Crown Metal Products steam loco at Ken Williams Farm 1963

Description

For nearly four decades, Crown Metal Products Company played a pivotal role in keeping steam alive in an age increasingly dominated by diesel engines and electric transport. Founded and operated by Kenneth (Ken) Williams of Wyano, Pennsylvania, the company became one of the most recognizable names in amusement park railroading. From the 1950s through the mid-1980s, Crown locomotives carried millions of passengers — not across states, but around funfairs, zoos, theme parks, and tourist lines across the United States and abroad.

---

Origins and Early Development

Crown Metal Products began in the early 1950s as a small fabrication company, originally manufacturing mining and industrial equipment. However, founder Ken Williams recognized a growing post-war appetite for leisure attractions and nostalgia-based entertainment. Steam technology — already disappearing from mainline railroads — remained uniquely captivating. Williams believed that miniature steam locomotives, built to the same craftsmanship standards as full-sized engines, could serve a modern purpose: echoing the romance of steam railroading in parks and resort venues.

By 1959, Crown Metal Products was regularly producing fully operational steam locomotives scaled to 15-inch, 24-inch, and 36-inch gauge, each capable of hauling hundreds of passengers.

---

Locomotive Design and Manufacturing

Unlike many amusement railways using gasoline or diesel-hydraulic systems, Crown locomotives were authentic steam machines—complete with fireboxes, boilers, air pumps, and mechanical lubricators. Most models were patterned after classic American 19th-century steam locomotives, including the:

• 4-4-0 “American” type

• 2-4-2 Columbia

• 4-6-0 Ten-Wheeler

Locomotives were coal-fired in the early years, but by the 1960s many were offered with oil-firing systems, reducing maintenance and fire risk—especially important in woodland amusement parks.

Crown didn’t only build locomotives: they also produced coaches, track materials, turntables, and complete railway systems “ready to install.” Many amusement railroads purchased entire Crown-built operations, making the company a one-stop supplier for park train attractions.

---

Customers and Cultural Impact

During its peak in the 1960s and 1970s, Crown Metal Products locomotives appeared across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and even as far as Indonesia and Japan. Well-known customers included:

• Six Flags parks

• Busch Gardens

• Storytown U.S.A. (later Six Flags Great Escape)

• Hersheypark

• Zoo amusement railways

• State and county fairgrounds

Some locomotives ran daily for decades, becoming beloved fixtures in family traditions. For many visitors—especially children—riding a Crown steam train was their first-ever encounter with steam railroading.

---

Transition and Decline

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, steam power faced increasing regulatory scrutiny. Safety codes, boiler inspections, insurance requirements, and rising costs began to pressure amusement parks into converting to propane-fired or diesel-outline locomotives. Crown adapted briefly by producing diesel-hydraulic locomotives styled like steam engines, but demand for live steam machinery gradually shrank.

By 1989, Crown Metal Products ceased locomotive manufacturing after more than 30 years of service to the amusement industry.

---

Legacy

Today, dozens of Crown locomotives remain operational, many lovingly restored by museums, historic railways, and park operators who value their engineering quality and heritage. Preservation groups often describe Crown engines as some of the finest amusement-scale steam locomotives ever built — tough enough for commercial use, yet true to the spirit of 19th-century railroading.

Ken Williams and Crown Metal Products left a lasting mark on American leisure history. Long after the last full-size steam locomotives left Class I railways, Crown ensured the sound of escaping steam, the whistle’s echo, and the rhythmic beat of pistons continued to delight new generations.