Serengeti Express

This article is about the railway within Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Florida. For the railway within Busch Gardens Williamsburg, see Busch Gardens Railway.

The Serengeti Express, formerly known as the Trans Veldt Railway, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge heritage railroad and amusement park attraction located within the Busch Gardens Tampa Bay amusement park in Tampa, Florida.^[1][2] Opened on July 3, 1971,^[2] the railway is about 2.2 miles (3.5 km) long, and has stations in the Nairobi, Congo, and Stanleyville sections of the park. It uses three trains pulled by one of four 4-4-0 type steam locomotives manufactured by Crown Metal Products.^[3]

Serengeti Express

The Serengeti Express in September 2022, with the No. 9 locomotive in the lead
Overview
Locale	Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Dates of operation	1971–present
Technical
Track gauge	3 ft (914 mm)
Length	2.2 miles (3.5 km)
Route map Legend Roundhouse (not open to public) Congo   Gondola lift transfers (via short walks inside park) Nairobi Stanleyville Bus transfer (via short walk outside park)

Description

The railway consists of a loop of about 2.2 miles (3.5 km). During the journey, the train will travel through the Serengeti Plain, where guests can see hundreds of African animals. There are stations in the Nairobi, Congo, and Stanleyville sections of the park, and though the Congo station remains, it is currently out of use. The other two stations contain a water supply that the engine crews use to top off the locomotive's tenders as necessary.

The railway operates four locomotives and three sets of open-sided passenger coaches. Two of the locomotives were built specifically for Busch Gardens and resemble locomotives used in Africa in the early 1890s. The other two locomotives, which were acquired from previous owners, have a more American appearance, but with slight modifications to match the African theming.^[4]

Locomotives

All four locomotives are propane-fueled steam engines.

Serengeti Express locomotive details^[3]

Number	Image	Wheel arrangement	Date built	Builder	Date entered service	Status	Notes
4		4-4-0 (American)	1971	Crown Metal Products	1971	Out of service	1890s African-themed.[2] Painted in green livery.
5		4-4-0 (American)	1970	Crown Metal Products	1980s	Operational	Painted in yellow livery. Originally built for Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri.
9		4-4-0 (American)	1971	Crown Metal Products	1971	Out of service	1890s African-themed.[2] Painted in red livery (originally blue).
601		4-4-0 (American)	1974	Crown Metal Products	1990s	Operational	Painted in green livery. Originally built for Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia.

See also

• Florida Railroad Museum
• Walt Disney World Railroad
• Wildlife Express Train