Trio of Track Events Appeals to Young Rail Fans

Let’s face it. This holiday weekend, even the nicest, sweetest kid, after a full day of pretending to enjoy saying “Please pass the gravy” and “I’d like another serving of rutabaga, thank you,” is going to get a case of the long-holiday-weekend wigglies.

Here’s the cure: A miniature railway ride, specially designed for travelers in the single-digit age group. There are three such trains operating this weekend, located on the Burbank and Glendale edges of Griffith Park, and they’re guaranteed to provide at least temporary relief.

Depending on your family’s interests, you may want to ride on all three. One of them, on Saturday and Sunday evenings, is the Griffith Park & Southern Railroad, located near the Los Feliz exit off I-5. It will offer a specially themed “Christmas Train Ride to Santa,” complete with an opportunity to be photographed with the featured guest.

Parents, and even some kids, who are rail “purists,” and want a steam engine, albeit a miniature, to pull them around the track, will want to visit the site operated by “Los Angeles Steamers,” a volunteer rail enthusiasts’ organization. Operating Sundays only, it’s located in the park near the Forest Lawn Drive exit off the 134 Freeway.

Right next door is the best one-stop-train-shopping opportunity for parents or kids interested in both a miniature diesel-powered train ride and an opportunity to climb all over a big steam engine and lots of other railroad stuff. They’re on fixed display at Travel Town, which is operating today, and throughout the weekend.

Also known as the Travel Town Museum, this L.A. Recreation and Parks facility recently added an outdoor exhibit titled “How Rails Shaped Los Angeles” to its displays of classic trains, trolleys and firetrucks.

Arriving early for a Scout troop field trip to Travel Town last weekend, Ryan Altschuler, 9, carefully perused this exhibit of vintage photos and street-railway maps.

“It’s really neat,” he remarked to his mother, Diane. “They got around town on trains before there were cars.”

There followed a brief family discussion, which included brother, Sammy, 6. This resulted in Ryan’s concluding, “I’m so used to cars, I hadn’t thought about trains. Now I see it’s something I can use because we’re studying early California in school--and this is early.”

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BE THERE

Following is the schedule for the holiday weekend miniature train rides:

“Travel Town,” 5200 Zoo Drive (Forest Lawn Drive exit off the 134 Freeway), Thanksgiving hours 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Exhibits free. Ride tickets $1.75 adults, $1.25 kids, group rates available; special caboose ride first Sunday of each month. Information: (213) 662-5874.

“Los Angeles Live Steamers,” 5202 Zoo Drive (Forest Lawn Drive exit off 134 Freeway), Sundays only 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Donation requested. Information: (213) 669-9729.

“Griffith Park & Southern Railroad,” 440 Crystal Springs Drive (Los Feliz exit off I-5). “Christmas Train Ride to Santa,” 5-7:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, also Dec. 5-7 and 12-23; tickets $5 each, under 18 months free, photo with Santa $3. Call (213) 664-6788 for advance tickets, directions and information.