In my Facebook newsfeed today, I ran across a post from a fellow railfan about the Walt Disney World Railroad steam engines being replaced by diesels. I followed the link to the site and I have to say it seems a bit fishy to me. The web site doesn’t cite any sources to back up its claims. I certainly hope the steram engines will keep on rolling. What do you guys think?
I am sure that Disney will not replace the locomotives, as they are still very popular, and diesels would probably not be as popular with the public, as Tourists LOVE steam!
Even though probably not technically required it may be that a FRA 1472 (?) day inspection and overhaul might be in order ? Disney can then say their steamers are up to tightest US standards ?
Replacing Disney steam? I very much doubt it. When Disneyland, and then Disney World were planned and built ol’ Walt insisted on live steam railroads circling the premises. Disney was a railfan and a steam freak from way, way back, and even though he’s been gone nearly 50 years his influence is still being felt. Fun, fantasy and nostalgia are all part of the Disney experience.
Besides, as another poster said, tourists love steam!
And I wouldn’t worry about FRA inspections either, those locomotives are maintained like you wouldn’t believe. They’ll probably still be running 100 years from now.
My God, has Walt been gone THAT long? Seems like yesterday we all got the news.
Walt Disney had railroading and rail fanning as an avocation:
This linked video show Walt and some of his story(kinda grainey, but like home movies?) and how he threw himself into being a railroad ‘nut’:
@ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1Rf7Ygy6TA
This link is to a movie of the facilities at the Walt Disney Railroad. It is (36:32 min ) and is a tour of the shops there @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9QOyxl_IQ
And then there was Ward Kimball who was Walt Disney’s right hand man…He had a Steam ra
I remember the railroad at the Detroit Zoo - it had one or two locomotives that looked like steamers, but definitely didn’t sound like them. Chrysler donated them.
Given the “imagineering” that goes on at Disney, I’d have to believe that even if those steamers no longer steamed, one would be left with the impression that they did.
Seems like it would be easier to keep them in steam.
You may want to read the following: http://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/topic/end-of-steam-at-disney-world?page=1
I’ll still be surprised, if not downright disgusted, if Disney World steam goes. Thanks for the link Big Jim, but let’s see what happens in the long run. Corporate America is one big rumor mill. Don’t believe everything you hear about what the big shots are going to do because trust me, THEY don’t even know what they’re going to do!
And Balt, thanks for the video link! An interesting fact is, if memory serves, those locomotives were aquired from Central American narrow gauge lines. They’re a pretty good example of “backdating” done right.
If the historic steam engines were sold to a more historic oriented tourist line, I don’t think it would necessarily be a bad thing. However, the link says that they may be stored. Disney may not want their former equipment (and thereby their name) to be associated with something out of their control.
Disney would be the last company to gauge how much they could cut quality by cutting it until people protest. When you start cutting things out of Disneyland to save money, where to you draw the line between what stays and what goes? How real does a fantasy have to be?
If the rumor about getting rid of steam is true, I don’t believe that the reason is to save money.
Taken out of service and stored? I wonder, stored for what? Certainly not use again at some point in the future.
And Midland Mike’s right, if the locomotives were sold to someone or some organization that appreciates them that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. A sad thing, not a bad thing. Considerting the way they’ve been kept up I’m sure there’ll be ready puchasers.
And once they’re gone, what does the Disney company care where they go?
I hope these aren’t being stored awaiting the Lionel repairman arrives. Steam locomotives of all sizes were a fascination of Walt Disney and his co-creaters of the company and characters. One could say it was very much part of the basis for his imagination. A great background can be found in in the first issue of Trains Magazine in fact and many references in Trains for many years after.
Seriously I don’t believe the mechanical and steam locomotive department of Disney is so bad and ignorant of their charges to be so stupid as I have portrayed them here. I am sure, and hopeful, they will work within themselves and Disney Inc. to preserve these gems. I fear that Disney Inc, however, is bottom liners enough to toss them aside in favor of returns on investment. They’ve done it with entertainment so I fear they might do it here.
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Alas, this could be what eventually happens. While the trains are an important feature of the parks, if the money people discover that they could put just about anything (that’s cheaper to operate) on the front of the trains and people would still ride, the steam will be gone in an instant.
I was a big fan of Walt Disney but after his death it became an investment firm with McMikey entertainment. and doing a lot to hold back entertainment from the masses in favor of their formula. This led to restraint of talent by not hiring people who didn’t conform or want to conform to their ways. Not too many others had the financial and marketing clout of Disney.
I guess I could actually pose the question as to whether Disney and Company have any idea of the value, the worth, the importance of the rail equipment?
Boys, personally I’d keep a “wait and see” attitude about this. If you’ve been around for a while you know how rumors, once started, can take on a life of their own and run wild. Even more so in this “I saw it on the Internet, it MUST be true!” day and age.
Honestly, I think it would cost a lot more to replace these locomotives than the possible money they’d save. After all, they’ve paid for themselves many times over in the last 40 years. Spending the money on new diesel steam-profile units (who knows what THEY cost?) plus the present day cost of diesel fuel? It doesn’t make sense.
The cost of keeping live steam is probably just a pittance to a billion-dollar industry like Disney anyway.
I suspect the current steamers are already using diesel or fuel oil - not the near ‘sludge’ that was used by oil fired steam in the 40’s & 50’s.
I’m afraid I’m as negative in my opinion of Disney as Henry6, if not more so. I remember in the mid-fifties following the progress of the building of Disneyland on TV and hearing Walt Disney say over and over, “Disneyland is for kids.” I often think when hearing of the current corporation’s activities that he’s turning over in his grave.
Going back to speculation and conjecture, I wouldn’t be surprised if they replaced steam with some sort of diesel, possibly hidden in the tender and pushing a dummy locomotive with spitting steam and sound effects. They could save a few bucks on operation and maintenance, and 99% of the riders would not know the difference or really care.
If the rumor is true, I don’t think it is about saving money. I have a feeling that the current management might be far removed from the nostalgia for steam. They may feel that it is just too old fashioned and inefficient for a modern day family entertainment venue, and prefer a cleaner, more wholesome, and sustainable form of recreational railroading.
Do they run on biodiesel?