241 South Anaheim Boulevard, Anaheim, California 92805
If you’ve never been able to visit Walt’s Carolwood Barn museum during one of its public days, from now until January 20, 2019 you have a chance to see a rare selection of loaned museum artifacts in two different locations! We’ll visit the other location in an upcoming article, but for now we’ll visit Treasures From Carolwood hosted by the Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center (in Anaheim, California). After you’ve taken time to explore a sampling of the never-before-exhibited pieces, you can make plans to see the full collection in person just fifteen minutes away from Disneyland in Anaheim, California! Please step this way, as your personal preview of the exhibit begins NOW!
“WALT DISNEY’S CAROLWOOD PACIFIC RAILROAD”
Even before Walt and family moved to their new Holmby Hills home, Walt began construction on a narrow gauge railroad in his future backyard. The Carolwood Pacific Railroad was the product of Walt and his fellow railfans (including employees like Ward Kimball, Roger Broggie, Ollie Johnston, and others). The entire half-mile line included bridges, a lengthy wooden trestle, and even an “s” curve shaped tunnel right beneath Lillian’s flowerbed. Many family members and friends were welcomed to this happy place. Walt would play the part of brakeman and fireman aboard the Lilly Belle, as guests enjoyed the “fair weather route”. Please CLICK the following image and scroll through a gallery of rare photographs featuring Walt and his Carolwood Pacific Railroad.
The centerpiece of the Yensid Valley and the entire Railroad was a very special structure - a recreation of the Disney family barn in Marceline! It was here that Walt would invite fellow train fans while they would tinker away on the engine and rolling stock of Walt’s backyard railroad! Walt would engage in “shoptalk” here, and it is believed by some that Disneyland was born inside these very walls.
This photograph (of the Dan Viets collection) is of the original Disney Family barn in Marceline, Missouri. Walt liked to talk about how he spent the formative years of his life here from 1906 to 1910. Walt looked back on the old barn with such fondness that he had a reproduction of this barn constructed on his Holmby Hills property in order to house his narrow gauge railroad toys!
Elements of the family barn in Marceline were incorporated into Walt’s Carolwood Barn - including the slanted roof!
A view of Walt’s Carolwood Barn through the windows of another major attraction - Disneyland Railroad’s RETLAW1 Combine Car!
Walt just loved trains, and Lillian loved to see her husband happy! Here Walt and Lillian Disney are pictured attending the last run of George Allen Hancock’s full scale steam engine “Old 21” during February of 1962. Walt named his narrow gauge engine after his beloved wife Lilly. Lilly stood beside Walt for forty years and became his chief sounding board and primary source of support for all of his projects!
(Walt Disney Family Foundation Collection)
A whole lot of work went into producing The Carolwood Pacific Railroad, most of which was done at the studio in Burbank!
The 46-foot long trestle was held up by wooden frame supports like these ones, called bents. The differing heights owe to their placement on the incline. They were bolted to concrete footings which were driven a foot underground. These bents (pictured) are the only surviving pieces of the trestle.
(Carolwood Foundation Collection, Donated by William Stewart)
Carolwood Pacific Gondola (Walt Disney Family collection) Walt and Ollie Johnston built the prototype gondolas out of wood. The duplicates were created in the Walt Disney Studios machine shop under the direction of Roger Broggie. The wood pieces were then used to create molds for the final panels, which were cast in aluminum and painted to resemble wood.
Early Disneyland Entrance Photostadt (Walt Disney Imagineering Collection, )
Walt first scouted Riverside Drive for the location of a Disneyland Park. When Herb Ryman created this rendering of the Main Street train station in 1953, guests were greeted by DISNEYLAND spelled out in flowers instead of Mickey Mouse’s face!
Some of the Santa Fe Disneyland Railroad’s parts were manufactured in the same place where some of the Carolwood Pacific’s parts were cast.
The Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad sponsorship ran from 1955 to 1974. During that time, advertisements like this one were displayed near the stations and even the sides of the yellow combine car!
(Walt Disney Imagineering Collection, )
Also featured - an original section of 1955 Disneyland rail!
Bruce Bushman created many Disneyland conceptual drawings during 1954, based on the numerous Walt Disney Studios feature films and short films. Though many of these drawings weren’t carried into the next step of production, this drawing of the Casey Jr. Circus Train Depot was different. The depot (which was originally used as the ticket booth) was translated into reality almost exactly as Bruce envisioned it, and still stands next to the attraction to this day.
Bob Gurr is known for many Disneyland vehicles including (but not limited to) Victorian curve-dashed automobiles, miniature sports cars, and aerodynamic monorails! The whimsical 1954 pencil drawing (behind the Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily model) perfectly captures the essence of Casey Jr., and was produced by the same Disney Legend Bob Gurr!
Drawing, courtesy of The Walt Disney Imagineering Collection.
Imagineer Bob Gurr drew these elevation drawings for the Mine Train Thru Nature’s Wonderland attraction in 1956. Though made to resemble a steam-powered locomotive, the electric tender was actually the source of the train’s power.
(The Keeline Collection)
This Mine Train scene rendering was produced by Marc Davis, adding more threatening tottering stone columns balanced above the passing mine train below!
(Walt Disney Imagineering Collection, 1960)
Disneyland MARK I ALWEG Monorail panel featuring the original sponsor!
In 1934, The Walt Disney Studios signed a contract with the Lionel Corporation to produce a wind-up handcar featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse - the first train-related Disney toy. Priced at 90 cents, and available in red or green, the handcars were incredibly popular, selling 254,000 units in less than four months! The success allowed Lionel to emerge from financial problems and near-bankruptcy.
You’ll notice the 90 cent Lionel Mickey handcar that saved the Lionel Corporation from bankruptcy during the depression era in 1934. Original packaging included in this display!
Jeff Ino Collection
Ward Kimball wore this Firehouse Five Plus Two helmet when performing in the 1951 Tournament of Roses Parade!
Walt’s Carolwood Barn museum wouldn’t be in existence without Diane Disney Miller’s efforts to preserve the barn from demolishment, and have it moved piece-by-piece to its new location in Griffith Park. On July 19th, 1999, Diane, Michael Broggie, and representatives of the City of Los Angeles dedicated Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn as a museum devoted to showcasing Walt’s railroad legacy. Under the auspices of the non-profit Carolwood foundation, the barn has amassed a substantial collection of Walt Disney artifacts and Disney train memorabilia that paint a more intimate side of the man and his magic! With an ideal location (just 15-minutes from Disneyland in Anaheim), we hope you’ll take time to visit Treasures From Carolwood and share this marvelous collection with your fellow Disney historians and fans this season!
Diane Disney Miller, the eldest daughter of Walt Disney was the first champion of Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn. She drove the last nail into the barn during the dedication ceremony on July 19th, 1999.
Support your local museum and support future attractions coming to Walt’s Carolwood Barn - a fully restored Disneyland Mine Train vehicle and a restored portion of Geppetto’s village from the original Storybook Land. Every dollar helps support Walt’s railroad legacy for future generations!
TREASURES FROM CAROLWOOD
November 17, 2018 - January 20, 2019
MUZEO HOURS of OPERATION
Wednesday through Sunday : 10a.m. - p.m.
Monday and Tuesday : CLOSED