Tiny Town (amusement park)
{{Infobox amusement park
| name = Tiny Town & Railroad
| image =
| caption =
| location = 6249 South Turkey Creek Road
Morrison, Colorado 80465, U.S.
| opening_date = 1921
| closing_date =
| previous_names =
| season = daily Memorial Day - Labor Day, weekends in May and September
| area =
| rides= 1
| owner = Quaintance family
| slogan = Have a big time in Tiny Town
| homepage = [http://www.tinytownrailroad.com/ tinytownrailroad.com]
| coordinates = {{Coord|39.60358|-105.22374|format=dms|display=inline,title|type:landmark_region:US-CO}}
}}
Tiny Town & Railroad is a miniature village containing over 100 1/6 scale buildings and a {{Track gauge|15 in|lk=on}} gauge miniature railway close to Morrison, Colorado.
History
George Turner, owner of Denver business Turner Moving & Storage and a friend of Buffalo Bill Cody, began building a miniature town for his daughter in 1915. Called Turnerville, he opened the site to the public in 1921.{{cite web |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2002/08/19/story5.html |title=Tourists escape to local amusement venues |access-date=2007-04-16 |last=Moore |first=Paula |date=2002-08-16 |work=Denver Business Journal }}
Turnerville quickly became one of the state's most popular attractions, but it was plagued by damage from adjacent Turkey Creek flooding and a fire burned down the Indian pueblo in 1935. The train was added in 1939 and the name became Tiny Town.{{cite web |url=http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060703/COLUMNISTS02/607030341/0/BLOGS0502 |title=Tiny Town attracts big interest |access-date=2007-04-16 |last=Billings |first=Hankd |date=2006-07-03 |work=News-Leader (Springfield, MO) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926235221/http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20060703%2FCOLUMNISTS02%2F607030341%2F0%2FBLOGS0502 |archive-date=2007-09-26 |url-status=dead }}
On August 11, 2010 fifteen people were injured as a train entered a curve at the park going between {{convert|12 and 17|mph|km/h}}, causing five of the six cars to tip over. An investigation determined the operator was not adequately trained in steam locomotive operation which resulted in confusion of the brake and throttle levers. The state fined Tiny Town $30,500 consisting of $1000 per incident the operator operated the train and $500 for not having documented training of emergency and safety procedures.{{cite web |url=http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/24703880/detail.html |title=State Fines Tiny Town $30,500 In Train Accident |date=2010-08-20 |work=7News }}
See also
{{Portal|Trains|Colorado}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- {{cite book |last=Black |first=Carla |title=Tiny Town, From Tragedy to Triumph |year=1990 |publisher=F. Pruett |location=Boulder, CO |isbn=0-9623868-2-0 |oclc=21958210 }}
- {{cite book |last=Brooks |first=Alice Jeanne |author2=Demaris Martindale Madsen |title=Tiny Town, Boom or Bust |year=1989 |publisher=Wildflower Press |location=Morrison, CO |oclc=21867018 }}
External links
- [http://www.tinytownrailroad.com/ Tiny Town & Railroad] official site
{{15 inch gauge railways}}
Category:Tourist attractions in Jefferson County, Colorado
Category:Landmarks in Colorado
Category:15 in gauge railways in the United States
Category:Buildings and structures in Jefferson County, Colorado