About Griffith Park Train Rides

GP Rah Enterprises, LLC operates specialty family recreation facilities under various concession contracts in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California. It has operated the Griffith Park & Southern Railroad since 1972 and the Travel Town Railroad since 1978. It also operates a simulator ride at Griffith Park & Southern Railroad. We are currently pursuing other opportunities in California and elsewhere.

Some Statistics -

• Our miniature railroads carry almost 600,000 passengers each year. Weather permitting we operate 364 days a year, closing only on Christmas Day.
• Our Griffith Park & Southern track is about one mile long. The trains travel over several bridges, including a 60' long wood and steel box girder bridge. We also go through an 80' tunnel and past several attractions, including the Western Old Town.
• Our track at Travel Town Museum is approximately 3/8ths of a mile and we make two loops around the outdoor exhibit of historically significant locomotives and passenger cars.
• We have five locomotives and 21 passenger coaches available for operation year round in the parks.

  Operating at Griffith Park & Southern Railroad (18.5" gauge) are:

  • The Colonel Griffith - 2-8-0 locomotive built by Severn Lamb Ltd. in 1983
  • The Freedom Train - A streamliner built by the All American Streamliner Co. of Los Angeles.
  • The Stanley Diamond  - A 2-6-0 mogul built by Gerry Bowden in 1993
  • Ten Pullman style, five seat steel coaches built by All American Streamliner of Los Angeles.
  • Three six seat wood gondolas built by Skeets Simpson in 1993 after a design by Erik Thomsen of Redwood Valley Railway.

  Operating at Travel Town Railroad (16" gauge) are:

  • The Courage - A 2-6-0 mogul built by Gerry Bowden in 1993. Sister locomotive to the Stanley Diamond.
  • The 1986 - diesel switcher built by Gerry Bowden in 1986.
  • Six Pullman style, six seat coaches built by George Reddington in 1956 for Gene Autry's Melody Ranch Special train. Steel covers were added to these coaches in 1989.

   

• The Griffith Park & Southern Railroad first opened for business in 1948. It has operated continuously, except for a few years in the 1950's, ever since.
• Our trains are 1/4th and 1/3rd scale models of actual locomotives and passenger cars.
• In the interest of doing our small part to improve the quality of life in Los Angeles, all of our locomotives were voluntarily converted from gasoline power to propane in 1994.