Train-ing to Get in Shape
When Charley Atkins collected a few old trains in the late 1940s for children to see and explore he was on the right track! His pet project as a Los Angeles Parks and Recreation employee has become one of the 5 Freeway’s best, free attractions. Exit at Zoo Drive to find Travel Town where kids and adults can get in shape by climbing on trains. You might say they are train-ing. The special train museum located in Griffith Park includes a small train visitors can ride (for a modest fee,) green lawns and picnic areas with BBQ grills, a gift store with lots of Thomas the Train stuff, and dozens of trains, many with stairs you can climb. You can also rent train cars for birthday parties and events. The museum is open every day except Christmas.
Among the special trains in the collection:
- Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #664
- California Western #56
- Pacific Electric “Electra” #1544
- Santa Maria Valley #1000
- Stockton Terminal & Eastern #1
- Camino-Placerville & Lake Tahoe #2
