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LAFAYETTE, Ind. – When the news reached Deb Provo in Nashville, Tenn., that the train at Columbian Park would be refurbished, she proudly reminisced about how her uncle had a hand in the train s existence.
For 52 years, the Columbian Park Zoo Express in Lafayette treated children, parents and other enthusiastic riders to a trip around the park. Plans to refurbish the train engine and its three cars, the Journal & Courier reported in February 2021, are thanks to a partnership between DeFouw Automotive, the Lafayette Parks Foundation, J&T Recovery and the city of Lafayette.
The train is an Allan Herschell Iron Horse with a locomotive and three attached passenger cars. The replica pays homage to the post-Civil War era of train travel, featuring a wood-burning steam locomotive back in the day.