EDITION u Be sure to No visit our 71 online store carolwood.com/store u SPRING 2020 the official newsletter of the carolwood society walt disney's small scale railroad inspiration ANTHONY HOFFMAN I n 1939, Billy Jones, a Southern Pacific locomotive engineer living in Los Gatos CA was making a freight run between Los Gatos and San Francisco. IN THIS ISSUE While they were making up a new train for quietly came up north to spend a weekend at his return trip, he took a walk along the Billy’s home, where Walt and Billy ran the train Embarcadero for a little exercise. He spied a together. After that, almost every year, Walt PLATFORM 1 small scale steam locomotive on a pile of scrap would secretly come up and spend time at Billy’s metal headed for Japan. It would have probably ranch. At one point, Walt made an offer to buy WALT DISNEY’S SMALL SCALE come back as part of a Destroyer during the war. the railroad for a theme park project he had in RAILROAD INSPIRATION mind, but Billy declined. Ward Kimball told Walt u Intrigued, he discovered it was one of three built it was too small for what he planned, anyway. in 1905 to transport prospective buyers to a PLATFORM 2 Venice, California development. He bought it, and The donation jar, which everyone assumed was WELCOME ABOARD had the locomotive loaded onto a flat car to be to defray the costs of operating the train, was shipped back to his small ranch in Los Gatos. He not for that. Walt and Billy had an arrangement, DEER IN THE MAGIC KINGDOM intended to use it as a father-son project for he whereby every time Walt came up, he would u and his two sons to restore. match the collection from the donation jar, and the two men would buy a load of things for the PLATFORM 3 Unfortunately, his two sons were killed during the children’s ward at Santa Clara County hospital, PANDEMIX MESSAGE war; they were Army Air Force pilots. Depressed, on the condition the donation remain Billy noticed that his spirits were lifted when he anonymous. u was around children, so he decided to restore PLATFORM 4 the locomotive as a memorial to his two sons. The free train rides went on for many years, until With the help of many local volunteers, in 1949 Billy passed away in 1968. His two daughters had RIDING THE RAILS the project was completed, with a loop of track no use for the locomotive and its rolling stock, u around his orchard on the corner of Daves and were about to sell it to Sims scrap metal in PLATFORM 5 Avenue and Winchester Boulevard in Los Gatos. San Jose, when a group of interested citizens who did not wish to see the train end, stepped in IS THE TENDER SEAT and bought it after securing permission from the AVAILABLE? City to move it to Oak Meadow Park in Los Gatos. u The purchase was finalized just in time; Sims had already marked the locomotive in two places PLATFORM 6 with chalk where they intended to cut it up for THE MAIL CAR transportation to their scrap yard. BOARD OF GOVERNORS Over just one weekend, volunteers packed up u and transported the entire railroad, including track, from Billy’s orchard to its new home at Oak PLATFORM 7 Meadow Park, approximately a mile away. When VIEW FROM THE CUPOLA Billy Jones brings his 47-hp Prairie Engine the semi-truck drivers learned of the purpose, around Orchard Bend they donated their time and trucks to the cause. u PLATFORM 8 Billy provided free train rides most weekends, The Billy Jones Wildcat railroad lives on with which all the townspeople and their children about a mile of track, operating two steam CAROLWOOD loved. Later, he had a ‘donation’ jar sitting on locomotives on weekends from approximately EVENT CALENDAR a table, and a person could donate or not as May through September, and two diesels during ANNOUNCEMENT they wished. weekdays. The diesels operate weekends the rest of the year. The funds to build one of the diesels, Walt Disney got wind of Billy’s operation from 2502, came from Al Smith, an Orchard Supply his friend Ward Kimball, and they and others Hardware owner for many years. PLATFORM 1 SPRING 2020 happy rails welcome aboard DEER IN THE T he Carolwood Pacific Historical Society is enriched by its many MAGIC KINGDOM wonderful members. New and Renewing Members: JOHN STRONSKI Alfred Cournoyer, Paxton MA Kelly Calhoun, Torrance CA Amanda Waters, Franklin TN Kenneth Humphries, San Jose CA Angela Coulter, Culver City CA Kristoffer Kaiser, San Diego CA Anne Lewin, Temecula CA Lance Priez, New Orleans LA ears ago I worked on all sorts of rehabs at the Anthony Hoffman, Saratoga CA Lauren Scott, Menlo Park CA Y Ashley Cunha, San Angelo TX Leroy Johnson, San Bruno CA Magic Kingdom. Almost all these many projects Avepeter Barilla, Sierra Madre CA Linda Holtorf, Vancouver WA Bill Wilson, Renton WA Lisa Dare, La Crescenta CA were done overnight. This variety of projects took Brandon Holst, Lake Mary FL Lynn Anderson, Chesterfield VA Brian Allan, Lutz FL Lynn Bodell, Atherton CA me back and forth to the Central Shops area. Brian Ballinger, Aurora IL Lynn Yaw, Shoreline WA Brian Cagle, San Tan Valley AZ Mark Hurt, Asheville NC Brian Marra, Berwyn IL Mark Lundy, Metamora MI A large building housed the Monorail Trains on the upper level Carol Olson, San Jose CA Mark Mcclaran, Orange CA or floor, and the Steam Trains below on the ground level. Most Carol Regehr, Manhattan KS Mark Williams, Wimberley TX Chris Dolciato, Hudson OH Martha Edmondson, Virginia Beach VA evenings or early mornings there would be a group of deer, Christine Shaffer, Monticello IN Matthew Cole, Polk City FL perhaps 10 - 15, grazing on the grass by the train tracks leading Christopher Youngblood, Lake Buena Vista FL Michael Bollenbach, Sacramento CA Clifford Gray, San Bruno CA Michael Chapin, Halifax MA into the Steam Train Bay at the maintenance and storage Clinton Cottrell Jr, Peachtree City GA Michael Deangelis, Albertson NY building. I thought that the train cast members put out food Dan Buonarota, Coral Springs FL Michael Perl, Santa Clarita CA Danilo Viazzo, Dublin CA Michael Pittmon, Longview TX for the deer. Dave Bayless, Citrus Heights CA Michael Welch, Vacaville CA David Arendes, Santa Ana CA Nick Cappelloni, Sunnyvale CA David Byerly, Rosamond CA Noel Mcdaniel, Las Vegas NV Finally, I stopped one David Daisy, Springfield IL Nyle Monday, Campbell CA night to inquire about David Manore, Utica NY Jeff Palumbo, Richmond VA David Maruca, North Haven CT Owen Gould, Lake Forest CA the grazing deer I David Mccashen, Santa Maria CA Patrick Lewis, Silverton OR was told by a few cast David Meek, Clarkdale AZ Paul Hamra, Phoenix AZ David Ruhe, West Mifflin PA Peter Athans, Coto De Caza CA members that the David Simms, Windsor PA Peter Olson, Annandale VA grass in the area David Simonds, Evans GA Phillip Freer, Lebanon OH David Walkup, College Station TX Randall Boyce, Clermont FL of the tracks had some Debra Rider, Stockton CA Randall Mitchell, Miami FL petroleum or diesel Demy Riley, Fallbrook CA Randolph Riscol, Briarcliff Manor NY Don Morin, Mukilteo WA Regina Richey, Highland UT residue in the steam Edward Lee, Los Angeles CA Rich Burkhard, Hayward CA that blows out from Edward Pressnell, Brentwood CA Richard Rice, Wildwood FL Eric Summers, Middletown MD Richard S Powell, Riverside CA the engine as the Erik Kanter, Westwood NJ Robert Belke, Leonardo NJ locomotives are Estela Beecham, Chula Vista CA Robert Duncanson, Marstons Mills MA F. Andrew Chaney, Houston TX Robert Fallier, Hollis NH backed into the Felicia Williams, Fayetteville GA Robert Gibbons, Seaton UK Train Barn at night. Frank De Losa, Sterling VA Robert Jarvis, Kissimmee FL Gary Grooms, Highlands Ranch CO Robert L Vanbuskirk, Modesto CA Gary Naumann, Belleville IL Robert Schall, Orlando FL Gary Verville, Woodstock GA Rodney Harrison, Mississauga ON Gary Woolard, Canoga Park CA Roger Gerhart, Telford PA Gary Youngs, Santa Clara CA Ron Fauset, San Diego CA Gavin Lambie, Woodinville WA Ronald Lepadis, San Bruno CA Geoffrey Lillich, Camarillo CA Rory Osborne, Davis CA George Kreis, West Nyack NY Roy Hollis, Phoenix AZ Grant Fetzer, Salt Lake City UT Sandra Lessert, Portland OR Gregg Ziak, Mission Viejo CA Sandra Walsh, Clifton NJ Heather Hebenstreit, Santa Ana CA Sandy Sadwin, Wantagh NY Heather Q, Belfast ME Scott Baxter, Rochester MN Hugh Rutherford, Winnipeg MB Scott Cramer, South Lyon MI James Cotterman, Orlando FL Shane Jones, Bellevue WA James Dinwiddie, Buena Park CA Sheila Taylor, Las Vegas NV James Ganem, Tucson AZ Sheldon Cohen, Arlington TX James Klich, Franklin MA Shelley Gagnet, Upland CA Jane Boyce, Lititz PA Sidney Bartos, Jr, Columbus OH Janelle Pearson, Hampton GA Stephen Cote, Plympton MA Janet Joyce, San Jose CA Stephen Mcclure, Nashua NH Janne Wissel, Los Gatos CA Steven Misrack, San Diego CA Jason Herbert, Pipersville PA T. John Laser, Centerville UT Jay Miller, Boca Raton FL Thomas Naumann, Belleville IL Jay Weitlauf, West Mystic CT Thomas Nelson, Union City CA Jennifer Germaine, Berea OH Thomas Phillips, Tustin CA Apparently, the Jim Bocash, Ventura CA Thomas Yendes, Thousand Oaks CA Jo Ann Fisher, Highland Lakes NJ Timothy Rafeld, Delaware OH deer like this grassy John G Abbott, Jr, Melbourne FL Tracy Lunquist, Lake Mary FL area and the steam John Grigas, Madison WI Trip Jacobs, Naperville IL John Hopkins, San Mateo CA Tyler Bliss, Georgetown IN residue helps with John Sloane, Indian Hills CO Valerie Jablonski, Ann Arbor MI their digestion.