The Serengeti Express: a Trans-Veldt Adventure!
Busch Gardens Tampa - Tampa, Florida
Zoos and amusement parks are two different tourist attractions that can be found in most major cities in the United States. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida is one of the unique places that offers both the zoo and amusement park experience combined to create an animal theme park. Whether you're an animal fan or a roller coaster enthusiast, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has it all!
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has been around since 1959 but it has undergone many changes over the years. It originally opened as a brewery and botanical gardens and was operated by the Anheuser-Busch company. Over the next ten years and several multi-million dollar renovations, Busch Gardens was transformed from a botanical garden to an African-themed animal theme park!
Part of the major expansion featured the addition of the Trans-Veldt Railway which opened on July 4, 1971. This narrow-gauge steam powered railway took passengers from Nairobi Station and around the African Veldt. The railway's name itself, Trans-Veldt, means across the grasslands. Herds of African animals could be seen across the grasslands as the train passed through.
A rare photo from the author's collection features the Number 9 at Busch Gardens Tampa during the railroad's installation in 1971.
Number 4 at the Nairobi Station is featured on a 1972 Postcard from the author's collection.
Another 1972 postcard from the author's collection features a heard of zebra with Number 4 chugging by in the background.
The Trans-Veldt Railway featured two African-themed steam locomotives and two sets of excursion coaches with bench seats. These narrow gauge trains were manufactured by Crown Metal Products who manufactured amusement park steam trains for several zoos and amusement parks at that time. The green train, Number 4, was named the Kalahari Express. The other train, the blue train, was Number 9. These two locomotives were customized by Crown Metal Products to sport an African-style versus the typical American 4-4-0 style with balloon smokestacks that most Crown steam locomotives were based off of.
Number 9 parked at Nairobi Station is featured on another 1972 postcard from the author's collection.
As the park continued to expand, so did the railway. Two additional stations were added to the route, first being Stanleyville Station and later the Congo Station. This allowed for the Trans-Veldt Railway to not only be an attraction, it also served as a mode of transportation around the park.
Number 9 poses outside of Nairobi Station in the early years for another postcard.
Over the years, Busch Gardens acquired two additional trains for the Trans-Veldt Railway. These trains were also made by Crown Metal Products but carried the traditional American 4-4-0 style with the large balloon stacks. The first additional train came from Six Flags Over Mid America, present day Six Flags Saint Louis. This train was originally painted dark green, was named Lil' Rock, and carried the number 5. It ran with another Crown Metal steam locomotive, now named the Tommy G. Robertson, at Six Flags Over Mid America. For some reason, the park decided that they did not need a second train for their railroad so Number 5 was placed up for sale. Busch Gardens Tampa bought it and repainted it yellow but it still carries it's original number.
This photo of Number 5 was taken on March 5, 2012 by Jeremy Thompson.
The second train that was added to the Trans-Veldt Railway roster came from Kings Dominion amusement park in Virginia. In the mid 1990s, Kings Dominion closed down the Old Dominion Line to make room for new attractions. The two Crown Metal steam locomotives, Number 552 named Stonewall Jackson and Number 601 named Patrick Henry were placed up for sale. Busch Gardens Tampa purchased Number 601 which was painted blue. Number 601 still retains its original number but was repainted green.
Number 601 came to an emergency stop at a railroad crossing in August, 2022 due to a faulty crossing arm.
Other updates on the railroad roster followed in the recent years. The Trans-Veldt Railway was renamed the Serengeti Express. Large fans were added to the roofs of the locomotives to help cool down the cab for the engineer and fireman. Additionally a third dome was added to the locomotives which holds the whistle. Eventually, Number 9, the original Busch Gardens Tampa blue African-style train was repainted red and it still retains the red color today. The red train is now the only original train to operate on the railway.
Number 9 is chugging up the grade back in August, 2022. The additional third dome holding the whistle and fans on the cab can be clearly seen in this photograph.
The other original African-styled locomotive, the green train Number 4, was removed from service. It is now stored behind the engine house in need of a full restoration after not operating for over a decade. Amusement park train enthusiasts hope that Busch Gardens Tampa will restore this unique locomotive to operation one day.
In 2021, Busch Gardens Tampa celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Serengeti Express Railway. A multitude of t-shirts, ornaments, pins, patches, and many other souvenirs featuring the steam trains were sold in gift shops around the park.
One of the shirts sold for the 50th anniversary shows the diagrams of two of the locomotives. It highlights the differences and similarities between the original African-style locomotives and the traditional American-style locomotives.
Today, the Serengeti Express is still an iconic attraction at Busch Gardens Tampa. On most days, two trains are in operation around the park and feature a hilarious conductor cracking jokes and giving a spiel about the animals and attractions while traveling through the Serengeti exhibit and the rest of the park. Zebras, giraffes, rhinoceros, and other African animals can be seen from the train as it chugs through the grasslands.
A giraffe cautiously watches the train while the zebra enjoys an afternoon snack as the steam train chugs by.
Busch Gardens Tampa offers a unique combination of adventure, nature, and wildlife for a true "wild time!" The animal themed rides, animal exhibits, and theatrical shows make Busch Gardens Tampa a place for everyone in the family to enjoy. What makes the park even more special is the sound of an authentic steam locomotive chugging around the park amidst the sounds of animals, birds, and whooshing roller coasters!
A fictional map in the Nairobi Train Station highlights the train's route and showcases the three main station along the line: Nairobi, Congo, and Stanleyville.
To see videos and more highlights from my 2022 trip to Busch Gardens Tampa, follow my Instagram account: @ZooTrain-Adventures
