PHOTO: Norfolk Mayor Fraim rides the 'zoo train'

The Virginian-Pilot
© October 16, 2008

zoo train

The Virginia Zoo’s Norfolk Southern Express, a one-third-scale replica of the first transcontinental railroad, opens Saturday, but Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim, above at right, got a sneak peek Wednesday. The train offers a ¾-mile narrated tour of the zoo as well as transportation from the entrance to the Africa exhibit. Daily operating hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and tickets are $2 per rider. The train is wheelchair-accessible and will not operate in rainy weather. The $710,000 cost was financed with donations. (L. Todd Spencer | The Virginian-Pilot)

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Light Rail Service?

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 10/16/2008 at 2:36 pm.

Is this the new light rail service we have been reading so much about?
"The Little Engine That Could!" Toot! Toot!

P'town let another one slip away

Submitted by robertd75172 on Thu, 10/16/2008 at 10:21 am.

Pokey Smokey was THE attraction at Portsmouth City Park for years and the only one of it's kind in the area.

When it came time to maintain the train, the city council did like so many RRs did in the early 1900s. They "deferred" maintenance, to the point it was hopeless to try to fix it up.

Now Norfolk has, yet again, stole what little pride the city has left.

Like so many other things at local and national levels (streets and highways, parks, electric and sewage systems, and our military) in order to provide the best possible service, it takes more than just dumping money into a project to get it built, it takes $$$ to keep it running.

I commend Norfolk for taking the opportunity to build this small RR. Please remember it also takes funds to keep it going. City pride also takes money to maintain, something all the cities around here need to remember.