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Miniature trains shuttled visitors around Eden Springs Amusement Park. They became an attraction unto themselves and, over time, became synonymous with the House of David. They are fondly recalled today by those old enough to remember visiting the park.
Colony members conceived of the railway system four years before the park was built. Missionaries from the commune operated a booth at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, where they took note of the miniature steam engines used there. So, when the House of David opened its amusement park in 1908, miniature trains were installed to convey visitors from the streetcar stop and parking lot on Britain Avenue—the ‘north depot’— to the park attractions, more than a quarter of a mile away at the ‘south depot.’ Over time, the railway track was reconfigured and bridges and support trestles were added.
The colony purchased the first locomotive in 1908 and built others based on its design. They served an important function of transporting park visitors from the North Depot at Eden Spring's entrance on Britain Avenue to the South Depot in the park itself.
Young engineers standing by miniature train in Eden Springs. Not in Order: Earl Mathews, Leo 'Lefty' Wiltbank, Benny Herbertson, Ernie Selby, Lloyd Dalager, Glen 'Red' Wiltbank, Hobie Nelson, Eral Boyersmith, and Coy Tyndall
There were at least a dozen different miniature trains used on colony tracks over the years. The four earliest were purchased, but the next eight were built on-site at the commune’s machine shop. Over time, the earlier trains were overhauled numerous times and finally scrapped for parts to build the later engines. The open-sided passenger coaches, in which visitors rode, were custom-built at Baushke Carriage Works, owned by a local family closely associated with the House of David.
Currently, a 501c3 preservation group runs the Eden Springs site. You can click here to visit their website.
Written by Brian Carroll, PhD., 2024
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