ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 9, 1996 TAG: 9603110032
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
THE DECADES-OLD TRAIN, which has been in mothballs since a July 15, 1994, accident, will be running again soon - with help from volunteers.
Next month, passenger train service will return to the Roanoke Valley.
Not Amtrak, or state-sponsored trains that could carry people to Richmond or Washington. At least not yet.
Mill Mountain Zoo's much-missed miniature Zoo Choo will begin chugging past the beaver cages, prairie dog pit and snake den starting about mid-April.
For thousands of children and adults who used to ride the Zoo Choo every year, it may be about time.
The decades-old train ended a 42-year run at the zoo on July 15, 1994, when it tipped over with a metal-on-metal screech upon entering a small tunnel beneath the zoo's front gate.
Seventeen people were on board. One man suffered a foot-long gash to his leg; others had minor injuries.
The Zoo Choo has been in mothballs ever since. No cause for the accident has ever been determined, Roanoke Jaycees President Cindy Fitz said. The Jaycees own the train, and it's been their chief fund-raising tool for years.
Beth Poff, director of the zoo, said the Zoo Choo's resurrection comes after thousands of dollars were spent to repair the train and its track.
The Jaycees have spent $1,200 on the train itself, while the zoo is putting about $2,000 into upgrading the 3,000-foot track it runs around, she said.
Today, volunteers will begin replacing rails, as well as spikes and backing plates that hold them in place. At least 500 feet of track will be replaced.
Poff said the zoo hasn't set a date for the train's first run. That depends on how many volunteers the zoo can field to work on the tracks over the next month. More than 50 already have signed up over the next few weekends.
The Zoo Choo was expected to return last year, but the Jaycees couldn't muster the money and volunteer time needed to get it up and running and to keep it going, Poff said.
"They almost came to the point where they thought they were going to have to sell the train," Poff said.
But the sale was averted by a partnership the zoo and the organization forged this year. From now on, the Jaycees will continue to own the Zoo Choo, but the zoo will hire drivers, sell tickets and maintain the track.
Proceeds will be split between the Jaycees and the zoo. Previously, the zoo received none of the proceeds from the roughly 25,000 annual riders, who paid 75 cents apiece.
Poff said the chance of a future accident is slim.
"We're going to, as the operating entity, set up a safety-check process for the track," she said. "We'll be training the train operators, and there will be strict guidelines they'll have to follow as well. We feel that it's going to be a very fun and safe train ride once again."
Fitz said the Jaycees are happy the Zoo Choo will run again, because it's been a rough two years without the income it provided.
However, Harvey Lutins, a lawyer representing the injured man, said he expects to file a lawsuit in the next few months in connection with the wreck.
His client, Ed Kawamura, is still recovering from leg injuries he received in the accident, Lutins said.
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: WAYNE DEEL/Staff. The Jaycees will continue to own theby CNBtrain, but the zoo will hire drivers, sell tickets, maintain the
track and share the proceeds.