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copyright Sue Ward
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To this happy place, Welcome! The stories of the creation and operation of the railroads at Walt Disney World occupy a fun and colorful place in Disney history. This part of Disney history is the mission of Steel Wheel on Steel Rail Studio books and activities.
Currently in the works:
Part 1, the second edition of the Fort Wilderness Railroad books, is just about ready to go. Once the proof copies are checked and confirmed, the books will be released. A date near June 1st is expected. Below are the covers for the new books. The covers were re-designed for this edition along with a large expansion of the Photo and Then 'n Now Galleries. The 3D and Art Galleries from the first edition were expanded and placed in their own book. The quality of the printed books was a goal for this new edition. The main and Photo Galleries books are now hardback. The Art Galleries book is a softback, but with better binding. ** For those of you who bought the first edition and are interested in the second edition, I would recommend you buy the Photo and Art Galleries books. The main book is definitely improved and now a hardback, but the degree of change is much smaller than the other books.
Part 2 will take us down Main Street, USA aboard the Horse-Drawn Streetcar -- history, perspective, and engineering. (No release date is available at this time.) Part 3 will go back in time to show how the Walt Disney World Railroad locomotives lived in the Yucatan before coming to Florida. (No release date is available at this time.)
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Sue Ward is a former Disney cast and crew member on the Fort Wilderness Railroad. She hit the jackpot when she found her "once lost" pictures of her times at Disney. Her collection has over 200 photos, and she has graciously agreed to share them in the new second edition. I have to say everyone will thoroughly enjoy this collection and will see the railroad and its people as never before! To the right is a photo of Sue as a conductor on the railroad in 1974. Thanks, Sue!
| copyright Ron Fink |
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Click here to read Steve DeGaetano's (author of "Welcome Aboard the Disneyland Railroad") interesting review of the first edition of Part 1...
Please check back for a status on the books' availability and progress.
Last Update: May 2, 2012.
Please send any comments/questions/suggestions/contributions to dleaphart@steelwheelonsteelrail.com. Thanks!
"...book should appeal to both the rail fan and Disney fan...
The book should appeal to both the railfan and Disney fan. I touch on Walt Disney's railroading inspiration for the reader's benefit. Most importantly, I have been able to spend a lot of time with former Fort Wilderness Railroad cast members. The most influential former Fort Wilderness Railroad cast members are Vern Conner, Ron Fink, and Dave Martin. Their first-hand knowledge of the railroad is tremendous and has really pushed the detail and accuracy of the story. They were very patient with my constant questions! I had the privilege of talking with Roger Broggie, Jr, who was the shop foreman and project manager for the construction of the locomotives and cars in California. Roger was able to clarify a number of construction items on the trains and has been a great mentor. Another wonderful person is Bob Harpur. Bob is the former Disney Imagineer who has contributed to every railroad in all of the Disney parks around the world He has held the enviable position of technical foreman for the Fort Wilderness Railroad from 1973 to 1977. His knowledge and stories were invaluable in the creation of this story. A key person who filled in the gaps on the story and corrected many misconceptions about the railroad is Jimmy Graves. Jimmy was intimately involved with everything steam at Walt Disney World since its inception and was the roundhouse foreman for the Fort Wilderness Railroad, from beginning to end. Another important contributor to the book has been someone who we all know through his website on the Fort Wilderness Railroad. He is David Rose, webmaster of www.fwrr.info. His help with the railroad's engineering information was critical! A tireless historian and rail fan has been invaluable with his help and knowledge of the old line. Best of all, he is on the Walt Disney World property most every day. His name is Johnny Chaffin, and he is a cast member (engineer and fireman) on the Walt Disney World Railroad in the Magic Kingdom. I conversed with and interviewed over 40 fans, guests, and former cast members of the railroad. Each has made first-hand contributions, and you will meet them all as you read the books.
"conversed with and interviewed over 40 fans, guests, and former cast members of the railroad....."
My overall goal for the books is to keep the Walt Disney rail legacy strong. While Disneyland California has had a wealth of coverage, I felt Walt Disney World's coverage was lagging. Over 3000 hours of effort were expended on the books, which includes research, many trips to Fort Wilderness and the Magic Kingdom, and graphics production. I want these volumes to be the definitive source of information on these railroads, much like the wonderful Disneyland Railroad books by Steve DeGaetano. Steve has been a great source of help and guidance. Please visit the end of this web site for links to Steve's great books. And, much to everyone's interest, Steve is now working on a second edition of his Disneyland Railroad book.
"Over 3000 hours of effort have been expended on the book.."
To spark your interest, some of the graphic works are included here for you. Below is a composite of the Fort Wilderness locomotive and rolling stock. To create this composite required over 200 hours of research and computer work. There were no references for all of the details, especially the art work. Key photographs, taken by Fort Wilderness fan Dick Frampton, and engineering help by Michael Campbell have allowed me to create a historically accurate rendition of the train.
"...over 200 hours of research and computer work..."
The design and construction of the locomotive by Disney was quite an engineering undertaking, especially the construction of a steam locomotive in the 1970's! With the aid of engineering information from David Rose, Roger Broggie, Jr., and Bob Harpur, I was able to create a construction composite. In the book, I walk you through the construction of the locomotive, from the ground up!
An important part of the book's coverage is the right-of-way for the railroad. Vern Conner, Johnny Chaffin, and I have walked all of the old roadbed. Vern has been a terrific guide since he has traveled these ways many, many times. Current aerial photos of the Fort are included with overlays of the track, crossings, grounding straps, insulators, and GPS coordinates. With the coverage in the book, anyone interested in finding and walking the old roadbed will have all they need to make the trek. The photos below are from our roadbed tracking adventures as well as the aerial overlay for the Gateway Depot area.
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David Leaphart, Vern Conner, and Johnny Chaffin take a few minutes to pose for a photo at the Gateway Depot area at Fort Wilderness....
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Vern and Johnny are plotting the old roadbed that ran along this current sidewalk...
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Vern is showing the height of the water tank crew platform at the current Gateway Depot...
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"...overlays of the track, crossings, grounding straps, insulators, and
GPS coordinates..." |
The history of the railroad is made colorful by presenting "Then n Now" coverage. Photos of the railroad are presented along with a current photo taken from the same spot as the original photographer. Below are samples of these "Then n Now" creations.
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"Forever Friends" is a special "Then n Now" showing Vern and Dave Martin today and 1975. Vern and Dave have been friends since early school days in Florida. Dave started at Fort Wilderness in 1973, joined by Vern in 1975. They both had left Disney by 1977, but are now once again reunited friends in the Orlando area. The cab photo is copyright David Martin.
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A lot of effort was expended to locate unpublished photos of the railroad. I had the best time meeting various folks who enjoyed the railroad over the years. They were most kind with their contributions to this great story. I think you will enjoy seeing the railroad like you have never seen it before!
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copyright David Martin |
copyright Ron Fink |
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copyright Ron Fink |
copyright Jon W Paul |
Fireman Dave Martin
Working the injectors and checking the site glass...
Number 2 arriving Gateway Depot!
Posing with Number 3 at Gateway Depot
"..This is a story of people, not just the railroad..."
This is story of people: fans, guests, and cast members. The experience and journey to create this story were about those folks, their fun, enjoyment, hard work, and inspiration. To get to know them and establish wonderful friendships pushed this experience way beyond writing the book. In this vein, we held a combination birthday party for the railroad and an event honoring the most enduring hero of the railroad, Jimmy Graves. With the "official" opening of the railroad being January 1, 1974, the year 2012 marks the the railroad's 38th birthday...........
Happy 38th Birthday, Fort Wilderness Railroad!
Our combination event was held at Fort Wilderness in the Trails End restaurant on July 24, 2009. Our "Cast Member Reunion and Birthday Party" was attended by Johnny Chaffin, Vern Conner, Dave Dietzel, Pat Szuhay, Josephine Hilliard, Helen Graves, Jimmy Graves, and David Leaphart. Dave and Pat are currently cast members working at Fort Wilderness. Josephine works in the Trails End restaurant and told stories of riding the train to work at the restaurant after parking at the Gateway parking lot. She said "that train always got me to work on time!" The party, complete with a "Fort Wilderness RR cake", was to have been an "hour luncheon" from 11am to noon. Well, pardners, the luncheon ended at about 4:45 in the afternoon! We had the best time and best conversations. Stories of the old railroad, of adventures by the cast members since the railroad, and of getting re-acquainted were bountiful. An example is Vern and Jimmy; they had not seen each other in about 30 years. It was an honor to be a catalyst and part of this event.
As mentioned, Jimmy Graves was our guest of honor. Jimmy was recruited by Bob Harpur to help restore and rebuild the locomotives for the Magic Kingdom. Jimmy joined the Disney staff when the locomotives were delivered to Orlando. He worked in the roundhouse behind the Kingdom for about two years. During those two years, he worked on everything steam. This included the Magic Kingdom locomotives, ferry boats, riverboat, and Bay Lake launches. One of Jimmy's favorite stories is taking Roy O. Disney for a ride around Bay Lake on a steam powered launch in early 1971! (These steam powered launches still run today on Bay Lake but have since been converted to gasoline engines.) Once the Fort Wilderness Railroad was underway, Jimmy moved from the Kingdom to the Fort reporting to Bob Harpur. Jimmy nurtured the railroad for its entire lifetime at the Fort and Disney. He retired from Disney in 2000. A special framed print was presented to Jimmy in honor of his efforts and dedication to the Fort Wilderness Railroad. The print is a one-of-kind, produced from the graphic efforts for the book. A photo of Jimmy with his gift is below.
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"Jimmy nurtured the railroad for its entire lifetime..."
copyright Russell Banks 
