Apple's Railroad Depot

**Apple's Railroad Depot** is a Apple Entertainment-owned theme park and heritage railroad located on the outskirts of East Greenwich, Rhode Island. It is known by railroaders for it's standard gauge real steam locomotives (powered on either coal or oil) and in the GP community for hosting "The Greeny Channel New Years Party" (expect for in 2016, when the GCNYP was held at Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida while the park was undergoing extensive renovations).

## History

Wye Stevenson, a retired powerline repairman from Texas, had moved to Rhode Island to seek out fortune. He and some of his new friends (two of the "new" friends were actually Wye's old friends which had to move to Rhode Island to join him) found a old American Standard locomotive in the open field that the mother of his friend, Earl Johnson of Providence, had once owned. Using money and several locomotive repairman that Earl contacted they built the locomotive and fired it up with oil. Then, they went to another open field and built railroad tracks and a amusement park. Earl bought a carousel from France, and sand and supplies were hauled in the field. Wye had been secretive about exactly how they obtained the money for the construction of the park and the purchasing and building of the locos and rolling stock, but he did tell Alex Apple a few weeks before the sale of the park to Apple Entertainment that they made some of the money by importing chocolate biscuits from England.

The then-small theme park, then called "Wye and Earl's Railway Depot" had the old-fashioned style carousel with stairs imported from France (still operating in the park as of 2015), a small rollercoaster (SBNO due to repairs being carried out), and the trains. Later, the group bought $560,000 in steam locomotives and rolling stock.

In 1964, the group bought CB&Q 5632, a puller of a number of CB&Q fan trips. The locomotive was repainted in various colors and had a playground built around it, turning it into the "Children's Locomotive Funhouse".

Several years later, Wye was the sole owner of the park, and the park was named "Railroad Depot, U.S.A.". Due to losing his funding for the park he sold the park to Apple Entertainment, Inc., resulting in the park becoming "Apple's Railroad Depot".

## Locomotives

* Apple's Railroad Depot 1 - A 2-8-2 locomotive that the original owner of the park, Wye Stevenson, built himself with his friends in 1947 from a old rusted out "American Standard" locomotive they found in a open field. The then-small theme park proved so successful that he bought more engines and rolling stock. This locomotive has since been converted to oil firing and has run trains since 1948.

* Apple's Railroad Depot 175 - A CNW Class R-1 4-6-0 locomotive. It's long and interesting history began in 1908 when it was built by ALCO for the CNW. The engine used to haul passenger and freight trains on The Chicago and North Western. The locomotive was owned and bought by Clint Jones for use on Keweenaw Central tourist along side with Cooper Range #29 in the 60s and 70s. The locomotive was abandoned in 1972 when Cooper Range abandoned its track north of Hancock. This locomotive was use on the Keweenaw Central tourist line along with Copper Range #29. The tender which is lettered for Northern Pacific was a replacement for the original CNW tender which apparently was beyond repair. It was the last steam engine to travel through Antigo where it haul a last excursion in 1957. The locomotive was stored on the Copper Range Railroad back in the early 1970’s. The locomotive, for a long time, was in storage at the Quincy Smelter at Hancock, MI. 175 sat rusted and wrecked after decades of Copper Country winters and a few vandals. That was until 2010, when 175 was bought by Apple Entertainment for $400,000. Apple Entertainment restored the locomotive to operating condition, and simultaneously transformed its appearance to that of a Maine Central locomotive, retaining the 175 number. Restoration was completed in 2012, and the locomotive entered revenue service on August 22, 2013 pulling The New England Cannonball. It is coal-fired and has a second tender for water. The second tender was built by GreenyWorld Creative Engineering using steel recycled from the old parts on 175 and disused boats. The locomotive uses the original whistle it wore, which had been repossessed by the police from the vandal who stole it and given to the park for restoration and placing on 175.

* New Jersey Transit (SEPTA) GE U34CH 4154 - This ex-Erie Lackawanna diesel locomotive had been leased to SEPTA briefly and had just been retired in 1993 when Wye bought it. This locomotive, remaining in mint-condition SEPTA paint, hauls The New England Cannonball when 175 is unable to pull it, and also pushes the Day Out with Thomas trains.

* Western Maryland 1110 - A 2-10-0 "Russian Decapod" steam locomotive. WM had briefly used 1110 as a yard engine in Elkins, WV. It's wide tires and long wheelbase led the 1110 to a number of visits to the ties around switch points. Needless to say the experiment was short lived. It has kept it's Western Maryland paint throughout the years and hauls it's own coaches along with a old orange Amtrak transfer caboose.

## Under Restoration

* Conrail EMD SDP40 6670 - This veteran of Big Blue's rails is being restored at Appel Entertainment's special facilities for theme park equipment repairs located in a converted former Hypermart, USA store with help from McHugh Locomotive Equipment. This locomotive will be hauling recreations of old Amtrak "rainbow" trains on select dates. On 9-year loan from the Virginia Museum of Transportation.