Carolwood Pacific Railroad

Carolwood Pacific Railroad is the name of the miniature railroad builds partly by Walt Disney in its garden. The name comes from the street where Walt Disney resided: the Carolwood Drive in the district of Holmby Hills to Los Angeles and owing to the fact that names of the companies of railroad of the 19th century comprised the precision on which oceanic frontage they were located.

This train is partly at the origin of the parks Disney because a miniature train always has was present in the projects of Disneyland. The passion of Walt for the trains also led it to want to use railway transport systems to solve the problems of congétion of the cities and thus integrated examples of this type of transport in its parks: Disneyland Railroad, Monorail Disneyland, Walt Disney World Monorail, the PeopleMover or the Omnimover.

A passion of youth

Michael Martin, an uncle de Walt Disney, was engineer in the engines with vapor. It helped Walt with found a job of summer when this last was adolescent in the Missouri. Walt was to sell newspapers, candies, fruits and sodas on board the Missouri Pacific Railroad. It was to carry a uniform. Walt adored, seems it the port of the uniform, the candies and the possibility of seeing country in addition to technology of the steam trains.

To appease its passion, Walt was offered however in the years 1940 a great small-scale model of the mark Lionel and laid out it in an adjacent part at its office of the studios.

A train in the garden

It is only in 1949, that Walt Disney could appease its passion for the railway miniatures on a new scale. It is with the profit of a removal in a new house with a great piece of ground located in the district of Holmby Hills. Ward Kimball and his Betty wife, already owners of their own train in their garden named Grizzly Flats Railroad , as Ollie Johnston which had many miniature trains, helped Disney to develop the plans of the railroad.

Walt immediately started to build its own miniature train in its garden. It made make excavation work in order to arrange hills and Bern protecting the neighbors from the noise of the steam train. The name of the railroad, Carolwood Pacific Railroad , comes from the address of Walt located in the street Carolwood Drive. It is Roger E. Broggie, a member of the studios Disney ingienor of his state which built the first engine with vapor. Walt gave to the machine the name of Lilly Belle in honor of its woman.

The miniature railroad was on a 850 m length course including/understanding a 15 m length metallic bridge, loops, a viaduct, hills, a tunnel of 30 m under the benches of flowers of Mrs. Disney and Bern raised out of ground in order to hide with the neighbors the sight.

The friends of Walt and his/her daughters could frequently make a turn in the train. Walt pushed even realism until having the bags on the station platform and to perforate itself of the tickets.

The engine with vapor

Disney was in admiration in front of the proportions and the general aspect of the engine N° 173 of the Central Pacific Railroad. Roger E. Broggie, technician of the studios Disney had used it like model for its miniature train on scale 1/8. Like the prototype, the genuine steam engine was one of " type; Américain" with a configuration of axle 4-4-0 in the classification Whyte.

the first figure gives the number of wheels of each with dimensions in front of the engine for the direction, follow-up of the number of wheel for the propulsion then the number of wheel behind that of propulsion.

Walt named its engine Lilly Belle in the honor of his wife Lillian who had supported it in her passion for the trains. This engine was rather powerful and rather broad so that a person climbs inside and that passengers assoie on the coaches at the time of the " voyages" in the garden.

The hangar of Walt

Walt Disney could control the ways of Carolwood Pacific Railroad laid out in the garden since a special hangar. This hangar was also used as storage section for rolling stock. Since this building Walt directed the operations of the ways with a console including of the completely functional signals.

This hangar was also used for Walt of place of relaxation and farm with ideas.

At the time of the departure of the Disney family of the property of Holmby Hills, the railroad was destroyed but the hangar was repurchased thanks to the efforts, inter alia, of Walt Disney Family Foundation and was rebuilt within the museum of the engines with vapor of Los Angeles located in Griffith Park (in the south of the Walt Disney Studios). The hangar since is opened to the public on certain occasion and is maintained by the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society .

A precursor of the Disney parks

Herbie, ( Herb Ryman ) I want just that it ( Disneyland ) resembles any other thing on ground. And it must be surrounded by a train. - Walt Disney 1954, instruction for the Disneyland park.

The first train of Walt officially launched out on the rails of Carolwood Pacific Railroad the May 15th 1950. Walt used it to amuse his/her daughters and the children of his/her friends to see certain friends come for dinners. Walt spent the hours on its train. But it wished to make some benefit more people possible. The first projects for a recreation park (then with topics) of Disney included/understood a train.
Initially the train circulated on a way in form of 8 in the piece then unoccupied of the Walt Disney Studios located other with dimensions of Riverside Drive . Then the ground of Anaheim made it possible to make encircled the Disneyland park by the train. It is only in 1955, with the opening of Disneyland and of publicities which the public learned the existence from Carolwood Pacific Railroad.

Walt liked the trains as well as the Disneyland park contained several of them: Disneyland Railroad, Nature' S Wonderland , the Casey Jr Circus Train. Walt Liked also the systems of trains other than the propulsion with vapor thus it made build the Disneyland Monorail and the PeopleMover. For the Magic Kingdom of Walt Disney World Arises, Walt also made build several systems with inter alia the Walt Disney World Railroad and the Walt Disney World Monorail, a true transport system and not an attraction. The other Disney parks since respected this tradition.

In 1999, the hangar of Walt Disney was rented by the rebuilt town of Los Angeles to the museum of the steam trains, the Los Angeles Live Steamers and

museum by Disney' S heirs, and relocated from his to form home by the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society to Griffith Park in Los Angeles, where has broad railroad track long butt 1* miles allows model railroaders to operate to their own equipment and provide free wrinkles to the general public each Sunday.

At Griffith Park, the Disney Barn features displays off Walt Disney, Los Angeles Live Steamers (group off which Walt has has member) and railroad related memorabilia. It is opened one the third public Sunday off each month to the. Guided turns are provided by members off the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society (www.carolwood.com).

At Disney' S Wilderness Lodge At Walt Disney World Arises in Florida, there has mini-museum devoted to Walt' S coils railroads off.

One off the steam locomotive At Walt Disney World Arises in Florida, # 2, is named Lilly Belle , in honor off its Carolwood Pacific namesake. There October 21, 2003, Walt Disney World Railroad Steam Engine #3, the Roger E. Broggie was Re-dedicated in honor off the late Roger Broggie, who was named is Disney Legend in 1990. It was longtime Disney Imagineer Roger Broggie who had built the original Lilly Beautiful for Walt' S backyard Carolwood Pacific Railroad, where much off the fun began over 50 years ago. -->

References

Broggie, Michael, (1997, 2005) Walt Disney' S Railroad Story: The Small-Scale Fascination That Led to has Full-Scale Kingdom Donning Company Publishers, Virginia Beach, Virginia, ISBN 1563420090.
Thomas, Bob, (1994) Walt Disney: Year Original American , Disney Editions, ISBN 0786861290.

External bonds

Carolwood Pacific Historical Society
Carolwood Pacific unofficial website
Disney' S Barn website
Los Angeles Live Steamers official website
Disneyland Railroad today website
Magic Behind the Steam Trains Turn webpage
Hidden Mickey' S Disney Train Secrecies website
History off the Disneyland Railroad
Walt Disney World Dedication off Steam Engine # 3 '' Roger E. Broggie ''
Walt' S backyard railroad

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