GGRM Restores The Historic Zoo Train

Photo taken Aug. 25, 1998 by Joel Harrison

The grand opening of the San Francisco Zoo Train was held at 10:30 August 25 1998. With it was a genuine "Gold Spike Ceremony".

Inauguration Day Photos furnished by Joel Harrison
Photo 1 | Photo 2 | Photo 3

The last several days before the opening, the Zoo personnel worked furiously to finish construction and landscape projects. The work they did was as miraculous as the work the GGRM did on the train in transforming it from a rusty, rotted derelict to an object of true beauty.

The train was actually running the same day it was delivered to the Zoo. The GGRM people worked on the few nagging problems. The train was in perfect condition both cosmetically and mechanically for the opening.

The train was an immediate hit. The thanks and smiles from the crowd were overwhelming. In the first week of operation the train averaged near 1000 people per day. These are typically slow days for the Zoo because children are returning to school and the weather is really cold!

The volunteers of the GGRM can be really proud of what they have accomplished. There were many volunteers who altogether contributed nearly 2000 hours in all. Their contributions were very critical to the completion. Those who were there in the last hours will agree that if there was someone who had not contributed a 1/2 hour we wouldn't have made it. Thank you to all who were a part of this fabulous project.

A Little History

The Zoo train is a Cagney. The Cagney Brothers built amusement park trains starting in about 1894 and continued until about 1928. There is very little written history about the company. Most of the trains they built were 15" gauge. However, this 22" gauge locomotive is one of six or seven locomotives built by the Cagney Brothers between 1904 and 1907. Two of the trains were run at the l904 St. Louis Worlds Fair. This may be one of them, but there is no proof.

There was a 22" gauge train at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk in 1907. This was run by Fred Swanton (as in the village of Swanton). It is very likely the Zoo's locomotive started its local life there. The date it stopped operating there is unknown. (This assumption is based on the theory that there was only one 22" gauge Cagney on the West Coast.) Nothing is known (at this time) of the history of the train between the time it ran at Santa Cruz and the early 20's. (There are a lot of theories but none are concrete).

In 1920 or so the train was run at Pacific City Amusement Park at Coyote Point in San Mateo. Our own Carroll Schmidtz remembers riding the train at Pacific City. The Fleishhacker family bought the train from there and installed it at the SF Zoo in 1925. It ran until 1976, when it was removed for the construction of the gorilla display.

Many of us clearly remember this little train - it was the highlight of any trip to the Zoo. It will again thrill generations of children (of all ages).

Zoo Train Restoration Photos

Here are some progress photos taken August 4:

Here are some progress photos of the trackwork taken August 8:

Readers Photos!

Fans of the Zoo Train: Do you have fond memories of riding the Zoo Train? Would you be willing to share your vintage pictures with us? Then send your scanned pictures via email to our webmaster at webmaster@ggrm.org. JPEG photos (.jpg or .jpeg) are the best - just attach your photo to your email message. We'll add a list of photos to our Zoo Train web pages, along with credits.

Here are some pictures that readers submitted: