Retlaw 1 Progress.

[BNeumayr]

The original Retlaw 1 coaches are currently being restored by Hillcrest Shops for the Pacific Coast Railroad Co. near San Luis Obispo, CA. They recently sent some progress shots to them and they have been posted on their Blog. Its really great to see these important pieces of Disney history restored back to their original glory. Just thought you guys may be interested in seeing the progress of the restorations.

http://pcrailroad.blogspot.com

[mickeyandme67]

Awesome find. Thanks for sharing!

[RumRunner31]

Walt would be proud!

[Tractor]

We will be running them in May at the San Luis Opisbo CA it is a public event benefiting SLO RR Museum. you ca purchase tickets for this event by going onto http://www.slorrm.com/

[barfownz]

I'm glad this one isn't an April Fools joke.

[Tractor]

well i will be operating the locomotive. That is a joke. I can't this year but maybe next. I will be at sea operating a 500 foot long ex naval vessel

[monotonehell]

Not sure if the restorers have the correct size wheels here...




I posted a video of their last pre-restoration run a little while ago, I'm in two minds about restoring them to this level. It's a bit like restoring the great pyramid of Giza...

[Steve DeGaetano]

Well, since they will be wearing different names and be lettered for a different railroad, they aren't truly being restored in the historical sense. Of course, remviong the "Santa Fe & Disneyland R.R." lettering was a Disney requirement to allow the trade to happen at all.

[monotonehell]

@Steve: See? that's kind of where I was going with my two mindedness.. It's nice to see them restored and put back into "service". But also very sad to see the original paintwork and lettering lost.

[Steve DeGaetano]

Yeah, I suppose they will lose a little bit of their character. I wish they could have been preserved with their historical lettering intact. Soon enough, I wonder how many who visit them will actually be aware of their origins, without being told?

Plus, the old names were just so evocative of the Old West: Land of Pueblos, Navajo Chief, Painted Desert, etc.

[kronos]

They should add on to the roundhouse and put in another track and bring this train out once a morning as the park opens. It would be cool to see this train at DL.

[MickeyMoose]

I don't think disney owns the Retlaw 1 cars anymore in the pictures on the post. It would be nice to see them return to the park, but I don't think thats going to happen anythime soon.

[Tractor]

disney owns one the Lillie Bell. 4 others are property of Rob Rossi and one the combine is property of Mr. Norred's family who Rossi purchased his 4 from.

[monotonehell]

They should add on to the roundhouse and put in another track and bring this train out once a morning as the park opens. It would be cool to see this train at DL.

I guess Disney decided that the Lily Belle is enough of this kind of car to keep. They sold the others off early on (1963? If forget exactly) when the dioramas were added to the Old Admin building and replaced them with the current side-on seating open cars, so guests didn't have to twist to see the view. Possibly also for capacity and loading issues.

[Steve DeGaetano]

I guess Disney decided that the Lily Belle is enough of this kind of car to keep. They sold the others off early on (1963? If forget exactly) when the dioramas were added to the Old Admin building and replaced them with the current side-on seating open cars, so guests didn't have to twist to see the view. Possibly also for capacity and loading issues.

Actually, the cars were kept by Disney long after 1963, and they were in fact used intermittently through the years, usually during inclement weather. The last time they were used was a cold, drizzly day in 1974, after which they were put into storage in the back of the roundhouse. Disney kept the cars until the 1990s.

They were then traded to Bill Norred for a steam locomotive Disneyland planned to call the Ward Kimball. But the locomotive was HUGE, too large in fact to be usd at Disneyland. That engine was givne to the WDW RR. Unfortunately, it was too small for them!

So they traded it to Cedar Point for a little teakettle then known as the Maud L. She came to Disneyland around 1999, and eventually was restored into the Ward Kimball engine you can see today.