Little Puffer - A Steam Train from 1904

Photo: Sharon Mollerus, CC BY 2.0 (cropped)

A stop on San Francisco Zoo: Exhibit by Exhibit, a free self-guided tour.

This depot is home to the Little Puffer, a 22-inch-gauge miniature steam train that was probably built around 1904. Herbert Fleishhacker bought it in 1925 for his playfield, and it carried children for decades. In 1978 it was shut down to make room for Gorilla World, and the engine sat in storage for twenty years before it was restored and returned in 1998.

The zoo has recently had the train offline for retrofitting, and it never runs in wet weather, so check at the depot or with the zoo before you plan on a ride. When it runs, a special passenger car can carry a wheelchair.

Around the depot is Puente al Sur, the Bridge to the South, where you may see a giant anteater and a Baird's tapir. Tapirs look a bit like pigs with short trunks, but their closest living relatives are horses and rhinos.

Getting here: Head back west from Grizzly Gulch to the Little Puffer depot next to the Station Cafe.

Did you know?: A giant anteater's tongue can reach about two feet long and flick in and out more than 150 times a minute.

Photo op: If the train is running, stand well back from the depot to catch steam rising as it pulls away.

For kids: Look for the tapir's bendy snout. It works like a short trunk to grab leaves and fruit.

Nearby: The Station Cafe serves pizza, snacks and drinks, with restrooms close by.

More on Wikipedia: Ridable miniature railway · Giant anteater · Baird's tapir

Little Puffer - A Steam Train from 1904

Stops on this tour