![]() And, whenever he was in the park, Walt was chief engineer, often taking over the operation of the next train pulling into Main Street Station-without the knowledge of his passengers. The crew was on the payroll of Retlaw Enterprises, not Disneyland, Inc. Walt owned the railroad, having financed its construction with his own funds. He crowned the entrance of his park with a Victorian train station and invited first-time guests to circumnavigate his park aboard the elevated trackage to understand its scope and content. And it should be surrounded by a train.” He considered the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad to be the defining boundary between fantasy and the outside world. When giving directions to his Imagineers for the layout of Disneyland, he stated simply: “I just want it to look like nothing else in the world. He believed storytelling with experience was the best way to inform and entertain his guests. Walt didn’t have a great liking for museums. Most of the survivors sit static in museums and parks. Less than 2,000 escaped the cutter’s torch. Progress, with its attributes, caused the removal and destruction of nearly 160,000 steam engines built in this country. He regretted witnessing the demise of the great nameplates that built this infrastructure and the eventual and systematic elimination of steam as the primary source of rail power. He understood well that America’s strength was established on a backbone of rail. Throughout, Walt remained committed to perpetuating the public’s interest in those chuffing monsters that prowled ribbons of steel, hauling passengers, products, and produce to all corners of a developing nation. Ripley, to officiate at the dedication of his magical kingdom. ![]() continued with his one-eight-scale backyard pike known as the Carolwood Pacific Railroad that operated from 1950–1953 And culminated on opening day, when he arrived at Main Street Station, on the throttle of the E.P. It started during his formative childhood in Marceline, Missouri, where the Santa Fe bisected the town. It’s becoming well known that Walt Disney dearly loved steam railroading. (The park in Hong Kong has diesel-hydraulic engines.) Due to the grit and convictions of one individual, who refused to listen to the “experts” of his day, real live steam railroading has been preserved for generations to enjoy at Disneyland and its successor themed amusement parks in Orlando, Tokyo, and Paris. Welcome aboard, ladies and gentlemen, for a "grand circle tour" of the Disneyland Railroad!Īround the world each day, over 100,000 people ride aboard a Disney steam-powered train. Plus builder's plates, conductor's badges, spiels, collectibles, and much more.What it's like inside the Disneyland roundhouse, where the steam trains are maintained and repaired.A history of the Disneyland train stations, as well as a special chapter on the famous Lilly Belle.What the train crew-engineer, fireman, conductor- really do, and why they're the most highly trained of Disney cast members.A history of the five Disneyland locomotives, and how a steam engine works.The story of the Disneyland Railroad begins with its chief engineer, Walt Disney, whose love for the steam locomotives of his youth led his Imagineers to create the same experience for millions of park guests, with continuous service for over six decades.ĭeGaetano reveals this fascinating world unseen by most Disneyland guests, with: Noted rail expert Steve DeGaetano welcomes you aboard for this definitive, in-depth history of the Disneyland Railroad, with hundreds of vintage and current photos, and a fascinating, behind-the-scenes account of how Disney operates its system of trains, stations, and roundhouse.
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