

Earle

Allaire Airport is in fact Monmouth Executive Airport. And yes, there isn't much left of Ed Brown's amuseument park. He built it without approval from Wall Twp., Monmouth County, nor NJ. When asked why he didn't seek approval. he replied that they wouldn't let him do it anyway, so why ask? I knew Ed Brown, and this sort of thing was standard for him. He was the largest taxpayer in Wall Twp., and every time they hassled him over something he threatened to close the airport and abandon it.

Pine Creek was located on Route 9 in Marlboro from 1952 to 1963, when it was moved to Allaire State Park. It had a quarter-mile 3-foot line, and a loop of 15" gauge track for the Cagney train operation at Marlboro.

The Cowboy City operation on Route 33 in Howell (1957-58-59) had a train ride, but it was supplied by the Pine Creek guys, as a contractor. (It was technically separate from Pine Creek, corporately). When Cowboy City closed after the 1959 season, the REAL Sheriff showed up, as Cowboy City had a problem with paying creditors. The train operation was almost lost, until paperwork proved the Copper Creek RR (corporately known as the Cranberry Creek RR Inc) in fact owned the trains, track, and related equipment.

The corporate entity known as Cranberry Creek RR later bought and operated the Middletown & NJ Rwy, Middletown NY.

(Came out as a double post, so I deleted the second one)

dave76 wrote:I've also heard stories of a train ride in Lyndhurst, in one of the parks. The train shed is still there but all the trackage has been removed.

The equipment used for that train was very similar to the type used at Turtle Back Zoo and Van Saun Park. It opened in the early to mid 70's and operated on weekends during the spring and summer months. Ever since, that section of County Park has been known as "the train park" to my family.

On a side note, I believe the storage shed is now used by the North Arlington HS crew team.

Let the New Jersey amusement park train season begin. We went to Jenkinson's to purchase our 2 for 1 ticket package today and the rides were open so we took a trip on the C.P. Huntington train. I had never taken notice of this feature but my son pointed out the rear facing seat at the hind end of the consist so we had a great view of the right of way behind us.

The CNJ 1178 it wasn't but it will have to do.

Regards,

Earle

This weekend, Red Bank celebrated "Paint the Town Pink" to benefit the fight against breast cancer. A variety of special events took place around town with the festival headquartered in the parking lot of Riverview Medical Center.

Among the attractions was a rubber tired train consisting of a steam outline locomotive and three cars each equipped with two bench seats. The ride took passengers around the parking lot for about ten minutes. The engine was equipped with a bell and air operated mechanism which yielded a pretty good representation of a steam whistle. Transportation of the train to and from the site was accomplished by moving the entire set in one piece aboard a specially designed trailer. I found it quite interesting as I had never seen this equipment before.

Even with the other attractions of face painting, music, moon bounce and big slide, the train appeared to generate the most enthusiasm among the kids and adults as it was continuously load and go all afternoon. I wanted to ask some questions about the equipment but the "Engineer" didn't stay in one place long enough. He earned his bucks yesterday.

Earle

We went to Keansburg Saturday. The locomotive of the Atlantic Coast Line G-12 is apart awaiting installation of a replacement gasoline engine so that train is not operational at the present time; however, the Rio Grande train next to the go kart course is running. There is also an LGB set circling the dining area of one of the retaurants in the park. On a related note, a business in town has vintage photographs of Keansburg displayed in its store window. One of the pictures is of the old pier and prominently shows the track for the Cagney train which shuttled visitors back and forth on the pier.

Earle

We spent Saturday afternoon at Keansburg and I'm pleased to report the G-12, officially called the "Miniature Train" at the park, is in operation for the first time in several seasons. The consist has been re-liveried from its ACL like purple and silver scheme to a red and yellow combination reminiscent of the old FEC colors. The train was being kept quite busy with a steady stream of riders.