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Warren Buffett's Son Funds Central Illinois Zoo Train

DECATUR, Ill. (AP) -- It's full steam ahead for a $2 million train track expansion at a zoo in central Illinois thanks to the son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett.

The train route at the Scovill Zoo in Decatur will now stretch alongside the lake shoreline and take passengers to the nearby children's museum. The (Decatur) Herald & Review reports that the track was initially installed in 1984 and encompassed a 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) portion of the zoo.

Howard Buffett, son of entrepreneur Warren Buffett, is funding the project. The Decatur philanthropist was sworn in as Macon County Sheriff in September and also funded a law enforcement-themed expansion of the children's museum.

The revamped train track is set to open spring 2019.

(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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