Indeed, he had one in his own backyard at his home in Los Angeles.
Naturally, Disney was drawn to trains.
Photo credit: www.imagineeringdisney.com
It wasnt until Walt Disney was forty-six when he bought his first Lionel train set.
Lionel was an American company that made amazingly detailed and fully functional miniature trains.
In 1949, Disney purchased a 5-acre-land in Los Angeles for this purpose.
In the middle of this layout, completely surrounded by tracks he built his family house.
To like his wife and seal the deal, he named the 1:8-scale steam locomotiveLilly Belleafter his wife Lillian.
TheLilly Belledebuted on the Carolwood Pacific Railroad for the first time on May 7, 1950.
However, it had one design flawit didnt have brakes.
Braking was achieved by putting the locomotive on reverse.
