Customer Reviews

From Plantation to Theme Park: The Story of Disneyland Railroad Locomotive No. 5, the Ward Kimball

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Being in the Theme Park business we understand the importance of the association that steam trains have with theme parks. Almost every park in the world has their own, and as we conduct business within this industry, we always knew that sooner or later, acquiring a steam train would come up in discussion with clients.

However, until now...this seemed like a somewhat elusive item to procure, especially when you consider that acquiring a steam train is not like buying eggs at your local grocery. Most are relics that date back a hundred years or more...

However this book not only details the "creation" (or more precisely the re-creation) of an additional steam train for Disneyland, it also helps to erase a lot of questions about trains... where to get them... and how to get an older one reconditioned like new, and who to talk with about that.

Methods and procedures, people and places, are presented in such a way that we are now a lot more comfortable about this daunting task. This book has all the details, and at least for our company... provided some peace-of-mind, by providing the information we needed about steam trains.

For non-industry readers we think you will love the step-by-step story of how 'Locomotive No. 5, the Ward Kimball' came to be. There's enough Disney History to keep it interesting, and because the train has actually been built and is running at the park... you'll already have a lot of the backstory when you next visit Disneyland and climb aboard for a ride!

This latest book as an addition to the previous Disneyland Railroad book, now covering exclusively the Ward Kimball engine, is just as thorough and fabulous to read as the previous edition. I love hearing the stories of Walt and his staff and their love of trains. I especially enjoyed hearing more about the personal life of Ward and how he acquired his own engines and built a train line on his own Southern California property back in the 40's. In reading these stories I am touched by how much fun Walt and his staff seemed to have in creating all the fabulous toys we now enjoy!