CP Huntington Train

The ride takes its name from one of American railroading's founding machines. The original C. P. Huntington, a 4-2-4RT steam locomotive, was bought by the Central Pacific Railroad in 1863 as its No. 3 and went to work in April 1864 during construction of the western portion of the first transcontinental railroad. The Southern Pacific acquired it in 1871 and made it that railroad's No. 1 — its very first locomotive — honoring Collis P. Huntington of the founding Big Four; the engine survives on static display at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, where it has sat since 1981. In 1961, amusement manufacturer Chance Rides began fabricating two-foot-gauge working replicas of the engine, and with more than 400 examples built as of 2024, the C. P. Huntington has become the most popular park train in America — the design running at parks, zoos, and boardwalks across the country, including this listing's home at the Kemah Boardwalk, which opened to the public in 1998.