Everything changed in late April 2005, however. The Disneyland Resort had a new president in Matt Ouimet, who understood far more than his predecessors the importance of "show" and "plussing" attractions. Ouimet was at the Park participating in a ceremony for Disney Legend and animator Ollie Johnston on May 12, 2005. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Ouimet was on his way back to the Team Disney Anaheim building, but made a detour to the roundhouse. He strolled up to the cast members in the roundhouse, and--according to one cast member there that day--made a simple, straight-forward request: "I want to see the Lilly Belle."

Several additional inspections followed. Folks knew things were getting serious when Jeff Kaye, a representative of Retlaw, was asked to provide photographs of the car's interior, so that an accurate reconstruction could take place. Things happened rather fast after that. In the early summer, while the Disneyland roundhouse was preparing their newest locomotive, Ward Kimball, to debut, plans were under way to have the Lilly Belle sent off-site for a complete rebuild.

In August, a contract had been signed with Tim LaGaley of R.B. Builders, located in Camarillo, California, and the lovely Presidential car was trucked to the facility to begin her five-month rebuild. LaGaley won the contract for a very good reason: He had previous experience restoring a Retlaw 1 passenger car. The original "combine" of the train, now owned by the estate of Bill Norred, was stored in an old citrus warehouse in Ventura, and LaGaley had headed its restoration. Because of his hands-on experience, LaGaley knew all about the construction techniques used on the Disney cars.

The September 9, 2005 issue of the Disneyland Line contained an article on the progress, noting that the work "encompasses new siding and roof, refurbished mechanical equipment and new exterior paint and signage. Inside, new carpet and refinished paneling and furniture will complete the restoration."

The car was returned to Disneyland the first week of December 2005, where work began to restore her interior. There were a few alterations to the car. The six rooftop vents seen in earlier photos of her were removed completely, as they had allowed water to enter and do damage to the roof. Brand-new cast-brass nameplates, similar to the originals, were installed on the doors. A brand-new drumhead was created with the car's name. The black marker lamps, hand-made by Roger Broggie Jr., were found to be made of brass, so the paint was simply stripped and the brass polished up to make for beautiful "jewelry" on the car.

The Lilly Belle's new nameplate in gleaming solid brass. Photo courtesy Matt Walker.

A close-up of one of the Lilly Belle's 5/8th scale marker lamps,
hand-made by Roger Broggie Jr., son of Disney Legend Roger
Broggie. These lamps are called "marker lamps" because
they literally "mark" the end of a train. By official railroad
definition, a "train" is not officially a train unless marker
lamps are displayed. Photo courtesy Matt Walker.

The Lilly Belle's new illuminated "drumhead," or tail sign. Photo courtesy Matt Walker.

On the inside, the mirror on the left wall was removed. The original seats were reupholstered. New Disney family pictures were installed, as well as other knick-knacks, such as books Walt might have enjoyed and crystal sets (all securely glued down to prevent theft!). On the back wall, authentic railroad lamps with the letters "GWR" (Great Western Railway) were installed. The brass-plated fans were made operable. Imagineer Kim Irvine, who once again oversaw the re-decoration of the car, wished to create a stronger connection with the car's namesake, Lillian Disney. So, she found an old smoking jacket, very similar to the one Lillian used to wear, and hung it in the car (This jacket is often mistakenly said to actually be Lillian's or even Walt's smoking jacket by some tour guides and conductors).

This official Disneyland publicity photo nicely captures the car's brand new
interior, although the wall on the right looks quite bare without the mirror.

On the floor, brand new carpet was installed. This led to more mis-information that is often passed on by tour guides and conductors, who sometimes tell guests that the carpet is the last remaining piece of the original Lilly Belle carpet, and that it's the same carpet that was used in Walt's firehouse apartment. Well, the carpet is the same as used in the apartment, but the carpet there is brand new too--that carpet was replaced several years ago because of water damage, and the same roll provided carpet for use in the Lilly Belle.

Matt Walker caught a bit of Victorian elegance in this shot of the Lilly Belle's
settee and marble table.

Another frequently repeated misconception is that the wood on the clerestory ceiling is inlaid with different color wood, to create a unique design. As we've seen earlier in this article, the clerestory design is merely stenciled on with lighter color paint. The fact that so many people mistake it for inlaid wood is testament to the skill of Disneyland painters.

The floral design on the ceiling at right is not, as is commonly believed, inlaid wood.
It is, however, Disney Magic at work. Photo courtesy Matt Walker.

A month later, the car passed her roundhouse inspection, and was attached to the rear of the Holiday Blue train an hour before Park closing on January 10, 2006, pulled by the Ward Kimball. Very few people were on hand to see her that late in the evening. The next day, she debuted in broad daylight, merely waiting to pass her DOSH inspections before she could begin accepting passengers. She initially made only "dry runs," without passengers, while the conductors began their special training for the car. Soon, however, the elegant car would be open for passengers.