Frisco Silver Dollar Line 504: Summertime in the Ozarks

On May 20, 2024 I returned to Silver Dollar City to find Czech 0-4-0 504 pulling trains on the Frisco Silver Dollar Line. Set atop a hill in the Missouri Ozarks, Dollywood's sister park has been entertaining guests with top-of-the-line thrill rides, historic craftsmen, great food and live entertainment, and tours of the Marvel Cave for over 60 years. Running through the middle of it all is the Frisco Silver Dollar Line, a 24" gauge railroad carrying guests on a 1.5 mile journey through the Ozarks and towards a humorous meeting with some wanna-be train robbers.
As an additional surprise, one of the engineers this day was Dominique Hogue. He was one of the first online friends I made when I first started CZcams 15 years ago, and although we hadn’t talked in years it was great to finally meet in person!
504 was built by Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk in Prague in 1941. In the 1970s it found its way to Jim Machacek's private Northfield & Cannon Valley Railroad in Minnesota, where it ran until a tragically fatal accident in 2007. After Mr. Machacek passed away, his rolling stock was auctioned off and purchased by Silver Dollar City in 2016, who restored his two steam engines as the new 14 and 504. 504 is the only member of the FSDL fleet with a tender, and runs alongside fellow CKD engine 76 and German Orenstein & Koppel engines 13, 14, and 43.

[@timberlynrice]

Wow that footage at 12:35 is so familiar! I already wanna go back!

[@mattdotsonrailfanproductio266]

Love that transitional style Crosby on 504! Exactly like the one I have

[@TweetsieRailroader]

Looks like you had fun! SDC has been on my bucket list for awhile, and I really hope to see the 504 when I go. She’s easily the slickest engine on their roster!

[@wyatttrainworld]

SDC has 5 engines and I seen them all in person but one under wait for a overhaul

[@SmokyMtnSteam]

Definitely worth a visit, it's a great park and railroad. Hot take: slightly better than Dollywood.

[@TweetsieRailroader]

@@SmokyMtnSteam That IS a hot take! But kind of have to agree on that front, as the equipment they have is a lot more varied compared to Dollywood's, plus, the fact they still do a train robbery makes the trip far more interesting. (Though, to be fair, I'll always have a soft spot for Klondike Katie and Cinderella.)

[@TNRailProductions_01]

Nice bro! The shot at the Outlaw Run lift was pretty cool! Great stuff

[@SmokyMtnSteam]

Thanks Eli!

[@railfanningwithtydan]

Wow!! I never really seen or heard of the Silver Dollar line before but it looks awesome and feels similar to dollywood 💯

[@SmokyMtnSteam]

Yes SDC is a bit under the radar but it is literally the original Dollywood and in my potentially controversial opinion, slightly better. Excellent coaster lineup and while the FSDL's little European shunters won't impress next to the White Pass mikados it is certainly a charming ride. Well worth a trip out to the Ozarks in my opinion.

[@georgecarter838]

Would be neat to have a locomotive like the 504. What a wonderful little locomotive it is.

[@kellyashfordtrains2642]

Little cutie-pie.

[@Balerio2357]

Beautiful little steam locomotive with a great sounding whistle. Excellent video thanks for posting !
Greetings from Southern California;
- Larry

[@SmokyMtnSteam]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks!

[@ChaseEdits_0916]

It’s so cool having the train weave through the roller coasters like that, must’ve been an awesome view

[@wyatttrainworld]

Hey you went back I was also there on Friday

[@SmokyMtnSteam]

Cool hope you had a good time!

[@wyatttrainworld]

You guys should come out there in Christmas because they run two trains

[@SmokyMtnSteam]

I'd definitely like to visit during Christma sometime!

[@wyatttrainworld]

@@SmokyMtnSteam #14 and #43 are supposed to take the Christmas runs this year

[@jordonfreeman166]

Could have trimmed 2 minutes of footage and you’d have an homage to Frisco 1522.

[@tanforce2564]

But why would you remove 2 minutes of good footage?