Riding the Rocky Brook Rocket: a Look Inside Opelika's Iconic 1955 Antique Kiddie Train

Breaking down the facts behind Riding the Rocky Brook Rocket: a Look Inside Opelika's Iconic 1955 Antique Kiddie Train—uncover what experts are saying.

The centerpiece of the park arrived during the peak of the post-war kiddie ride boom. In 1955, the City of Opelika invested in a gas-powered miniature train manufactured to give children the tactile thrill of a real rail journey. Dubbed the Rocky Brook Rocket, the train featured an open-air locomotive followed by low-slung passenger cars painted in bright, eye-catching hues.

The route was mapped directly into the park's topography. Instead of running in an uninspired concrete oval, the track loops through mature hardwoods, hugs the natural contours of Rocky Brook, and crosses dedicated wooden trestle bridges. The mechanical simplicity of the vintage engine proved to be a stroke of municipal fortune. Maintained rigorously by city mechanics and park staff, the mechanical components have survived decades of continuous operation. When modern replacement parts became scarce, municipal crews refurbished mechanical linkages and preserved the engine's distinct low rumble, keeping the 1955 experience intact.