Silver Dollar City shuts down popular steam train ride following incident Thursday

NEAR BRANSON, Mo. (KY3) - Silver Dollar City officials say its famous steam train will remain closed until further notice after another incident on Thursday.

The incident happened around 4 p.m. Officials say the front wheels of car three on the train went off the track by about two inches. It caused cars two and three to separate. Park officials say new safety protocols worked as designed, stopping the train. It also kept all of the remaining cars upright.

Park officials unloaded all the passengers from the train and returned them to the park. One passenger reported a minor injury but declined medical care.

The train derailed in October, injuring six people. According to a report from the Fire Marshal’s Office and Wolf Railway Consulting, there was uneven wear on a side bearing allowing carriage #3 to lean, springs in trucks were not the same height, there was a misalignment of the rails, railroad tie spacing was not consistent, and there were loose joint bolts. MoDOT officials also report another possible cause could have been a track warp where the train car derailed.

State investigators gave Silver Dollar City several recommendations. The park reopened the ride for the 2023 season.

CLICK for the link to the story regarding the investigation.

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