| Gurley Story
(continued)
The Fred Gurley locomotive, as depicted in the
poster, merits some closer study.
A close-up of the "Grand Canyon" poster,
showing off the SF&D's
newest engine--although with a few detail errors.
We note that the locomotive is fairly well proportioned
(albeit the colors are a little on the garish side). The engine's name is
featured--an honor denied the E.P. Ripley in the Park's first railroad
attraction poster. The artist has included a number of correct details,
including the tender truck, the engine's frame and firebox directly under
the cab, and the cap stack. However, I note two unusual details: First, the
artist has painted the cab window and door configuration incorrectly, with
the door and handrails located near the front of the cab, and the two cab
windows positioned to the rear. In reality, the door is at the rear, and the
windows toward the front.
Additionally, the artist has included a detail that the
engine once had, but lost when Disney rebuilt her: A second sand line
running to the rear driver. This sand line once existed on the tiny Baldwin,
but was removed when Disney rebuilt the engine.
The mystery second sand line, appearing
only
on the engine in the poster.
Did Disney once intend to install the second sand line,
going to the rear drive wheel, on the engine? Or was the artist basing his
drawing on photos of the engine as it looked earlier in her life? Just
another Disney mystery that may never be solved.
The Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad continued to
prosper, and added a fourth locomotive, the Ernest S. Marsh, in 1959.
Through the years and decades, the Fred Gurley continued to pull her
trains with dignity, even though she was getting older.
In 1974, the
relationship between Walt Disney and Fred Gurley, effectively combining and
marketing both the Santa Fe Railway and Disneyland through the Santa Fe's
sponsorship of the Disney railroads, came to an abrupt end after nearly 20
years. The Fred Gurley--like the other three locomotives--lost her
Santa Fe lettering. As part of the repainting, the Gurley's brass
domes were covered with dark green paint, and now she served only the
Disneyland Railroad.
The Fred Gurley's sand dome, showing
her post SF&D
paint scheme. Surmounting the dome is a brass eagle,
copies of
which adorn the first four Disneyland engines
(The Ward Kimball may
one day get one of her own).
The reddish color near the brass boiler bands
is primer,
showing through areas where the blue boiler color
has been
scraped away.
Twenty years after that, in 1994, the engine celebrated
her 100th birthday, and a gala celebration was had.
A rendering of the engine showing how it
appeared in its post-Santa Fe
& Disneyland paint scheme. Drawing by Preston Nirattisai
The celebration took place the morning of August 15th. Ward
Kimball was in attendance, along with Ollie Johnston, bib-overall-wearing
Mickey Mouse, the Disneyland Band, and a group of invited guests.
Disneyland's executive vice president, Ron Dominguez officiated, in what
would be his last official duty at the Park. The engine, festooned with
American flags, also had a new addition: a plaque was affixed to the
engine's running boards to honor her 100 years of service. After the
ceremonies, commemorative buttons patterned after the plaque were handed
out, and the whole entourage boarded the train for a trip around the Grand
Circle Route.
Perhaps anticipating that this commemorative
plaque might somehow "disappear,"
it was made of plastic instead of
more-expensive brass. Disney made
the right decision: It subsequently "walked off" shortly thereafter.
The 100th birthday celebration for the
engine was a high point in her "life," especially since the expected service
life of such an engine was only expected to be a few decades, if that. Her
age was beginning to show.
In our final installment, we'll take a closer look
at the engine's recent rebuilding, and conclude our series on the Disneyland
Railroad's charming Louisiana transplant, the Fred Gurley.
Much of the information contained in these articles was
gleaned from Michael Broggie's seminal work, Walt Disney's Railroad Story.
I would also like to thank Michael for generously allowing me to use photos
from his book. Additionally, if you would like more information on
plantation locomotives, there has been no better book written than Down
Among the Sugar Cane, by W.E Butler. It's out of print now, but can
often be found at such rare book sites as Alibris.com. And still more
information can be found in Little Railways of the World, by
Frederick Shaw, which includes a chapter on Disney's trains, with rare
photos. It turns up on Ebay occasionally.
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