Walter Knott had is Berry farm, and his wife had the Chicken dinner resterant. As a way to keep guests busy waiting for there food he started building the Ghost town. Soon followed by a stagecoach. Later he wanted a railroad.
Somehow he got intouch with Ed Randow, the General foreman of the RGS. Randow was the one who did the wheelin and dealin with the RGS/receiver for the first pieces of RR equipment in 1951.(RGS 41, caboose 0402, 40 tons of 30lbs rail, one second hand switch stand, and a depot bench. RGS estimated value $3,246.21) At an auction in July 1952 he bought the B-20 EDNA. And I thing goose 3 in 1953. I think Randow was also involved in getting the DRGW equipment.( DRGW 340, coach 310, 325, 326, parlor cars Chama, and DUrango, and misc freight cars)
All of this became the Ghost Town & Calico RR. From there on the park just kept groing.
By the way the steam calliape is back on display in the park, fresh from a small rehad. Ill post pics tomorrow.
In 1973 both 340(now just 40) and 41 needed a total rebuild. so the goose (which was on display accross from the depot) quickly had her tin feathers cleaned up, and was soon pressed into sevice flapping around the park again. This was a short temp till another steam loco could be obtained. And fast!
How, or why 464 was chosen is beyond me. But they bought it and it was shipped from Durango bye rail to Buena Park, then trucked to Knotts a few miles away. The tender was trucked the whole way.
Here is a link to a thread from Tractor with dome pics of 464 being unloaded.[
ngdiscussion.net]
464 was quickly "restored"(loosly used) and pressed into service, to supliment the goose and the down c-19s.
She ran until one of the c-19s was rebuilt, and did run a few more times after that. But eventually the quick "restoation" cought up with her. She was big to big, had ailing mechanical problems,was derailing alot, and I guess the counter weights kept giveing them trouble, hitting somthing im told.(although I dont know what the counter weights would hit that the pilot or cylinders wouldn't)
There was talk of getting the flanges on her center drivers removed, but never happend. But the death note was when the dry pipe collapsed.
She sat at knotts till 1982, then was given to Huck. Today she looks better than ever,and running on coal again.
BTW the current headlight on 464 is 340s headlight. When 464 arrived she didn't have one so wile 340 was down they used her headlight. And when they were getting ready to send her back the shop guys wanted to take it back off, but people higher up said that the headlight was to stay with 464. OH well.
So thats the story of 464, as Ive been told and from what iv learned.
You guys can fill any holes in my story if i have any! Herb!
