MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee County Zoo, which will close out its history of steam-powered train operations later this year, plans to operate its remaining steam locomotive for its 15-inch gauge railroad, 4-6-2 No. 1924, on 10 days in August, most of them weekends.
Scheduled operating dates are Aug. 9-10, 15-18, 23-24, and 30-31. Dates are subject to change in the event of inclement weather or unanticipated maintenance. Additional runs are planned in September and October before the locomotive is moved to the Riverside & Great Northern Preservation Society in Wisconsin Dells; those operating dates have yet to be announced.
The zoo announced in March that it had sold the two steam locomotives for its 1.25-mile railroad, with the first engine, 4-4-2 Henry J. Grant, moving to the R&GN in April [see “Milwaukee County Zoo railroad replacing steam engines,” Trains News Wire, March 14, 2024]. The railroad continues to operate with diesels, and has ordered a new Tier 4-compliant unit due this fall or winter.
More on the zoo railroad is available here.
The highlight of our annual field trips to the Milwaukee Zoo in Jr. High in the 70’s were the steam engines. If it’d been me running the itinerary I would have just rode trains there all day. It is a good zoo to visit too though.
A little steam train with a big steam whistle that can be heard in nearby communities such as Wauwatosa and West Allis.
The UPRR main (ex-CNW) runs at the zoo’s western boundary, a line that occasionally hosts UPRR steam.
As a life member of the R&GN and who over the years volunteered a few thousand hours, but not lately, it is bittersweet to see 1916 and 2024 return “home.”