ToyLand Express

Instructions

Backstory of Number 5 Built in 1949 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Pennsylvania, Number 5 was one of the last of a proud lineage of 0-4-0 steam switchers. Compact, strong, and reliable, Number 5 was assigned to a steel mill on the edge of Pittsburgh, tasked with moving heavy loads through narrow yard tracks where larger engines couldn’t go. Day in and day out, it hauled ladle cars and material wagons under clouds of coal smoke and the glow of molten metal. The crews never gave it a name—just "Number 5"—but they respected it. The little engine never complained, even as larger, modern diesel switchers began to appear in the early '50s. By 1958, Number 5 was retired from active duty. It sat on a weed-covered siding behind the mill, silent and slowly fading into obscurity. Then, in the early 1990s, a spark of new life: a small amusement park in central Pennsylvania called ToyLand was looking for an authentic steam engine to bring charm and nostalgia to its child-friendly railroad attraction. Number 5 was purchased, transported, and fully restored—not to its industrial black, but to a whimsical theme-park palette. Painted bright green with red accents and a polished brass bell, it pulled cheerful wooden coaches through a loop of fantasy scenes, past gingerbread houses and singing animals. For a generation of kids in the '90s, Number 5 wasn’t just a ride—it was the magic that made ToyLand come alive. The engine puffed along every summer, letting out its familiar whistle that echoed off the carousel music and cotton candy stands. But like many small parks, ToyLand couldn't compete forever. Visitor numbers declined. In 2003, the park shut down quietly, its rides dismantled, its laughter silenced. Number 5 was too heavy and expensive to move, and too old for modern railways. So it stayed. Now, Number 5 sits in the woods where ToyLand once stood. Its paint is flaking, its boiler cold, its windows fogged with time. Trees grow up around the old track, and the whistle hasn’t been heard in decades. But every so often, someone stumbles across the overgrown park and finds the little engine sitting quietly in the weeds—weathered, but still proud. And in that silence, you can almost hear the soft chuff of steam… as if Number 5 is still waiting for the next passenger to climb aboard.