Like much of the rest of Disneyland the railroad was built slightly smaller than full size both the train and its tracks are about five eighths scale making its cars 3 feet narrower than standard train cars. It's doorways closer to 6 ft tall than 7 its track about 36 inches wide instead of standard 56 and 1/2 friendlier and less intimidating.
Roger E. Broggie, master machinist at Disney Studios, was familiar with fabricating small camera parts with precision. Walt approached him to create a 1/8 scale live steam locomotive while training Walt as a machinist.Since the first spark of the idea of the park which would later evolve into Disneyland, each design concept held one thing in common "and it will be surrounded by a train." Walt Disney said
The Disneyland Railroad was inspired by Walt Disney's love for trains, while tinkering in the barn of his live steam backyard Carolwood Pacific Railroad.In 1953 the Walt Disney Company solicited major railroads for corporate sponsorship of the attraction. The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway was the only company to respond. AT&SF sponsorship offset construction and fabrication costs and it opened and operated as the "Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad" until 1974.One consequence of the sponsorship is from 1955 to 1974 the Santa Fe Rail Pass was able to be used in lieu of a "D" coupon to ride the train.Unlike most of Disneyland and its arrangement with its sponsors, the Disneyland Railroad, as well as the Mark Twain Riverboat (and later the Monorail) was entirely owned and operated by Walt himself as owner,president and sole proprietor of Retlaw which is Walter, spelled backwards incorporated privately for the operation. He mortgaged his Palm Springs property Smoke Tree Ranch to finance the construction of the Disneyland Railroad, Mark Twain Riverboat (and later the Monorail) cast members worked directly for Walt, and he personally autographed their paychecks. Retlaw originally custom-built all of its full-scale 3 ft narrow gauge equipment in house, through creative financing paying his other companies for the work.
In addition to the unpowered rolling stock, WED Enterprises constructed the original two locomotives in the roundhouse at Disneyland then located west of Holidayland under the supervision of Roger Broggie, the first Imagineer, on a temporaryreassignment from the duties of Machinist/Engineer at the Disney Studios Camera Shops.
The locomotives are examples of "American"-style 4-4-0s. Using the 1/8 scale miniature Carolwood Pacific #173 Lilly Belle live steam locomotive which Walt commissioned Broggie to fabricate for his backyard as a pattern, the #1 and #2 locomotives were scaled up from the practical 1/8th live steam model enlarged to full-scale 3 ft narrow gauge Disneyland Railroad trackage, visually similar to the proportion of five-eighths Standard Gauge.
The fire tube boilers are fired by spraying and igniting fuel oil onto a carbon based ceramic fire-brick plate burner.Locomotive No. 1 was given a big spark arresting diamond stack of wood-burning locomotives and a large, pointed pilot or cowcatcher representing a workhorse used to construct a railroad.Flagship No. 2 was given a straight stack and smaller pilot common to East Coast coal-burning locomotives representing highball speed of express passenger service on smooth straight rails.
From safety and signaling to conductors punching passenger tickets with a smile, all aspects of operations were just like the big ones. Two trains operated on opening day. Locomotive #1 serviced the Frontierland depot, hauling a freight train consisting of cattle cars, gondolas numbered 201-205 and a caboose #208. Locomotive #2, serviced only Main Street station; it hauled a passenger train consisting of yellow coaches, #101 - the combine, partial baggage/express and coach seating, coaches #102-105, and the Grand Canyon observation coach #106 with larger arched windows, an observation platform and drumhead at the rear. The two trains could each operate on the railroad simultaneously and independently in the same clockwise direction. Rail sidings at Main Street Station and Frontierland Depot allowed them to pass the one disembarking/embarking passengers.
July 17, 1955, beginning the historic ABC broadcast with Art Linkletter and Ronald Reagan on the platform as Walt throttled down #2 pulling Retlaw-1 into Main Street Station, Art introduced him along with California Governor Goodwin J. Knight and Fred G. Gurley in his capacity as president of the Santa Fe and their families riding in the open door of the combine #101 as they began to preside over the opening-day ceremonies.
When the tracks were realigned to accommodate "It's a Small World" the Fantasyland station was closed and the Tomorrowland station was built. The passing track at Main Street Station has been disconnected and now is only used to display a 3 ft narrow gauge Kalamazoo handcar.The tracks at Frontierland Depot were moved several times and the passing track was removed completely; the original station was moved across the tracks and the New Orleans Square/Frontierland station replaced it. Walt Disney dictated that two trains were to operate at all times, and it is not uncommon for three or four trains to operate simultaneously on busy days. Walt's railroading hobby qualified him with extensive experience operating steam locomotives and guests frequently saw him making rounds of the park acting as engineer in a locomotive cab. As the park had grown, and ridership increased, more trains were needed. When more trains were eventually added the operation was changed: the trains no longer passed each other, and a Fantasyland station was built at Storybook Land.
The Main Street station is a typical 1900-era brick structure with gabled roof, cupolas and the Town Clock. Inside, the "Lilly Belle" the scale model locomotive which once circled Walt Disney's home is on display.The Frontierland station is a frame building housing a clattering telegraph office and baggage handling facilities. In new Tomorrowland, guests board trains of the Santa Fe Disneyland Railroad for a journey through the Grand Canyon and Primeval World.
From WED Disneyland Dictionary 1968 Includes five trains, all of 1890 vintage or older. They depart regularly from the Main Street station at Disneyland Main Entrance for a trip completely around the "Magic Kingdom" with stops at Frontierland and Tomorrowland. Each land is viewed on the 1 1/4-mile journey, climaxed by a trip through the Grand Canyon and Primeval World.
Specs: Capacity 2384 per hour -- Cycle Time 17:30 -- Trip Time 12:00 -- Trips per hour 10 --Distance TRaveled 6215 feet -- Speed 4 MPH
