Silver Dollar City steam train closes until further notice after slipping its rails

COURTESY PHOTO: The locomotive pulling the Silver Dollar Line blows steam as it exits the tunnel at Silver Dollar City. The park boasts three historic steam engines to carry guests back to the Ozarks in the 1880s.
COURTESY PHOTO: The locomotive pulling the Silver Dollar Line blows steam as it exits the tunnel at Silver Dollar City. The park boasts three historic steam engines to carry guests back to the Ozarks in the 1880s.


BRANSON, Mo. -- Silver Dollar City's steam train slipped its rails Thursday, closing the ride until further notice and slightly injuring one passenger, who declined medical attention, the theme park confirmed Friday.

About 3:50 p.m. Thursday, the front wheels of car three on the train went off track by less than 2 inches, causing cars two and three to separate, according to a company statement.

"New safety protocols worked as designed, stopping the train safely and slowly with all cars remaining upright," the statement said.

The park announced new safety features after an Oct. 26 derailment resulted in injuries to seven of 160 passengers that day. The small-scale train takes up to 250 passengers at a time riding around the amusement park while the park is open and weather permitting. The ride takes 20 minutes.

"All passengers were unloaded from the train and returned to the park," Friday's statement said. "One passenger reported a possible minor injury, but declined outside medical care. The train will remain closed until further notice."

The Frisco Silver Dollar Line train ride opened May 27, 1962, and is the oldest operating ride in the park, according to previous announcements by the park. No one shorter than 4 feet tall is allowed on the ride without adult supervision, according to the park's website. The train has a top speed of 13 mph.

Missouri state inspectors after the October derailment found uneven wear on the tracks caused the cars to lean, some rails were out of alignment and bolts were loose along with uneven spaces between railroad ties and inconsistent heights on the springs on the cars, state reports show.

Later state inspection found the previous problems fixed and allowed the ride to reopen in March. No cause of the latest incident was announced as of Friday.


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