Walt Disney World Railroad items

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

In addition to my family and loved ones, there are a few things in my life that I'm very passionate about. First, I'm an absolute fanatic about anything Disney. I'm also very much into my photography and model trains.

We live near the coast where houses can't have basements, so I haven't had an actual train platform since my youth. I do have an extensive collection of "O" gauge trains, though, that I display on shelves in my den.

On my most recent trip to WDW, I noticed that The Art of Disney store has added a lot of Disney Railroad artwork. I was instantly hooked, and my wallet was out before I'd even consciously realized I'd reached for it. I picked up a limited edition, signed giclee of the WDW Railroad poster that's displayed in the tunnel under the Main Street Railroad Station, a wooden version of the poster that appears in Frontierland, and a tin WDW Railroad logo.

My plan is to dedicate a section of a wall in my den to the WDW Railroad, and frame some of the photos I've taken myself of the Disney trains. OMG -- three of the things I love most coming together in a single collection: Disney, trains, and my photography.

I thought to myself that what would make this collection complete would be models of the actual WDW trains. Well that certainly turned out to be easier said than done.

The only trains to be found in Disney World are toys -- and they really look like toys. I wouldn't want them displayed next to my other trains in the room. Google and EBay searches weren't getting me anywhere, either. I found several threads talking about a "G" scale engine being sold by Disney, the "Ward Kimball," but couldn't find it on any of their web sites. It must have been limited edition and sold out quickly, because the price for the ones on EBay have jumped from Disney's price of $500 to $1000. Also, it wasn't a WDW train, it was modeled after a Disneyland train.

I also came across forum discussions by people who were buying other model trains and modifying them to look like the WDW trains. Wow, that's way beyond my abilities. I tried model building when I was younger and wound up with messes covered in giant globs of model glue.

Finally, I came across an EBay auction for a "Vintage" Bachmann HO set that has the "Walter E. Disney" and three WDWRR passenger cars. It was a small fortune, but I purchased it. (I really wish I could have found an "O" gauge to match the rest of my trains, or even a "G" gauge which would have had more details.) Apparently, beggers can't be choosers, though, and I've found the one and only model of a WDW train that exists. Funny, I can't even find any reference to this particular train set via Google. It's as if this EBay auction is the only reference to it anywhere. Is this particular train older than the internet? Maybe it's rare enough that I shouldn't feel guilty over what I paid for it.

It appears that LGB currently has licensing rights to Disney railroad products. Everything I find, though, is either Disneyland or Walt Disney's Carolwood Pacific. Why no love for WDWRR? Come on, Disney. Big boys like toys, too. I know there'd be demand for WDW train products. Bring 'em on!

In the meantime until Disney comes to their senses and markets something new, if anyone can point me to any sources for WDWRR models (operating trains or simply models), I'd be very appreciative.

 

[CandyMandy]

Not to burst any bubbles here, but regarding the "one and only" point, no, there are actually several HO scale WDW railroad sets.

The less common (doesn't come up on eBay that often) is a set that was sourced from LifeLike and sold in the parks back in the late 1990s/early 00s, picture below. It came with the Walter E. Disney 4-6-0, a matching tender and two excursion cars.

As far as representing the original, the engine and tender are the most accurate running model reproductions to be found anywhere of that engine (the castings are plastic, but very detailed, clearly designed based on very careful study of the prototype). Granted, the motor drive in the engine Lifelike used is somewhat lower-end, but was mounted on a decent, heavy metal chassis, runs well and holds up to use. Interestingly, the excursion cars are cast metal and relatively accurate to the WDW originals, including the correct "Walt Disney World Railroad" labeling.

We have this set and three extra passenger cars. With super detailing work done by a seasoned modeler (a.k.a. my husband) which added the outside brass steam and water lines, the green flags, builder badges to the smokebox (photo-etch correct Baldwin steam ones in HO are available), weathering the coal load in the tender and other details, you have a very sharp looking reproduction.

The Bachmann set you reference is (picture below) is much more common and available than the Lifelike one. Extra excursion cars were produced as add-ons to the set and are also readily available on eBay. Those cars are nicely detailed (albeit a little flimsy, the railings at the end are notorious for easily breaking) and are incorrectly labeled "Walt Disney Railroad," ommiting the word "World." While nicely made, the 4-4-0 Bachmann version of the Walter E. Disney (and which was actually cast from a generic "old timer" mold that firm used in scores of other sets, including their current "Disney Carolwood" offering) is really not at all accurate to the prototype.

For comparsion to both HO sets, here is the real Walter E. Disney. I always wonder when we are at WDW and on that particular train how many guests realize they are being pulled by an actual 87 year old survivor of the live steam era.

 

[mikelan6]

Another great item currently on sale at DL and WDW, but modeled after a DL train is this:

http://psc.disney.go.com/eventservices/artofdisneyparks/event/dlr_ckholliday_train.html.

It's N scale ... but pretty cool.

 

[CandyMandy]

Another great item currently on sale at DL and WDW, but modeled after a DL train is this:

http://psc.disney.go.com/eventservices/artofdisneyparks/event/dlr_ckholliday_train.html.

It's N scale ... but pretty cool.

Nice looking model. The N scale choice was likely a function of getting a scale close to the Olszewski Disneyland miniature line (i.e. target those buyers).

Given that, why they chose to make it a "fantasy" line as opposed to a straight replica of the Disneyland Railroad is beyond me, since the rest of the Olszewski pieces are true models of actual buildings and structures at the park and it would seem that is what collectors of those items would want.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Not to burst any bubbles here, but regarding the "one and only" point, no, there are actually several HO scale WDW railroad sets.

No bubbles burst, here. The "one and only" comment was made out of despair that there aren't more choices -- especially higher-end models -- of actual WDWRR trains. I wasn't bragging that I'd found something special or unique.

 

[CandyMandy]

No bubbles burst, here. The "one and only" comment was made out of despair that there aren't more choices -- especially higher-end models -- of actual WDWRR trains. I wasn't bragging that I'd found something special or unique.

I understand and fully agree that the limited choices are frustrating. Our Disney train is used as part of a big holiday monorail layout and the difference in scale between the 1:87 HO park railroad and the approximately 1:64 S monorail is a little aggravating. Some people run O (or more commonly 027) Lionel trains with their monorails and the mismatch there is really no better; the railroad track in particular in those scales just looks too oversized when running around or under the monorial.

On that tangent, the entities that really frustrate me here are the O scale manufacturers. As far as I can determine, neither Williams no MTH have ever produced any Disney items. Lionel has licensed character editions from Disney. They (as you are probably aware) consisted of simply putting Disney graphics on some diesel and electric engines and rolling stock (primarily boxcars). A bunch of the latter were produced in the 1990s and eBay is full of them; they don't appear to have developed much of a cachet with collectors.

 

[CandyMandy]

Stumbled into this interesting find this morning: an HO scale Disney train that I previously was unaware of: it's a Bachmann-produced Santa Fe and Disneyland line steam group with a 4-6-0 engine (the only one I have ever seen by Bachmann in Disney livery), a wood loaded tender and three old timer style wood-sided coaches (one looks like a baggage/mail car). Relatively good construction; metal wheels on the tender, nice detail on all. I know these were definitely produced by Bachmann based on the railings on the carriages, which are identical to those on the Bachmann Walt Disney Railroad set discussed at the beginning of this thread.

Unfortunately, it is definitely in "played with" condition; the engine is missing its smokestack and the lettering on the engine cab and tender have wear damage.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=261083912342&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123

UPDATE: O.K., I've answered the mystery: the train described above are actually parts of a larger "set" that was actually produced and marketed by TYCO in the 1970s. That leaves me wondering if the car molds were subsequently acquired or licensed by Bachmann (I don' think the engien and tender ones were, since these don't match any other Bachmann product I'm familiar with). Here's an eBay listing for the complete Santa Fe and Disneyland group in mint condition in the original boxes (at a hefty price, so these must be comparatively rare). The photos in the listing show that the lettering on the engine cab (which is missing in the photo of the "played with" one above) is "E.S. MARSH."

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180953597179&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Finally got the last touches done on my project. Here are some photos of the new WDWRR section of my den.


My Walt Disney World Railroad Collection by BirdsOfPreyDave, on Flickr


My Walt Disney World Railroad Collection by BirdsOfPreyDave, on Flickr


My Walt Disney World Railroad Collection by BirdsOfPreyDave, on Flickr


My Walt Disney World Railroad Collection by BirdsOfPreyDave, on Flickr


My Walt Disney World Railroad Collection by BirdsOfPreyDave, on Flickr


My Walt Disney World Railroad Collection by BirdsOfPreyDave, on Flickr


My Walt Disney World Railroad Collection by BirdsOfPreyDave, on Flickr