Re: Crown Metal Works

Right. The Crown Metal Products Company started building locomotives to sell in 1958. Ken Williams and his son Bert had come into possession
of a 14' Cagney which they rebuilt in their machine shop and were operating on a track around their Pennsylvania farm home.
Believing that it might have commercial possibilities they advertised in "Billboard" a magazine that circulates among show and carnival people. Galen Borders of Flora. IL saw the ad and
ended up having a train built in 15" gauge on advice of the Williams' who told him it was a more
popular gauge than 14". It was delivered in the fall of 1958 and went into service in Flora's Charlie Brown Park the next spring. It operated there thru 1967. Galen died in the fall of 1964
and I bought Toot from his widow Sallie . It ran in Centralia, IL until 1979, Peoria, Ill area until 1992 and went to California until 1999 when it was moved back to Flora's Charlie Brown Park
where it is now operating. Crown went ahead to build trains in 15',24' and 36' gauges.They no longer build trains but Bert Williams is still in business as Castle Ridge Products, Rt 2, Claysville, PA 15323.
The Park Trains Website has a good bit of information on crown. Jim Adams