Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Additional Angles Added Plus View the Animated Short That Inspired It!

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In 1949, Walt Disney moved his family to 355 N. Carolwood Drive. Inspired by his animators Ward Kimball and Ollie Johnston, who had backyard railroads, Walt launched construction of a 1/8 scale live steam locomotive, rolling stock such as gondolas and a caboose, track and a small barn modeled in miniature for the one in Marceline, Missouri from his youth to keep them in.
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The locomotive was patterned after the Central Pacific #173, a wood burning engine brought aboard ship from the east 'around the horn' and assembled in California to begin construction of the transcontinental railroad east through the Rocky Mountains. To keep the initials identical on the CP #173 he named his railroad the Carolwood Pacific in reference to the residence location on Carolwood Drive.
2,615 feet (797 m) of railway track circled the house, looped and crossed, with turnouts, gradients, a trestle 46-foot (14 m) long, overpasses with an elevated dirt berm. Lillian Disney was supportive of her dear husband Walt's train hobby, although she vetoed a track through her flower beds—so Walt instead built a 90 ft (27 m) 'S' curved tunnel beneath them.
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In an episode of his television show, Walt Disney shared that not only he but also several of his key animators were model train enthusiasts.

“With so many of us interested in model trains,”said Walt, “it wasn’t too much of a surprise when our story department came up with a cartoon idea about this hobby,” and Out of Scale (released November 02, 1951) was the charming result.

Now this intricately detailed sculpture commemorates this unforgettable cartoon short, Disney favorite Donald Duck and also Walt Disney’s love of trains.

'Backyard Whistle Stop' is Limited to Production Year 2012.

Courtesy of YouTube.com, for viewing pleasure is the 1951 animated short, Out of Scale.

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