The Grizzly Flats Railroad (GFRR) was a 3-foot (914 mm) narrow-gaugeheritage railroad owned by Disney animator Ward Kimball at his home in San Gabriel, California. The railroad had 900 feet (274.3 m) of track, and was operated from 1942 to 2006. It was the first full-size backyard railroad in the United States.
The GFRR's Emma Nevadalocomotive on display at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in 2003
In 1938, Disney animator Ward Kimball, a lifelong railfan, purchased a passenger coach for $50.[1][2] It was built in 1881 by the Barney and Smith Car Company for the Carson and Colorado Railroad.[3][4] Kimball originally wanted the coach to house his collection of model trains at his home in San Gabriel, California; however, his wife Betty suggested that he should also have a locomotive to pull the coach.[3][5] A suitable locomotive, the Sidney Dillon, was purchased for $400 from the Nevada Central Railroad, which was selling it for scrap.[6] It was a 2-6-0steam locomotive built in 1881 by Baldwin Locomotive Works and was renamed Emma Nevada, after the late 1800s opera star Emma Nevada.[5] Over the course of several years, Kimball, his family, and his friends worked to restore the engine to operating condition.[6] The railroad became operational in 1942.[7] Kimball named his railroad Grizzly Flats Railroad (GFRR), which eventually consisted of 900 feet (274.3 m) of 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge track, including a 500-foot (152.4 m) main line.[6][8] The GFRR became the first full-size backyard railroad in the United States.[9] In 1946, Kimball acquired a boxcar and a caboose from the defunct Pacific Coast Railway in San Luis Obispo, California.[10][11]
In 1948, Kimball purchased a second locomotive, the Pokaa, which was a 0-4-2T steam locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1907, and it originally ran on the Waimanalo Sugar Plantation on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.[12][13] Kimball renamed the locomotive from Pokaa to Chloe, after one of his daughters.[4][14] The Chloe had its saddle water tank removed and replaced with a rear water tank bunker.[12][13] It was also re-equipped with a balloon shaped smokestack to resemble the 1880s Haleakla locomotive.[12][13] As opposed to the Chloe, which burned wood to generate steam, the Emma Nevada burned coal.[5] Kimball was forced to stop running the Emma Nevada in 1967 due to complaints from his neighbors regarding the coal smoke it created.[2][12][15] In the years to follow, Kimball added a cattle car, a gondola, and a velocipede to the GFRR.[2][12]
The Chloe pulled a set of train cars custom made by Kimball, consisting of a four-bench open car built around 1975 and two passenger-carrying gondolas built around 1993.[8] The cast-iron brackets for the four-bench open car's roof and seats were cast from the same mold used to make the brackets for the Disneyland Railroad's Excursion Train set.[13][16] Kimball gradually added several structures to the GFRR, including a roundhouse, a water tower, a windmill, and a depot building.[4][17] The depot building was given to him by his boss, Walt Disney, and was originally used as a set piece for the 1949 Disney film So Dear to My Heart.[18][19] Kimball died in 2002, but his family continued to operate the GFRR until 2006.[2][8] The GFRR's tracks were pulled up in late April 2007, but the roundhouse building remained intact.[2][20]
Influences and preservationEdit
The GFRR's Chloe locomotive on display at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in 2009
Kimball shared his railroad hobby with fellow Disney animator Ollie Johnston, who owned a ridable miniature railroad, and Walt Disney.[21][22] On October 20, 1945, Disney attended one of the Kimball's "steam-ups", which were parties hosted at their home when the Grizzly Flats Railroad was in operation.[23] During the party, Disney was given the opportunity to drive the GFRR's Emma Nevada locomotive, which was the first time since working as a teenager on the Missouri Pacific Railway that he had been inside a locomotive cab.[23] Disney eventually decided to have his own backyard railroad built, which he named Carolwood Pacific Railroad.[24] His ridable miniature backyard railroad, and the narrow-gauge GFRR, inspired Disney to create the Disneyland Railroad within the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California.[3][25] The Disneyland Railroad's depot building in the Frontierland section of the park was built using the same blueprints for the GFRR's depot building.[19] Before Kimball's death in 2002, he taught his grandson Nate Lord how to drive the Chloe locomotive, which inspired Lord to become a locomotive engineer on the Disneyland Railroad in 2011.[26][27]
In late 1992, Kimball began to donate the GFRR's rolling stock, including the Emma Nevada locomotive, to the Southern California Railway Museum (SCRM) in Perris, California.[2][15][23] The caboose was donated to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California.[2][10] The last of the rolling stock remaining on the GFRR, including the Chloe locomotive, was put on display at the museum in 2007.[2][8] The Emma Nevada and Chloe locomotives are currently being restored to operating condition.[28][29] The GFRR's depot building and water tower were acquired by former Pixar film director John Lasseter, who moved them to his private Justi Creek Railway.[30][31] In September 2018, Märklin went into partnership with the SCRM to fund the Chloe Restoration Project by auctioning some LGBmodel train products, which resembled the Chloe locomotive and some GFRR rolling stocks.[32]
^ ab(PDF). Coast Mail. Vol. 6, no. 1. San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum. Winter 2005. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 10, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
^ abcdeKelley, Ed (July 10, 2002). . Discover Live Steam. Archived from the original on July 13, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
^ abcdNavarro, Max; Navarro, Dawn (Fall 1985). "The Grizzly Flats Railroad". Disney News. Vol. 20, no. 4. Walt Disney Productions. p. 18. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
grizzly, flats, railroad, gfrr, foot, narrow, gauge, heritage, railroad, owned, disney, animator, ward, kimball, home, gabriel, california, railroad, feet, track, operated, from, 1942, 2006, first, full, size, backyard, railroad, united, states, gfrr, yard, wi. The Grizzly Flats Railroad GFRR was a 3 foot 914 mm narrow gauge heritage railroad owned by Disney animator Ward Kimball at his home in San Gabriel California The railroad had 900 feet 274 3 m of track and was operated from 1942 to 2006 It was the first full size backyard railroad in the United States Grizzly Flats RailroadThe GFRR yard with Ward Kimball in the foregroundOverviewHeadquartersSan Gabriel CaliforniaDates of operation1942 2006TechnicalTrack gauge3 ft 914 mm Length900 feet 274 3 m The GFRR was notable for helping Walt Disney rediscover his childhood fascination with trains which led him to build the Carolwood Pacific Railroad a ridable miniature railroad in his backyard The GFRR also influenced the design of the Disneyland Railroad within the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim California The GFRR s rolling stock including the two steam locomotives owned by Kimball are now on display at the Southern California Railway Museum formerly the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris California The railroad s depot building and water tower were moved to the Justi Creek Railway a private railroad owned by John Lasseter Contents 1 History 2 Influences and preservation 3 See also 4 References 5 Bibliography 6 External linksHistory EditvteGrizzly Flats RailroadLegend nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Kimball residence nbsp nbsp nbsp Garage nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Grizzly Flats nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Roundhouse nbsp The GFRR s Emma Nevada locomotive on display at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in 2003In 1938 Disney animator Ward Kimball a lifelong railfan purchased a passenger coach for 50 1 2 It was built in 1881 by the Barney and Smith Car Company for the Carson and Colorado Railroad 3 4 Kimball originally wanted the coach to house his collection of model trains at his home in San Gabriel California however his wife Betty suggested that he should also have a locomotive to pull the coach 3 5 A suitable locomotive the Sidney Dillon was purchased for 400 from the Nevada Central Railroad which was selling it for scrap 6 It was a 2 6 0 steam locomotive built in 1881 by Baldwin Locomotive Works and was renamed Emma Nevada after the late 1800s opera star Emma Nevada 5 Over the course of several years Kimball his family and his friends worked to restore the engine to operating condition 6 The railroad became operational in 1942 7 Kimball named his railroad Grizzly Flats Railroad GFRR which eventually consisted of 900 feet 274 3 m of 3 ft 914 mm narrow gauge track including a 500 foot 152 4 m main line 6 8 The GFRR became the first full size backyard railroad in the United States 9 In 1946 Kimball acquired a boxcar and a caboose from the defunct Pacific Coast Railway in San Luis Obispo California 10 11 In 1948 Kimball purchased a second locomotive the Pokaa which was a 0 4 2T steam locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1907 and it originally ran on the Waimanalo Sugar Plantation on the Hawaiian island of Oahu 12 13 Kimball renamed the locomotive from Pokaa to Chloe after one of his daughters 4 14 The Chloe had its saddle water tank removed and replaced with a rear water tank bunker 12 13 It was also re equipped with a balloon shaped smokestack to resemble the 1880s Haleakla locomotive 12 13 As opposed to the Chloe which burned wood to generate steam the Emma Nevada burned coal 5 Kimball was forced to stop running the Emma Nevada in 1967 due to complaints from his neighbors regarding the coal smoke it created 2 12 15 In the years to follow Kimball added a cattle car a gondola and a velocipede to the GFRR 2 12 The Chloe pulled a set of train cars custom made by Kimball consisting of a four bench open car built around 1975 and two passenger carrying gondolas built around 1993 8 The cast iron brackets for the four bench open car s roof and seats were cast from the same mold used to make the brackets for the Disneyland Railroad s Excursion Train set 13 16 Kimball gradually added several structures to the GFRR including a roundhouse a water tower a windmill and a depot building 4 17 The depot building was given to him by his boss Walt Disney and was originally used as a set piece for the 1949 Disney film So Dear to My Heart 18 19 Kimball died in 2002 but his family continued to operate the GFRR until 2006 2 8 The GFRR s tracks were pulled up in late April 2007 but the roundhouse building remained intact 2 20 Influences and preservation Edit nbsp The GFRR s Chloe locomotive on display at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in 2009Kimball shared his railroad hobby with fellow Disney animator Ollie Johnston who owned a ridable miniature railroad and Walt Disney 21 22 On October 20 1945 Disney attended one of the Kimball s steam ups which were parties hosted at their home when the Grizzly Flats Railroad was in operation 23 During the party Disney was given the opportunity to drive the GFRR s Emma Nevada locomotive which was the first time since working as a teenager on the Missouri Pacific Railway that he had been inside a locomotive cab 23 Disney eventually decided to have his own backyard railroad built which he named Carolwood Pacific Railroad 24 His ridable miniature backyard railroad and the narrow gauge GFRR inspired Disney to create the Disneyland Railroad within the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim California 3 25 The Disneyland Railroad s depot building in the Frontierland section of the park was built using the same blueprints for the GFRR s depot building 19 Before Kimball s death in 2002 he taught his grandson Nate Lord how to drive the Chloe locomotive which inspired Lord to become a locomotive engineer on the Disneyland Railroad in 2011 26 27 In late 1992 Kimball began to donate the GFRR s rolling stock including the Emma Nevada locomotive to the Southern California Railway Museum SCRM in Perris California 2 15 23 The caboose was donated to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento California 2 10 The last of the rolling stock remaining on the GFRR including the Chloe locomotive was put on display at the museum in 2007 2 8 The Emma Nevada and Chloe locomotives are currently being restored to operating condition 28 29 The GFRR s depot building and water tower were acquired by former Pixar film director John Lasseter who moved them to his private Justi Creek Railway 30 31 In September 2018 Marklin went into partnership with the SCRM to fund the Chloe Restoration Project by auctioning some LGB model train products which resembled the Chloe locomotive and some GFRR rolling stocks 32 See also EditOlomana locomotive Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and ResortsPortals nbsp Disney nbsp Trains nbsp Greater Los AngelesReferences Edit Broggie 2014 p 12 a b c d e f g h Pool Bob May 12 2007 Railroad Hits End of the Line Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on March 29 2019 Retrieved March 29 2019 a b c Amendola 2015 p 118 a b c Broggie 2014 p 52 a b c Amendola 2015 p 119 a b c Broggie 2014 p 56 Gross Cory April 9 2011 The Madness of Ward Kimball Network Awesome Archived from the original on September 19 2015 Retrieved August 11 2017 a b c d Grizzly Flats 3 Foot Gauge Orange Empire Railway Museum Archived from the original on March 18 2017 Retrieved August 12 2017 Broggie 2014 p 53 a b Betty Kimball Donates Pacific Coast Railway Headlights PDF Coast Mail Vol 6 no 1 San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum Winter 2005 p 4 Archived from the original PDF on August 10 2016 Retrieved May 12 2023 Amendola 2015 p 120 a b c d e Kelley Ed July 10 2002 We Remember Ward Kimball 1914 2002 Discover Live Steam Archived from the original on July 13 2017 Retrieved March 25 2018 a b c d Navarro Max Navarro Dawn Fall 1985 The Grizzly Flats Railroad Disney News Vol 20 no 4 Walt Disney Productions p 18 Retrieved April 23 2023 Broggie 2014 p 57 a b Ford Andrea November 16 1992 End of the Line Locomotive from Back Yard Railroad Heads for Museum Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on September 19 2015 Retrieved March 20 2019 Broggie 2014 p 251 Broggie 2014 pp 54 55 Ballard Kelli February 16 2016 Disneyland Depot Inspired by Porterville The Porterville Recorder Archived from the original on April 7 2019 Retrieved June 12 2019 a b Broggie 2014 pp 266 267 Amidi Amid September 28 2010 Buy Ward Kimball s House Cartoon Brew Archived from the original on February 7 2023 Retrieved May 1 2023 Broggie 2014 p 17 Broggie 2014 p 100 a b c Broggie 2014 p 58 Broggie 2014 p 109 Amendola 2015 pp 138 139 Mello Michael November 14 2011 Another generation on the Disney rails The Orange County Register Archived from the original on April 24 2023 Retrieved April 24 2023 Rafferty Jr Kevin November 16 2011 A Conversation with Disneyland Resort Cast Member Nate Lord Grandson of Disney Legend Ward Kimball Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Archived from the original on May 22 2022 Retrieved April 24 2023 Eades Mark April 3 2015 Orange Empire Railway Museum keeps rolling along The Orange County Register Archived from the original on March 3 2021 Retrieved April 24 2023 Eades Mark August 2 2017 2 special train engines create historic moment for the Disneyland Railroad The Orange County Register Archived from the original on October 2 2022 Retrieved April 24 2023 Amendola 2015 p 133 Maddaus Gene June 8 2018 John Lasseter Will Exit Disney at the End of the Year Variety Archived from the original on January 29 2019 Retrieved February 2 2019 Marklin Inc celebrates LGB s 50th anniversary Garden Railways Kalmbach Media September 11 2018 Archived from the original on April 24 2023 Retrieved April 24 2023 Bibliography EditAmendola Dana 2015 All Aboard The Wonderful World of Disney Trains 1st ed Disney Editions ISBN 978 1 4231 1714 8 Broggie Michael 2014 Walt Disney s Railroad Story The Small Scale Fascination That Led to a Full Scale Kingdom 4th ed The Donning Company Publishers ISBN 978 1 57864 914 3 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grizzly Flats Railroad Southern California Railway Museum Grizzly Flats Railroad Collection 34 07 07 N 118 04 29 W 34 1187 N 118 0747 W 34 1187 118 0747 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Grizzly Flats Railroad amp oldid 1171759596, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
