MONTEREY, Calif. - After months of discussion regarding the safety of an old steam train located at Dennis the Menace Park, consultants have released their findings on hazards and solutions. The train has been fenced since mid-2012 after several children were injured after falling from the locomotive.
Overview
The 1924 Steam Train at Dennis the Menace Park is a beloved structure that has been enjoyed by residents and visitors to Monterey since it was located in the park in 1956. The grassroots support to maintain Engine 1285 as an attraction in the park is very strong.
The challenge is to find a way to retain the structure and address the safety and accessibility requirements that protect people from injury and allow people with and without disabilities to enjoy this historic resource.
On December 5, 2012, MIG licensed landscape architects including a Certified Playground Safety Inspector, and a California Division of the State Architect Certified Access Specialist (CASp) with combined 60 years of playground design experience visited the steam train and met with representatives from the City of Monterey and Save the Train representatives to review the existing conditions and to discuss options for retaining the train while addressing safety, accessibility, and play value.
Currently, the steam train is situated on a section of railroad track in sand surfacing near the entrance of the park. Sand is not an accessible surfacing and does not accommodate people who use wheelchairs, canes, walkers or other mobility devices. Sand surfacing prevents a child with mobility impairment from approaching the train to see the intricate mechanical structures and prevents a disabled parent or caregiver from coming to the aid of an able bodied child.
The train engine cab is reached by a stairway that does not meet current state or federal accessibility codes for either an exterior stair or a play structure. A stairway also prevents access by people who use mobility devices such as scooters and wheelchairs.
Because the steam train is located in a playground, and climbing on the train had been expected and encouraged until recently, the accessibility standards for Play Areas and Play Components contained in the American's with Disabilities Act (ADA), a federal civil rights law, were the appropriate standard.
Modifying the steam train to prevent climbing may effectively change the definition of the train from a play component to an historical interpretive exhibit and justify the application of the 2012 ADA Standards for Accessible Design for elements other than play areas.
Regardless of the definition of the train as either a play component or a historical interpretive display, safety and access must be addressed. This issue must be considered and addressed by legal counsel.
Using the standards found in the playground safety legislation enacted by the State of California, the steam train contains many opportunities for injury.
Head entrapment, whereby the small body of a child passes feet first through an opening only to have the head fails to pass through can cause strangulation and death.
Protruding features, if fallen on or against, can cause serious injury to eyes and other body parts.
Vertical angles formed by exposed mechanical parts can entrap heads, necks, or clothing parts and may cause strangulation.
The height of the train exceeds the capacity of the sand surfacing to protect someone from serious injury in case of a fall from an elevated platform.
The railings currently along the top and sides of the train do not provide adequate safety or protection for children or adults who are encouraged to venture out onto these elements.
Recommendations and Options
Access to the Engine Compartment:
Option 1: If the steam train is deemed to be a play component, the standards for play areas contained in the ADA allow the use of a transfer system to provide access to elevated play components in the engine compartment. Similar to a composite play structure found in many parks including Dennis the Menace Park, a transfer system consists of a platform that allows a person to transfer from a wheelchair to the transfer platform and pull themselves up a series of steps to access an elevated deck. Such a system would allow a person to enter and sit on the floor of the engine compartment. The transfer steps, with handrails, would also comprise a usable stairway for others to access the engine compartment. This option requires very significant modification to the train in order to prevent climbing and the removal of all safety hazards.
Option 2: If the train is deemed to be a historical interpretive display with access to specific train components including the engine compartment, an accessible ramp is required. The ramp could be built on either side of the train. Building it on the parking lot side of the train would require relocating the existing fence but would provide better visual access to the entire side of the train from the playground side. Building the ramp on the playground side of the train, it would be contained within the existing footprint of the train area.
The mechanical structures at the ground level of the train are intricate, massive, and fascinating. Being able to approach and touch these mechanical structures is desirable, but care must be taken to prevent injury. A fence, close to the train, is recommended to prevent access to most of the train. Several locations at the side of the train may be able to be modified to eliminate safety hazards. An accessible surfacing material must replace the sand in these locations so that people with mobility impairment can approach and touch the train.
Other Play Options:
Climbing on the train itself is not recommended. Access to the engine compartment only, modifying or protecting the interior components of the compartment and the elimination of climbing must be considered as a strategy to maintain a level of contact with the train and to improve safety.
Providing other train related play opportunities that do not currently exist in the park may be a way of renewing the experience of the steam train days, and provide children with a hands-on play opportunity.
Examples are: Install a train station/ticket booth adjacent to the train. This would add a social and dramatic play opportunity that would be available to children who can not or may not wish to approach the stream train.
Install a hand cart or other train equipment that has been modified to eliminate safety hazards.
Following our site visit and discussion with City staff, our opinion is that with legal advice, careful design, management, and maintenance the steam train can potentially remain a vital part of Dennis the Menace Park.
Respectfully, MIG, Inc.
Timothy A. Gilbert, RLA, ICC, ASLA, CASp Tod Hara, RLA, CPSI
