The Serengeti Express, formerly known as the Trans Veldt Railway, is a narrow gauge heritage railroad and amusement park attraction located within the Busch Gardens Tampa Bay amusement park in Tampa, Florida. Opened on July 3, 1971, the railway is about long, and has stations in the Nairobi, Congo, and Stanleyville sections of the park. It uses three trains pulled by one of four 4-4-0 type steam locomotives manufactured by Crown Metal Products.
Description The railway consists of a loop of about . During the journey, the train will travel through the Serengeti Plain, where guests can see hundreds of African animals. There are stations in the Nairobi, Congo, and Stanleyville sections of the park. Two of the three stations contain a water supply that the engine crews use to top off the locomotive's tenders as necessary.
The railway operates four locomotives and three sets of open-sided passenger coaches. Two of the locomotives were built specifically for Busch Gardens and resemble locomotives used in Africa in the early 1890s. The other two locomotives, which were acquired from previous owners, have a more American appearance, but with slight modifications to match the African theming.
Locomotives All four locomotives are propane-fueled steam engines.
+Serengeti Express locomotive detailsNumberImageWheel arrangementDate builtBuilderDate entered serviceStatusNotes4 (American)1971Crown Metal Products1971Out of service1890s African-themed. Painted in green livery.5 (American)1970Crown Metal Products1980sOperationalPainted in yellow livery. Originally built for Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri.9 (American)1971Crown Metal Products1971Out of service1890s African-themed. Painted in red livery (originally blue).601 (American)1974Crown Metal Products1990sOperationalPainted in green livery. Originally built for Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia.
See also Florida Railroad Museum Walt Disney World Railroad Wildlife Express Train
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