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This topic is sort of a hybrid between "real" trains and fantasy, with elements of both, so I thought I'd post it here, since I know that a lot of you have an interest in Disney train history.

The train station once owned by Disney imaginer and rail fan Ward Kimball was apparently destroyed by the fires in northern California last month. Ward was basically the first person to operate a full size narrow gauge railroad in his back yard.

Ward's station started life as a set piece from the 1949 Disney movie, So Dear to My Heart. After filming, that three-walled railroad station set was given by Walt Disney to Ward, who added a fourth wall, and used the station on his own Grizzly Flats Railroad for many decades. It's also served as the basis for several model stations in several scales.

When building Disneyland, Walt tried to persuade Kimball to give him the station back, so he could use it as the actual Frontierland Station, but Ward refused. Walt, not one to give in, just built a new version of the station, with a few modifications like door size and locations to handle the larger theme park crowds (the station you see across the tracks at New Orleans Square today used to be the actual station guests would enter).

Eventually, after Ward passed, the Grizzly Flats railroad was broken up, with the majority of the locomotives and rolling stock going to the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, CA. The station was later acquired by Disney exec John Lassiter, and moved to his small railroad on his winery in northern California.

Unfortunately, it's been reported that the station, along with a water tower and several other outbuildings on the Lassiter winery, was destroyed in the horrendous fires last month. This is a substantial blow to Disney history, a true loss for Lassiter and for the rest of Disney railroad fandom.

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Very sorry to hear that .  I have the ceramic model by Stoney Express as well.  I just took it out to look at it.  Nice piece.  I'll try to take a picture and post later.  Documents and marking indicate it was for the 2003 Convention, done for Western Division TCA.

It also came with a small (business card sized) picture of Ward standing in front of the real thing with the model in his hand, this picture has what I believe is the serial number of the piece handwritten on the back. 

Mine also has a small figure in it painted to resemble Ward in coveralls and engineer's hat (in a baggie with the name of  a TCA member who provided it), but I'm not sure that was standard, or something done for the previous owner, or maybe an "add-on" sale item that may have been done to go with the station by one of the figure companies. 

Sorry to see the original lost in the fires.

-Dave

Last edited by Dave45681
Charlie posted:

I like this little station also, but was the original movie version (the three walls for the set) inspired by any prototype station? Or was the movie set version a collection of elements from various stations, probably made to fit a visual dimension as most movie elements are.

Thanks,

Charlie

It was based on a Lehigh Valley depot on the Pottsville branch. Ward found the drawings in a book called "Buildings and Structures of American Railroads" by Walter Berg. 

Last edited by smd4
Grampstrains posted:
Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

Was there a TV show or video that Ward was involved in that was on Disney for a little bit? I seem to remember hearing about something in the early 90's but can't recall. I tried looking up on IMDB but he is not listed for a show as actor or himself. Maybe it was a show using his short line?

Ward Kimball was one of Disney's original artists.  He is the creator of Jiminny Cricket. He was involved with a lot of the early Disney movies as well as the early TV programs.  The Grizzly Flats station was built for the movie "Pollyanna"  and later moved to Ward's place.

Yes, very well aware of Ward and everything he had done. As I said though, I thought there was some short in the '90's that had his railroad featured. Maybe it got cancelled?

prrhorseshoecurve posted:

Anyone have any current pics? Anyone have an address to google earth it's location?

Try this link.  I just used info in this post to locate it.  In the version of Google maps showing on my PC when I view it, it is obviously pre-fire.  You can get a semi-decent 3D view (well, at least enough to prove we are looking at the right thing) of the station and the water tower if you use a browser that supports that(see below example, as well as aerial view).

The track configuration seems to match what Steve has in the post-fire view in his post as well.

-Dave

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jim pastorius posted:

I called my buddy in Calif. who lives north of LA and he didn't know anything about it ! So, I guess, it wasn't news out there. But with all the devastation I can understand that.

It's also much closer to San Fran than LA (looks to be about 40 miles or so north of San Fran as the crow flies).

I suppose it could make LA news due to the Disney connection, but it's probably a bit far away at around 400 miles to make LA local news.  (I don't see too much local Pittsburgh news in the suburbs of Philly either, and that's only 250 miles or so )

As you said, with the grander scale of the devastation from the fires across the state, the loss of this station is not at the forefront of most peoples' minds.

-Dave

Last edited by Dave45681
John Meyncke posted:

Hey Dave NYC...Ward Kimball hosted a season of "Tracks Ahead" on PBS during that early 90's time frame. It often featured model trains and perhaps that is what you're remembering?

John

That's what it has to be. I'll look in that issue of CCT and see if it is mentioned(pretty sure it was). Been a while since I poked my nose in there.

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