The Carolwood Pacific Railroad (CPRR) was a -inch () gauge ridable miniature railroad run by

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

in the backyard of his home in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. It featured the ''Lilly Belle'', a 1:8- scale

live steam Live steam is steam under pressure, obtained by heating water in a boiler. The steam is used to operate stationary or moving equipment. A live steam machine or device is one powered by steam, but the term is usually reserved for those that ar ...

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

named after Disney's wife,

Lillian Disney Lillian Marie Disney ( Bounds; February 15, 1899December 16, 1997) was an American ink artist at the Disney Studios and the wife of Walt Disney from 1925 until his death in 1966. Born in Spalding, Idaho, Disney graduated from high school in La ...

, and built by the Walt Disney Studios'

machine shop A machine shop or engineering workshop (UK) is a room, building, or company where machining, a form of subtractive manufacturing, is done. In a machine shop, machinists use machine tools and cutting tools to make parts, usually of metal or plast ...

. The locomotive made its first test run on December 24, 1949. It pulled a set of freight cars, as well as a

caboose A caboose is a crewed North American railroad car coupled at the end of a freight train. Cabooses provide shelter for crew at the end of a train, who were formerly required in switching and shunting, keeping a lookout for load shifting, damag ...

that was almost entirely built by Disney himself. It was Disney's lifelong fascination with trains, as well as his interest in

miniature models A scale model is a physical model which is geometrically similar to an object (known as the prototype). Scale models are generally smaller than large prototypes such as vehicles, buildings, or people; but may be larger than small prototypes ...

, that led to the creation of the CPRR. The railroad, which became operational in 1950, was long and encircled his house. The backyard railroad attracted visitors to Disney's home; he invited them to ride and occasionally drive his miniature train. In 1953, after an accident occurred in which a guest was injured, the CPRR was closed to the public. The Carolwood Pacific Railroad inspired Disney to include railroad attractions in the design for the

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...

theme park in

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

. Railroad attractions in Disney theme parks around the world are now commonplace. The barn structure that was used as the railroad's control center is now at the

Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum The Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum (LALSRM) is a non-profit public-benefit corporation founded in 1956 by live steam enthusiasts for the purpose of educating the public about railroad history and lore, and to promote live steam and scal ...

in Los Angeles'

Griffith Park Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains, in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park includes popular attractions such as the Los Angeles Zoo, the Autry Museum of the Ameri ...

. The ''Lilly Belle'', some of the freight cars, and the caboose are now on display at the

Walt Disney Family Museum The Walt Disney Family Museum (WDFM) is an American museum that features the life and legacy of Walt Disney. The museum is located in The Presidio of San Francisco, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco. The museum r ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, California.

History

, the owner of the Carolwood Pacific Railroad, was a

rail enthusiast A railfan, rail buff or train buff (American English), railway enthusiast, railway buff or trainspotter (Australian/British English), or ferroequinologist is a person who is recreationally interested in trains and rail transport systems. Rail ...

... As a young boy, he wanted to become a

train engineer A train driver, engine driver, engineman or locomotive driver, commonly known as an engineer or railroad engineer in the United States and Canada, and also as a locomotive handler, locomotive operator, train operator, or motorman, is a pers ...

like his father's cousin, Mike Martin, who drove main-line trains on the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...

... Disney's father worked as part of a track installation crew for the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

. As a teenager, Disney worked as a

news butcher A newspaper hawker, newsboy or newsie is a street vendor of newspapers without a fixed newsstand. Related jobs included paperboy, delivering newspapers to subscribers, and news butcher, selling papers on trains. Adults who sold newspapers from ...

on the Missouri Pacific Railway, where he sold newspapers, candy, cigars, and other products on trains.. He sometimes climbed over the tender and into the locomotive's cab while the train was in motion.. After he bribed the engineer and fireman with chewing tobacco, they showed him how to operate the locomotive. Disney renewed his interest in trains after injuries forced him to stop playing

polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...

.. Seeking a calmer recreational activity, he purchased several Lionel train sets in late 1947. By 1948, his interest in model trains was evolving into an interest in larger, ridable miniature trains after observing the trains and backyard railroad layouts of several hobbyists.. These hobbyists included Disney animator Ollie Johnston, who had a ridable miniature railroad, as well as Disney animator

Ward Kimball Ward Walrath Kimball (March 4, 1914 – July 8, 2002) was an American animator employed by Walt Disney Animation Studios. He was part of Walt Disney's main team of animators, known collectively as Disney's Nine Old Men. His films have been honored ...

, who owned the full-size, narrow-gauge

Grizzly Flats Railroad The Grizzly Flats Railroad (GFRR) was a 3-foot () narrow-gauge heritage railroad owned by Disney animator Ward Kimball at his home in San Gabriel, California. The railroad had of track, and was operated from 1942 to 2006. It was the first ful ...

.. On June 1, 1949, Disney purchased of vacant land in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles.. The property consisted of a bluff, which was in size, and a level shelf of land behind it, which Disney named ''Yensid Valley''... The word ''Yensid'' is ''Disney'' spelled backwards. Disney purchased this land to build a new family home with an elaborate backyard railroad behind it. Plans for the railroad's layout included of -inch () gauge track with eleven switches, as well as gradients,

overpass An overpass (called an overbridge or flyover in the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth countries) is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway. An ''overpass'' and ''underpass'' together form ...

es, a

trestle ATLAS-I (Air Force Weapons Lab Transmission-Line Aircraft Simulator), better known as Trestle, was a unique electromagnetic pulse (EMP) generation and testing apparatus built between 1972 and 1980 during the Cold War at Sandia National Laborato ...

, and an elevated dirt berm... The layout would completely surround the house. Disney's wife, Lillian Disney, objected to the plan that part of the layout be built in an area where she intended to plant a flower garden. As a compromise, Disney had an S-curve tunnel built underneath the spot where the garden was eventually planted. Aided by a Walt Disney Studios attorney, Disney had a

tongue-in-cheek The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scott ...

legal contract written to establish his right to own and operate the railroad's

right of way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

... He and his wife signed the contract and their two daughters witnessed it. Disney named his railroad ''Carolwood Pacific Railroad'' (CPRR) in reference to his address at 355 Carolwood Drive. The railroad eventually cost $50,000, split evenly between its layout and

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can b ...

The railroad featured the ''Lilly Belle'', a 1:8-scale live steam locomotive named after Disney's wife and built by the Walt Disney Studios' machine shop team led by

Roger E. Broggie Roger Edward Broggie (October 2, 1908 – November 4, 1991) was an American mechanical engineer who worked with Walt Disney and the Walt Disney Company. He is considered the first Disney Imagineer. Early life Broggie was born in 1908, in Pittsf ...

... The locomotive's design, chosen by Disney after seeing a smaller locomotive model with the same design at the home of rail historian Gerald M. Best, was based directly on copies of the blueprints for the Central Pacific No. 173, a

4-4-0 4-4-0 is a locomotive type with a classification that uses the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement and represents the arrangement: four leading wheels on two axles (usually in a leading bogie), four po ...

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

rebuilt by the

Central Pacific Railroad The Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) was a rail company chartered by Pacific Railroad Acts, U.S. Congress in 1862 to build a railroad eastwards from Sacramento, California, to complete the western part of the "First transcontinental railroad" in N ...

in 1872. The initials for the Carolwood Pacific Railroad, ''CPRR'', matched the initials for the Central Pacific Railroad, one of the railroads that helped complete the

first transcontinental railroad North America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the " Overland Route") was a continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail netwo ...

in 1869.. Under Broggie's guidance, Disney helped build several parts for the ''Lilly Belle'', including its

smokestack A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typic ...

and headlamp. Most of the

machining Machining is a process in which a material (often metal) is cut to a desired final shape and size by a controlled material-removal process. The processes that have this common theme are collectively called subtractive manufacturing, which utilizes ...

was done by Broggie's machine shop team, and the wooden cab was built by Disney personally.. On December 24, 1949, the ''Lilly Belle'' and its tender were first test run on a small loop of track during the studio's Christmas party in front of the staff. The tender could carry up to of water and of coal crushed to scale-sized lumps to fuel the locomotive.. Disney ran the ''Lilly Belle'' on the Carolwood Pacific Railroad for the first time on May 7, 1950.. The CPRR's train cars consisted of six cast-metal, wood-grain-patterned

gondolas The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull ...

made by the studio's machine shop.. There were also two

boxcar A boxcar is the North American ( AAR) term for a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is considered one of the most versatile since it can carry most ...

s, two stock cars, a

flatcar A flatcar (US) (also flat car, or flatbed) is a piece of rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck mounted on a pair of trucks (US) or bogies (UK), one at each end containing four or six wheels. Occasionally, flat cars designed to carry ...

, and a

made of wood from the studio's prop shop. Disney's fascination with miniature models was apparent from the level of detail he applied to the miniature interior of the caboose, which included a calendar hung on the wall, a broom, and a working potbelly stove.. Except for its frame and

trucks A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

, Disney built the entire caboose himself. All of the train cars, except for the caboose, were stored in the CPRR's tunnel when not in use. The CPRR's caboose was stored in a special barn where Disney monitored and controlled the CPRR's track. The barn's design was based on a set piece for the 1949 Disney film '' So Dear to My Heart'', and it brought back Disney's childhood memories of a similar barn on his family farm in Marceline, Missouri... The barn had a

centralized traffic control Centralized traffic control (CTC) is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America. CTC consolidates train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system con ...

board, which had several lights designed to indicate the presence of trains along the railroad's route. The CPRR's switches could also be electrically controlled from this board. Articles about the CPRR appeared in several magazines, including the September 1951 issue of ''Look'' magazine. These articles attracted visitors interested in the CPRR to the home of Disney, who invited them to ride and occasionally drive his miniature train.. With a

tractive effort As used in mechanical engineering, the term tractive force can either refer to the total traction a vehicle exerts on a surface, or the amount of the total traction that is parallel to the direction of motion. In railway engineering, the term tr ...

of more than , the ''Lilly Belle'' could pull a train with up to 12 adult passengers. Due to its lack of

brakes A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction. Background ...

, the locomotive was set in reverse if it ever needed to stop quickly.. In early 1953, a visitor drove the ''Lilly Belle'' too fast along a curve, causing it to

derail A derail or derailer is a device used to prevent fouling (blocking or compromising) of a rail track (or collision with anything present on the track, such as a person, or a train) by unauthorized movements of trains or unattended rolling stock. ...

.. As a result, the ''Lilly Belle'' fell on its side, broke its whistle, and released a jet of steam across the ground. A five-year-old girl ran through the steam jet, which left minor burns on her legs. As a result of this incident, Disney, fearing the possibility of future accidents, closed down the CPRR and stored the locomotive in the studio's machine shop.. Disney removed the Carolwood Pacific Railroad's track in 1964.

Influences

Walt Disney credited the Carolwood Pacific Railroad with inspiring the creation of

.. In one early concept for the park, the CPRR was included as an attraction, in which its train would carry passengers past miniature towns and settings.. The

Casey Jr. Circus Train __NOTOC__ The Casey Jr. Circus Train is the name of a ridable miniature railroad attraction found at Disneyland and a powered roller coaster attraction found at Disneyland Park (Paris). Based on the train of the same name from the 1941 film ''D ...

, a different ridable miniature railroad that travels past miniature scenes of animated Disney films, is one of Disneyland's original attractions.. Another early design for the park included a narrow-gauge steam railroad encircling it, a feature which was retained in the park's final design... Disneyland, and the Disneyland Railroad encircling the park, opened on July 17, 1955... The Disneyland Railroad's No. 1 locomotive, the ''C.K. Holliday'', bears a strong resemblance to the CPRR's ''Lilly Belle'', since their designs were based on the same blueprints.. There are also steam railroads in the

Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom Park, previously known as Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (1971–1994) and The Magic Kingdom (1994–2017), is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida. Owned and operated by The W ...

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...

near

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

;

Tokyo Disneyland (local nickname ''TDL'') is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to be ...

in Japan; and Disneyland Park near

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Copies of the blueprints for the CPRR's Lilly Belle were sold to model railroad hobbyists through a company named ''Walt Disney Miniature Railroad'', formed by Disney in 1950 as a legally separate entity from Walt Disney Productions.. After that company evolved into Walt Disney, Inc., in 1952 and had its name changed to WED Enterprises in 1953, it developed rides and attractions for Disneyland and later Walt Disney World.. In 1965, Walt Disney Productions purchased WED Enterprises, and in 1986 changed its name to Walt Disney Imagineering.. According to ''Los Angeles'' magazine, the CPRR's barn has been referred to as the "birthplace of Imagineering". As well as inspiring rail attractions at Disney theme parks, the CPRR became the inspiration for the 1951 Disney animated short film ''Out of Scale'', in which

Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor shirt and cap with a bow tie. Donald is known fo ...

is portrayed running a ridable miniature railroad in his backyard.. The train of the CPRR also appeared in several Disney television specials in the 1950s...

Preservation

In 1965, Walt Disney donated of the Carolwood Pacific Railroad's track, as well as the railroad's trestle, to the Los Angeles Live Steamers, a group of miniature steam train enthusiasts.. Disney was a charter member of that group. The completion of the CPRR's track installation at the Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum in Los Angeles' Griffith Park was celebrated on October 22, 1966, and the route utilizing that track became known as the ''Disney Loop''. This event occurred a few weeks before Disney's death on December 15, 1966.. In 1968, Lillian Disney donated the rest of the CPRR's track to the Los Angeles Live Steamers.. The original CPRR track on the Disney Loop has since been removed and replaced with newer, more durable track. After Lillian Disney died in 1997, the Disney residence, including the area where the CPRR was located, was put up for sale. Mexican investor Gabriel Brener, who bought the property in 1998, demolished the original house due to issues with

lead paint Lead paint or lead-based paint is paint containing lead. As pigment, lead(II) chromate (, "chrome yellow"), lead(II,IV) oxide, (, "red lead"), and lead(II) carbonate (, "white lead") are the most common forms.. Lead is added to paint to acceler ...

, lead piping,

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

, and a weak foundation. The CPRR's tunnel was still in place in 2013. In 2014, the property was sold to an unknown buyer. In 1999, Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn, the CPRR's former control center, was relocated to the Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum. Morgan "Bill" Evans, the original landscaper of the Disney residence and several Disney theme parks, arranged for Walt Disney Imagineering to provide a landscaping plan for the barn's new site. On July 19, 1999, Diane Disney Miller, Disney's daughter, participated in the rededication ceremony for the barn. Since 2009, the CPRR's ''Lilly Belle'', some of the freight cars, and the caboose have been on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, California. There are also two pieces of CPRR rolling stock on display inside the Carolwood Pacific Railroad Room in the Boulder Ridge Villas at

Disney's Wilderness Lodge Disney's Wilderness Lodge is a resort hotel located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Opening on May 28, 1994, the resort is owned and operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. Disney's Wilderness Lodge is ...

within Walt Disney World.

References

Bibliography

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External links