Griffithparktrainrides.com

Beautiful Wood Carousel for Sale or Lease

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:28:07 GMT

Our beautiful all wood carousel that has operated at Lincoln Park for the past 3 years is now available for sale or lease or operation at your location.

This carousel was originally built on an Allan Herschell Little Beauty frame by Brass Ring Entertainment in the early 1990's. The horses were carved by renowned carver Ed Roth. It operated at the Long Beach Mall from for three years in the mid 1990's until the mall closed. In the early 2000's we began refurbishment and totally upgraded the mechanicals and appearance of the unit. All decor and horses were then repainted in a custom paint scheme by an outstanding local artist. The carousel has all documentation and was annually inspected and approved by the State of California, Permanent Amusement Rides department.

The music on the video is recorded, we do not have a band organ on this unit.

Call Don Gustavson at 818-881-2586 for more information or email at info@gprah.com

Here are some Details:

Diameter: 28 Ft at Floor, 32 Ft at Rounding Boards

Horses: 20 in two rows. All are jumpers

Chariots: One double, one single with wheelchair access

Total Capacity - including standees - 32

Travel Town Railroad

Sun, 8 Jan 2012 15:16:55 GMT

The railroad is built around the perimeter of the Travel Town Museum. The museum has an outstanding collection of significant locomotives and rolling stock from Southern California.Travel Town was developed in the 1950’s. For many years the City operated a narrow gauge railroad ride along the Los Angeles River and Zoo Drive. When the steam locomotive could no longer operate, they began operating a trolley car until it too wore out. In 1975 the City of Los Angeles contracted with Railroad Supply Corporation (RSC) to build a miniature train ride within the museum. A team of employees led by E. V. Gustavson designed and built the 16” gauge track in about a year. The City then gave RSC a contract to operate the train ride. RSC purchased a live steam train from Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch and operated it until the boiler rusted out on the locomotive. New non-steam locomotives were custom built to replace the steamer and to this day they pull the original Melody Ranch coaches.

For more information about our trains see the Our Trains page.

Griffith Park Travel Town Railroad Operating Hours:

Open every day at 10 am daily

Schedule:

Dates from/to	Weekdays	Weekends/Holidays
Winter - Pacific Standard Time	Until 3:15 pm	Until 4:15 pm
Summer - Daylight Savings time	Until 3:15 pm	Until 4:45 pm

Ride Fares:

Train Ride Fare:	$ 2.50
Seniors (Over 65):	$ 2.00
Group (20 or more tickets):	$ 2.00 each

Location/Directions:

View Larger Map

Home

Sun, 8 Jan 2012 14:20:58 GMT

Open every day of the year, except for Christmas Day, the Griffith Park Train Rides are one of Los Angeles's most fun and affordable family attractions.

At Griffith Park and Southern Railroad you travel over one mile of track, across a bridge, through a forest and the Old Western Town. You can also try our classic simulator ride Kid Coaster - fun for all ages.

At Travel Town Railroad, you travel around the Travel Town Museum two times. After riding our miniature train, you can explore dozens of old time railroad locomotives and cars.

Do you have suggestions, comments, critiques? Share them with us by email at info@gprah.com. Thanks for helping us get better!

Travel Town Santa Train

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 22:22:48 GMT

Christmas Train Ride and Visit With Santa

Dress Warmly, it is Cold at the North Pole! Brrr!

Bring the children and join us at The Travel Town Railroad for
a magical Christmas Train Ride and Visit with Santa.

Please note that we have changed the format and location of the Santa visit.

Join us at The Travel Town Museum for a magical Holiday Train Ride and Visit with Santa. Santa, himself, will be on hand so young and old alike can tell him their Christmas wishes. Each child will receive a candy cane and a special little gift. Mrs. Claus will also be there to greet you and talk about life at the North Pole. If you wish, Santa’s helpers will happily take your picture with Santa for purchase as a keepsake of your visit. After visiting Santa you can board the Santa Express at Travel Town Station for a trip through a wonderland of holiday lights and scenery. If you prefer, you can get into the Holiday spirit by riding the Santa Express before you visit Santa.

Our 2011 Holiday Train Ride and Visit with Santa

begins on Saturday November 26, 2011 and Sunday November 27 at 5 pm. The ride will continue on December 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and December 14th through December 23rd. The first train leaves about 5 pm each night and the last train will leave at about 8 pm, unless we sell out, in which case we may close earlier.

Generally the last few nights are the busiest and the most likely to sell out. It would be wise to prepurchase tickets for those nights.

You may order tickets online here.

Tickets are also available for presale at the box office.

Ticket Price:

Tickets: $7.00 per person
Infants 18 months and under are free

Digital photographs with Santa are available for $5.00 each.

Tickets are available online for specific days in hourly blocks and also may be bought at the Travel Town ticket booth.

Tickets will be sold to walk-ups at the gate until capacity is reached.

Click for a Map to Travel Town

For more information you may call 323-662-9678 or 818-881-2586 or email us at info@gprah.com

test

Wed, 4 May 2011 05:39:43 GMT

Testing Text

Griffith Park & Southern Railroad

Sat, 2 Apr 2011 23:15:13 GMT

Located near Los Feliz Blvd and Riverside Drive at the South end of Griffith park, GPS Railroad occupies a location where miniature trains have operated since the late 1940's. The earliest record we have of a train operation begins in 1948 but these is some evidence that a train was there in 1946.

The current ride was built in the mid 1960's. The Station, passenger loading sructure, train barn, tunnel and bridge were all built at that time. The track is approximately 1 mile long. The track gauge (distance between the rails) is 18 ½ inches which is almost exactly 1/3^rd the gauge (56 ½ inches) of standard, full-size railroads. This gauge is unique to our knowledge in the United States.

The trains that run at GPS are 1/3^rd scale reproductions of classic American trains of the 20^th Century. The Freedom Train is one of the original trains that operated in the 1950's. It and the others are not exact scale models but rather provide the same look and feel as the full-sized trains in a smaller, more usable package.

Please view the Our Trains page for more information about our trains.

Griffith Park Trains Operating Hours:

Open every day at 10 am daily

Schedule:

Dates from/to	Weekdays	Weekends/Holidays
Winter - Pacific Standard Time	Until 4:15 pm	Until 4:30 pm
Summer - Daylight Savings time	Until 4:45 pm	Until 5:00 pm

Ride Fares:

Train Ride Fare:	$ 2.50
Seniors (Over 65):	$ 2.00
Group (20 or more tickets):	$ 2.00 each
SR2-V Simulator Ride (GP & S only):	$ 3.00

Location/Directions:

View Larger Map

Griffith Park Attractions

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:44:44 GMT

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 and an antique carousel in Lincoln Park, Los Angeles, California. We are currently pursuing other opportunities in California and elsewhere.

Location/Directions:

Griffith Park & Southern Railroad	Travel Town Railroad
View Larger Map	View Larger Map

Griffith Park Trains Operating Hours:

Open every day at 10 am daily

Schedule for Griffith Park & Southern Railroad:

Dates from/to	Weekdays	Weekends/Holidays
Winter - Pacific Standard Time	Until 4:15 pm	Until 4:30 pm
Summer - Daylight Savings time	Until 4:45 pm	Until 5:00 pm

Schedule for Travel Town Railroad:

Dates from/to	Weekdays	Weekends/Holidays
Winter - Pacific Standard Time	Until 3:30 pm	Until 4:30 pm
Summer - Daylight Savings time	Until 3:30 pm	Until 5:00 pm

Train Ride Fares:

Train Ride Fare:	$ 2.50
Seniors (Over 65):	$ 2.00
Group (20 or more tickets):	$ 2.00 each
SR2-V Simulator Ride (GP & S only):	$ 3.00

Contact Us

Tue, 1 Feb 2011 06:21:04 GMT

Please call us at (818) 881-2586

or use this form to send us a message.

Train Ride Videos

Mon, 3 May 2010 08:46:39 GMT

Schedule of Events

Mon, 3 May 2010 08:31:26 GMT

What's New 2

Sun, 2 May 2010 16:12:11 GMT

What's New with Griffith Park

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:36:36 GMT

Christmas Train Ride to Visit Santa at Travel Town

Our 2010 ride to Santa's House will operate on November 27, 28 December 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, and 16 - 23.

Our Simulator completely Updated

We just invested over $20,000 in new sound and video equipment in our simulator ride. Come check out the totally new experience.

Landscaping at Griffith Park and Southern Railroad

As you have probably noticed (we certainly have) the grounds at GP & S have deteriorated over the past few years. We have a lot of weed growth, deadfalls, some dead trees and general overgrowth. The City gardeners have tried really hard to keep up but with budget cutbacks and personnel cuts they are stretched thin having to cover more land with fewer resources and help. Therefore we have started a 12 month project to get the grounds and improvements back into top shape. Please bear with us while we do this work.

Bridge at Griffith Park and Southern Railroad Rebuilt

The fifty-year-old truss style bridge at GP & S was recently refurbished with new main timbers and a repainting. Although the bridge has a steel skeleton (added in 1994) some of the big pieces had termite damage and needed protection and replacement.

Village at Griffith Park and Southern Railroad Rebuilt

Our two beautiful minature buildings at GP& S have been completely remodeled and painted. These structures were built in the 1960's to emulate New England style cottages. We have reinforced the buildings and remodeled the interiors. Also, we have remodeled The Pinwheel Palace merchandise store to more closely match the exisiting building themes and decor. Come visit us soon and see the difference!

Description of Locomotives

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:17:48 GMT

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

The Colonel Griffith - 2-8-0 locomotive
2-8-0 locomotive built by Severn Lamb Ltd. in 1983.

This beautiful locomotive and tender were built by one of the premier builders in the world. Severn Lamb has been commissioned to build models for the Smithsonian and several major museums in the United Kingdom. The motive power is in the tender. It consists of a Wisconsin four cylinder, air cooled engine fueled by propane. The engine drives a hydraulic pump which provides power to a large hydraulic motor on the locomotive.

The Freedom Train - A streamliner
A streamliner built by the All American Streamliner Co. of Los Angeles.

This locomotive was built sometime in the 1950's and is modeled after the famous EMC "F" series of streamliners. It consists of an A unit (the front unit with the engine and power train) and a B unit where the engineer sits. This is the lightest of our locomotives. It was repainted in 1976 to mirror the real Freedom Train that toured the US celebrating our bicentennial.

The Stanley Diamond
A 2-6-0 mogul built by Gerry Bowden in 1993.

This locomotive and its brother unit the Courage were built in Oregon in 1993 to a design by our chief engineer, Gene Gustavson. They are modeled after the narrow guage locomotives that worked the timber and mining areas of the West during the early part of the century. This unit has identical power as the Colonel Griffith.

Five Seat Steel Coaches
Pullman style coaches built by All American Streamliner of Los Angeles.

These coaches were built in the 1950's and modeled after the common Pullman passenger cars.

Six Seat Wood Gondolas
built by Skeets Simpson in 1993 after a design by Erik Thomsen of Redwood Valley Railway.

Modeled after the common open freight gondolas used to carry bulk goods by railroads all over the country.

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

The Courage - 2-6-0 Mogul
A 2-6-0 mogul built by Gerry Bowden in 1993. Sister locomotive to the Stanley Diamond.

This locomotive and its brother unit the Stanley Diamond were built in Oregon in 1993 to a design by our chief engineer, Gene Gustavson. They are modeled after the narrow guage locomotives that worked the timber and mining areas of the West during the early part of the century. This unit has identical power as the Colonel Griffith.

The 1986 - Diesel Switcher
Diesel switcher built by Gerry Bowden in 1986.

A classic yard goat design, this locomotive is modeled after the EMD series of yard switchers. It is fitting that this is our heaviest and most powerful locomotive.

Pullman style - Six seat coaches
six seat coaches built by George Reddington in 1956 for Gene Autry's Melody Ranch Special train.

Similar to the Pullman style coaches at GPS but longer, steel covers were added to these coaches in 1989 because Travel Town did not have a loading platform cover to protect the passenger seats from the sun. These coaches originally were a part of a set with a steam locomotive. The locomotive burned out its boiler and was sold in 1985.

Search the Griffith Park

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:00:59 GMT

Griffith Park Google Maps

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:58:33 GMT

Travel Town Railroad Location

View Larger Map

Griffith Park & Southern RR Location

View Larger Map

About Griffith Park Train Rides

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 05:32:50 GMT

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.

Gallery

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 05:29:17 GMT

Griffith Park User Photo Upload

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:22:40 GMT

Griffithparktrainrides.com

Beautiful Wood Carousel for Sale or Lease

Travel Town Railroad

Home

Travel Town Santa Train

Christmas Train Ride and Visit With Santa

Dress Warmly, it is Cold at the North Pole! Brrr!

test

Griffith Park & Southern Railroad

Griffith Park Attractions

Contact Us

Related Links

Train Ride Videos

Schedule of Events

What's New 2

What's New with Griffith Park

Description of Locomotives

Search the Griffith Park

Griffith Park Google Maps

About Griffith Park Train Rides

Gallery

Tags

Griffith Park User Photo Upload