The Omaha Zoo Railroad , or OZRR , is the name 2Ã, ftÃ, 6Ã, in ( 762 mm ) narrow railway at Henry Doorly Zoo Omaha & amp; Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska. The railway offers a narrow expedition train for visitors to a zoo transported by steam locomotives. The train loads passengers at two stations inside the zoo. The annual supporters of the Omaha Railroad Zoo are over 200,000 people.
Video Omaha Zoo Railroad
Histori
The Omaha Railroad Zoo is one of the first major attractions to be added after the rejoining of the 1963 zoo as the Henry Doorly Zoo. As part of a hundred-year celebration, Omaha-based Union Pacific Railroad decided to sponsor the construction of a traceable miniature train at the zoo. The zoo train initially has just over two miles (3.2 km) from the narrow gauge 2Ã, ftÃ, 6Ã, in ( 762Ã, mm ) (guess - approx half the width of the standard main railway line) in a curved oval shape with tracks connecting through the middle. Two wyes (setting Y-shaped tracks allowing the train to reverse direction) are built at the intersection of the main connecting lane and oval. The track was laid on a train from the Union Pacific Encampment branch in Wyoming. Due to the hilly terrain of the river site, a rate of up to 6% (for most 2% railroads is considered steep) is required and some curves are below 150 feet (46 m) radius. The track crew from Union Pacific was brought in to lay the track, and the operation began on July 22, 1968 under the supervision of UP Roadmaster Robert Kovar.
Suitable for a Union Pacific-sponsored railway attraction, Omaha Railroad Railroad is originally themed after the First Transcontinental Railroad route, where Omaha is the east terminal. Passengers board the "Omaha train depot" located in the Natural Kingdom of Aksarben (now known as Red Barn Park) and go up to "Promontory Junction" at the southern end of the zoo's lagoon, where they have the option of going down at a small depot and catching the next train back to Omaha. The trip also featured a 6% grade of "Sherman Hill", named for its own Union Pacific class on the continental division in Wyoming. Steam locomotive is painted and decorated to resemble Union Pacific No. 119, a well-known locomotive used in the laying of the "Golden Spike" that marks the completion of the transcontinental path, and four coaches are given significant names for UP history. UP's influence is perhaps most evident in the Omaha Zoo Railroad logo: a Union Pacific shield with a smiling tiger laid it on it. Although direct references to the Union Pacific Place names have been fading for years, UP support for zoo railways remains strong. For years, rail equipment was transported to Omaha Union Pacific stores for winter maintenance, and when shops closed many machines were donated to build a new store on the site at the zoo. The Union Pacific Engine House, as it was called, was ordained in July 1994. The Union Pacific crew continued to maintain signals of intersections along the zoo train routes.
During the 1970s, the Omaha Railroad Zoo and the zoo as a whole were greatly improved in terms of attendance. Especially on weekends, it became clear that the original four-car train could not provide the required capacity, and the search started for the second train. Incidentally, a small locomotive tank from Austrian Heritage named "Riva" is found in Romania and its owner, Plasser and Theurer Company, is willing to donate it to the zoo. The locomotive was restored at UP stores and entered service at the zoo in 1976, along with two additional cars purchased to add to the original four. Kenefick Station was added in 1981 which allows guests to catch a train closer to the main entrance of the zoo. By the end of 2014, Kenefick stations were destroyed and the tracks shortened to make room for new exhibition plans. (African Grasslands) The new Kenefick Station opened in 2015, on the visitors' path of the African Lodge. In the early years the train usually ran the number eight through the zoo using a connecting lane and direction that is often reversed on wyes. This practice ended in the early 1970s because of the need for faster turnover and the incapability of new locomotives to negotiate a narrow curve in the north (Bailey) wye. The connecting lanes were dormant for two decades before being finally removed in the mid-1990s. Today the train circles the park in a clockwise direction, covering about 1.8 miles (2.9 km) and takes 15-20 minutes on each circuit.
The Promontory Junction Station was abandoned in the early 1990s. Starting in 2010, both trains have been operating simultaneously on a busy weekend so more often leave from two stations.
Maps Omaha Zoo Railroad
Omaha Train Station Zoo
Visitors to the Henry Doorly Zoo climbed behind one of three locomotives for a 1.8 mile (2.9 km) ride around the park. Two of the machines are steam locomotives, and although they are similar in their basic operating principles, the two locomotives are quite different and the guests can easily distinguish between them. The third machine is diesel, which operates very differently from the steam locomotive. The new coach has been added and replaced the old coach.
Number 119 is the less powerful of the two zoo locomotives and regularly carries a train of five open trainers. This machine is known for its colorful paint schemes, polished brass, and Nathan 6 whistle blend. No. 119 is an original locomotive on the Omaha Zoo Railroad and was built exclusively for zoos in 1968. Built by Crown Metal Products from Wyano, Pennsylvania, a company that builds replica steam trains for amusement parks and zoos across the country.. In honor of the inventor of the Union Pacific zoo train, the machine was decorated to resemble the Union Pacific ceremonial machine used on the completion of the first continental railroad track of 1869. It is a 4-4-0 type locomotive, meaning that it has four wheeled pilots for help guide past the curve, 4 large wheel drive, and no additional wheels. This type of locomotive was prevalent in American railroads from 1850 to about 1880, thus earning it the nickname "American standard". During the first years of 119 at the zoo, it was less energetic and had difficulty pulling the train up a steep hill. Subsequent modifications by Union Pacific and the zoo railway shop itself have greatly improved it, and after a massive redevelopment in 1996-1999, it is considered to be in better condition than new. During the recondition process, the machine also receives cosmetics. Originally painted black, white, and red, it appears scintillating in the beautiful and historically accurate scheme of red, maroon, and olive green with a boiler jacket from a simulated Russian iron. New stained wood cabins that replicate the existing in the original UP locomotive are also installed. This machine is back in operation in May 2013 after the overhaul.
"Riva" , number 395-104, is the second steam locomotive of the zoo, obtained in 1974. It is a 0-6-2 tank locomotive, meaning that it carries oil and water fuel in the tank in locomotives rather than in separate tenders, such as the 119. It has six relatively small wheel drive and large cylinders, making it very strong for its size and also known for its high-pitched European-style whistles. Two-wheeled trailer truck supports furnaces and cabins. Producing a 10,600 pound traction effort nearly doubled the appeal of 119, and typically operates with a train of six open trainers and a caboose. The caboose has all the fresh paint on it with new wheels as well.
"Riva" began his long career in 1890 when it was turned out by Krauss Works of Linz, Austria as a serial number 2360. The first owner was M.A.R. (Mori-Arco-Riva del Garda) Train in the northern Italian region of Trentino-South Tyrol, where it serves as number 2 alongside two identical twin machines, "Arco" and "Lago di Garda". The railway line was closed when Italy entered World War I in 1915. The railway line was at the forefront and then severely damaged, while "Riva" was sent to work at Heeresfeldbahn (military railway) on the East front. From 1918 to 1941 he served an industrial railroad in Stryj, Poland. The Second World War carried out another task in military service before the machine finally ended up in State Railways of Romania (CFR) as number 395-104. "Riva" operated on the Alba Julia-Zlatna line from the CFR until 1968, when it was finally retired and sold to Plasser and Theurer, the builder of the Austrian-based track maintenance machine. Fortunately for small machines, American representatives from Plasser and Theurer became aware of the Omaha Zoo search for the second locomotive, and in 1974 arrangements were made for "Riva" to be donated to the zoo. Recovery takes place in Omaha Union Pacific stores. Overhaul consists of major gear work, installation of American air brake equipment, and conversion from coal to burning oil. The locomotive was then painted, and missing parts such as headlamps and bells were replaced. Riva "Riva" entered service at the zoo in 1976 during the annual Family Night/Members' Day event, and has been operating almost every year since then. Major multi-year reforms occurred in the early 1990s and others in 2000-2002. During the winter and spring of 2005, the water tank was replaced and the air tank (added in 1976) was moved to a hidden location, returning the engine to a more historical look. The engine lost its green and black paint and was repainted in dark green. The engine is given a new bell in 2013.
"Virgie" is the first zoo diesel locomotive, acquired in 2008. This is a four wheel, 40-ton diesel switcher locomotive built by Plymouth, in 1957 and named for one of the founders of the railroad. The machine was originally painted light blue with red and black, and featured the face of a woman (possibly his name) on the front. Virgie entered service in 2009, and is sometimes used to pull the train when one or both steam engines are being repaired. The locomotive is then repainted to red and black, and the face has been removed.
See also
- Union Pacific No. 119, the base for original zoo machines.
- Transport in Omaha
- Disneyland Railroad
- Walt Disney World Railroad
Source
- Terry, Jeff. "Train at the Zoo - Part One", Railfan and Railroad Magazine , February 2006 edition, Carstens Publications, Newton, NJ, 2006.
External links
- official website of Henry Doorly Zoo Omaha.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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