Railfanning at Disney

[jonathan]

Every ten years or so, we pack up the entire family and head to the happiest place on earth, whether we like it or not.  The trip was fun this time as I finally got to ride (and photograph) a couple of the old steamers that circle the Magic Kingdom.  My son got to sit as the 'guest conductor' and announce 'all aboard'.  The host conductor is a model railroader of course (O).  According to the conductor, WDW has four 1916 era Baldwins, found as rusting hulks, in 1969, on the Yucatan Peninsula.  They were refurbished from wood burners, to fuel oil--even using 10% peanut oil in the mix.  Only two engines are in service on any given day, and we rode behind a 4-4-0 and a 4-6-0 that day.  There was plenty of shooting steam and lots of oily grime on the ties.  There is a lighted signalling system in place.  The stacks chuffed just a little smoke when we climbed a slight grade around one turn.  The locos can go all day on one water fill, but they refill and lube halfway thru the day for entertainment.

Here are a couple of pix:












If you are a polite railfan, they'll let you climb around the equipment a bit.  I TRIED to conduct myself in a reserved manner--didn't want to smudge up these really cool toys.

Regards,

Jonathan

[RAM]

Walt Disney was a model railroader who had the money to go after big things.

[rich1998]

nice photos. i went there a few months ago and inquired about the engine house tour at the Disney office at the park. i was told i would not be allowed to photograph the equipment so I passed on the tour. Oh well. I did get a photo of the tender being topped of at the water tank during the ride.
lex

[jettrainfan]

4-4-0s and 4-6-0s beats Norfolk southern Dash 9s all day!

[Cody J]

I have been to WDW every summer since 2004... well except this past summer where I visited DC and Gettysburg. Buy anyway, the last year at Disney I bought a WDW conductors hat (I'm 13) just to wear as fun. (I don't have any disabbilities). But when I was at Magic Kingdom, I was waiting for the train at Frontierland Station when the "Station Master" asked me if I wanted to be the guest conductor. I of course said "yes" and I rode on the back platform of the last car with Conductor Nate. That was also the same year when I was eating breakfast at Chef Mickey's in the contemporary resort and got to see the light-green monorail breakdown and see the monorail "tow-truck" come out and push it back to the shops. It was a very interesting experience.
Cody

[pcctrolleyII]

Very Very nice 260 and a 440. love them both very well done.   

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

Wow! And they are honest-to-goodness, real, live narrow-gauge steam locomotives! 

[Cody J]

Wow! And they are honest-to-goodness, real, live narrow-gauge steam locomotives! 

I think that those are standard gauge. They run narrow gauge "trains" at the local zoo and I personally don't think that WDW is narrow. I may be wrong though.

cody

[Jim Banner]

Cody,
Narrow gauge railroads are any railroads with their rails closer together than 56-1/2" apart.  The largest commonly used was Cape Gauge at 42"  The most common was 36" apart (3 foot gauge.)  Some of the other gauges used were 39.4" (meter gauge,)  30", 24", and 18".  For amusement parks and zoos, 24" is used for double wide seating (two people side by side.)  For single seating, 18 inch and 15" (estate gauge) are the most common.  Then we get down to modelling gauges - 7-1/2" is popular for train clubs that offer rides to help support their hobby but 8", 7-1/4" and even 4-1/2" gauge are also used.  If you have been looking at 15" gauge trains, then 36" gauge trains look huge.  By comparison, they are huge - more than 12 times as big (2.4 times the length X 2.4 times the width x 2.4 times the height.)  And yet, they are both narrow gauge!!

If you want to read more about narrow gauge, here is a link for you:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrow_gauge_railway#Medium_gauge_railways

Jim

[rich1998]

the locomotives where built in the 1920s for a narrow gauge railroad in mexico. you can find information on the internet.
lex

[Cody J]

Thank you for correcting me

cody

[rich1998]

i should have included these links. all this information is on the internet. i have fun looking. i learn a lot.

http://wpporter.duckburg.us/DisLocos.htm
http://miceage.micechat.com/stevedegaetano/sd042307b.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_World_Railroad

many times stuff about the trains does not mention narrow gauge. i was there back in june. road on the train. saw them top of the tender water just like many years ago. the water tank along the track is much smaller.
lex

[RAM]

I did a Google search on United Railways of Yucatan.  I found some interesting information.  Good reading.  I also did a search on  Walt Disney's railroad and part of the information follows.  Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia originally built the brightly painted locomotives in the 1910s and 1920s. They were purchased from United Railways of Yucatan in 1969, disassembled and shipped to a Tampa (Fla.) ship repair dock where they were renovated, bolt by bolt. The passenger cars were fabricated from scratch in the same warehouse where the locomotives were renovated. Originally wood burners, the locomotives were converted and currently are oil burners.

The four locomotives, which hauled both freight and passengers in the Yucatan, were renamed the Walter E. Disney, the Roy O. Disney, the Lilly Belle and the Roger E. Broggie. (Broggie was an Imagineer who also was a train fanatic.)

[buzz]

Hi guys
This leads in nicely to where does the Bachmann Carol Wood & Pacific set
fit in.
Apparently there is a Disney connection??
regards John

[jonathan]

If I remember correctly, Walt Disney built a very large scale model train for his back yard (can't remember the ratio, but there are pictures of him riding on it--perhaps 8:1?).  He named the backyard layout "Carrolwood" after his wife.  Bachmann did an HO train set based on his Carrolwood model.  I believe the 4-4-0 locomotive was live steam.

Somebody fix me if I got the facts wrong.

Regards,

Jonathan