Walt's Disneyland

CHAPTER TWELVE
THE GRAND CIRCLE TOUR
 
“‘You want to run it up front?’

“‘No, no, no,’ he was saying.

“I said, ‘Go ahead. All you do is push the Johnson bar forward and open the throttle and it will start off.’

“So he did and I watched him. His eyes were dropping out of his sockets and he had his mouth open. He was running a locomotive for the first time.”

—WARD KIMBALL
 
On Opening Day, the Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad had two locomotives running, both named for pioneers of the Santa Fe Railway, the corporate sponsors of the attraction. Engine number one was the C. K. Holliday, named for Cyrus Kurtz Holliday (and inspired by drawings of Walt’s one-eighth-scale Lilly Belle locomotive, the centerpiece of his Carolwood Pacific home railroad named for his wife). The E. P. Ripley, number two, was named for Edward Payson Ripley.
 
When Disneyland opened, there were only two train stations: Main Street, U.S.A. and Frontierland. Spur tracks were used then, meaning that if guests boarded in Frontierland, they bypassed Main Street, U.S.A. and disembarked in Frontierland, and vice versa. The theming for each train reflected the image of the station and land it served: the Ripley, with ornate yellow cars, reflected a Main Street, U.S.A. exuberance, while the Holliday, with a more rugged Frontierland sense, pulled gondolas and, for a short time, cattle cars in which passengers stood.
 
In 1958 and 1959, two more locomotives joined the Disneyland roundhouse: engine number three, the Fred G. Gurley, named for Santa Fe’s chairman of the board at the time, and engine number four, named for the railroad’s then president, Ernest S. Marsh.
 
Engine number five, the Ward Kimball, was built after Walt passed away, and paid tribute to Walt’s friend who first encouraged him to drive a train; it also has the distinction of being the only locomotive in the fleet with a Disney character: Jiminy Cricket—the beloved character created by Ward and perhaps the one most identified with him—sits prominently on the locomotive’s headlamp. Notably, it was put into service in 2005 on the occasion of Disneyland’s fiftieth anniversary.
 
Finally, there is one very special car: In 1975, Walt’s original observation cars, the Grand Canyon, was renovated to serve as VIP “presidential car” for use by special guests. Its name was changed to “Lilly Belle,” in honor of Walt Disney’s wife, Lillian. Walt’s train was a lot of things—a personal passion, transportation, an attraction—and it also served as an opportunity for guests to explore the park in a different, more scenic manner.
 
GRAND CANYON DIORAMA (1958)
 
Walt described the newest addition to his Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad: “The 306-foot Grand Canyon diorama—largest in the world—will feature the scenic splendors of the majestic canyon in true perspective. Early-American-type excursion specials have been added to the regular Santa Fe and Disneyland R.R. schedules for a more leisurely passage along the brink of the chasm. After passing through a tunnel, visitors will see magnificently painted backgrounds sharply defining the canyon under a first snowfall. The diorama covers the changing scene from dawn to dusk, with a thunderstorm throwing dark shadows across our representation of the buttes and the mile-deep, thirteen-mile-wide chasm cut by the Colorado River in the Arizona plateau.”
 
Engine number three was put into service the day the Grand Canyon opened; Fred Gurley attended the ceremony and was on board when Walt drove his train through the tunnel and diorama for the first time himself.
 
PRIMEVAL WORLD (1966)
 
Walt announced details about an attraction he was bringing back from the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair: “And for those that are most adventurous, Disneyland introduces the Primeval World. Here, guests aboard the Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad journey through a diorama depicting the present-day Grand Canyon—and then plunge backward through time for a breathtaking look at prehistoric creatures that roamed North America more than one hundred million years ago.”
 
Walt detailed the creation of his dinosaurs: “When we started to re-create the huge animals that roamed the earth two hundred million years ago, we started with one-inch-scale figures. Then we worked our way up to their actual sizes. Some are twenty-two feet tall. You know nature wasn’t creating household pets in that era.” Walt went on to describe their roles: “Tyrannosaurus rex, the monster on the right, was a meat eater and the prehistoric king of beasts. His victim, the stegosaurus, has only his spiked tail to defend himself.”
 
Walt gave the baby brontosauruses their names (with tongue planted firmly in cheek): Huey, Dewey, and Louie.
 
WALT’S BENEVOLENCE AND THE FIRST GRAND CIRCLE TOUR (1955)
 
Walt fulfilled a seven-year-old’s wish long before there was the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
 
The boy’s mother called the Disney studio and explained her son had leukemia; his dream was to ride the train at Disneyland. Even though the park was still under construction, and no doubt Walt’s calendar was full, Walt welcomed the family to his Magic Kingdom on a weekend. “I understand you want to see my train—well, let’s go.” And with that, Walt lifted the boy into his arms as they watched the railroad cars being hoisted onto the track. Bob Thomas recounted, “When the train was assembled and fired up, Walt took the boy to the cab. It was the first trip around the park for the Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad, and Walt pointed out the attractions that were still being built.”
 
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
LAST DAY AT DISNEYLAND
 
“Actually, if you could see close in my eyes, the American flag is waving in both of them, and up my spine is growing this red, white, and blue stripe.”

—WALT
 
Walt hosted the recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor—the military’s highest honor for valor in combat—on October 14, 1966, saying, “Disneyland is privileged to have as its special guests today the holders of the Congressional Medal of Honor. We are proud to salute those Americans who have demonstrated the strength of mind and spirit that enables a man to encounter the threat of danger to himself and to his country with firmness and courage. We sincerely hope that your visit to Disneyland will be an experience you will long remember as one of personal enjoyment and satisfaction.”
 
Although not intentional, it’s fitting that Walt’s last day at Disneyland was celebrating great Americans in his great American theme park.
 
The day began at the Opera House. Following a private performance of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Walt welcomed the American heroes. He let his guests know there was a special lunch at the Plaza Inn and he somewhat sheepishly apologized for the shape of Tomorrowland, which was under construction for the remodel. Everyone was given unlimited access to the park’s attractions and adventures; however, when Walt discovered the special ticket specifically excluded the shooting galleries, he quickly reversed it, humorously pointing out: “Here we got Medal of Honor winners and we won’t let them get up and shoot?!”
 
After his remarks, Walt was joined onstage by Sgt. Thomas J. Kelly, who said, “There is something that was made up and arrived today . . . and it gives me great pleasure in presenting it to Mr. Walt Disney. It is the seal of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. It comes to you from all these fine men here, for all they have done for their country, and in deep appreciation for everything you did for this country.”
 
Walt was very grateful. “And again I want to say on behalf of the Disney organization, the Magic Kingdom, and everything else that it’s a real privilege and an honor to welcome you folks here today.”
 
Ten days after this celebratory occasion, Walt went to Saint Joseph Hospital for a routine X-ray prior to scheduled surgery. A mass was detected on his left lung. He passed away less than two months later at 9:30 a.m. on December 15, 1966.
 
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
HAPPILY EVER AFTER
 
“There is no way to replace Walt Disney. He was an extraordinary man. Perhaps there will never be another like him . . . The world will always be a better place because Walt Disney was its master showman.”

—ROY O. DISNEY
 
I was working down by the Matterhorn and he was going around all by himself,” said Disneyland cast member Joyce Ballenger. “He’d stop, and he’d look at each of the rides. He’d look it over and look it over from the outside. Then he’d turn, and he’d look at another one and so on and so forth . . . [soon thereafter] he went into the hospital. And so I felt that he was just saying good-bye, that he really loved the park.”
 
Walt’s good friend and Golden Horseshoe performer Wally Boag describes the sentiment at Disneyland the day Walt died: “There was some discussion as to whether or not the park should be closed that day, but management decided, and rightly so, that Walt would not have wanted his park closed—he always said that the show must go on. And so it did—but we were so sadly diminished without his leadership, genius, and whimsy. It was a sad event when the Disneyland band marched down Main Street that afternoon to lower the flag and slowly played ‘When You Wish Upon a Star.’”
 
“Dick Nunis called everybody into the office and let us know that Walt had passed away, with big tears streaming down his face. We all were concerned what was going to happen,” recalls William “Sully” Sullivan. “There was a discussion about what we should do and whether we should close the park that day, but the answer was no, because we knew that’s not what Walt would have wanted. He wouldn’t want to close the park with all the guests who had made a special trip to be there.”
 
In 1963, National Geographic asked Walt, “What happens when there is no more Walt Disney?”
 
Walt answered, “I think about that. Every day I’m throwing more responsibility to other men. Every day I’m trying to organize them more strongly. “But I’ll probably outlive them all,” he said with a grin. “I’m sixty-one. I’ve got everything I started out with except my tonsils, and that’s above average. I plan to be around for a while.”
 
In an interview with KNBC’s Bob Wright on August 24, 1966, Walt replied to the same query about his succession: “Well, I think by this time my staff, my young group of executives, and everyone else are convinced Walt is right. That quality will win out. And so I think they’re going to stay with that policy because it’s proved that it’s a good business policy. Give the people everything you can give them. Keep the place as clean as you can keep it. Keep it friendly, you know. Make it a real fun place to be. I think they’re convinced and I think they’ll hang on . . . if . . . as you say . . . well . . . after Disney.”