History of Park Trains Amusement park trains have had a long and varied history. I'm in the process of researching a book on this subject. Reseach has been ongoing for over a year now. Much of the historical data, such as production dates and figures, is proving to be very hard to find. For the moment, I'm placing the general information various people have sent me here, on this Website.
Any additional information is appreciated.
As Frank Sprague's electric streetcar idea began to catch on in major cities all over the world, many traction companies built streetcar tracks out into the country and set up a small amusement park. The idea was to encourage weekend ridership of the trolleys. Often, the tracks of the trolley company would encircle the park, forming a big loop which allowed the trolley to return to town without having to reverse. This gave the trolley riders a sort of preview of the park. It wsn't long before the trolley was stopped at the gate, however, and the job of giving park visitors a preview was usurped by a miniature train running around the park's perimiter.