History: Disneyland Railroad Holiday Red Caboose #208
On opening day of Disneyland, there were to be two trains running around the park. The first train, referred to by Disneyland employees as Retlaw 1 (Walter spelled backwards), was pulled by locomotive No. 2 and six 1890's style passenger cars. Retlaw 2 would be pulled by locomotive No. 1 with six freight cars consisting of three cattle cars, two gondolas, and a caboose. The Retlaw 1 passenger train only serviced Main Street, U.S.A. Station while the Retlaw 2 freight train only serviced Frontierland Station. With sidings at both stations, each train would operate simultaneously and continue down the rail line even if the other train was stopped at its station. The first test run of the DRR's trains along the full length of its route occurred on July 10, 1955, one week before Disneyland's opening, making them the first of Disneyland's attractions to become operational. Walt Disney Studios built the train cars and most of the parts for the steam locomotives at the cost of just over $240,000 in 1955.
The addition of the Grand Canyon Diorama in 1958 prompted changes to the Retlaw 2 freight train. Side-facing bench seating, and removal of the walls on the cattle cars facing the park allowed guests to better view the diorama. Prior to these modifications, the cattle cars and gondolas of Retlaw 2 had no seating, requiring passengers to stand for the duration of the ride. Despite safety concerns voiced by Ward Kimball related to the lack of seats on these train cars, Walt Disney, for the purpose of authenticity, had insisted that there be no seats on them; he wanted the passengers to feel like cattle on an actual cattle train. Finally, red-and-white striped awnings were installed on all of the cattle cars and gondolas which today gives the train set its name as Holiday Red. In 1958 and 1959, two more gondolas were added to the consist bringing the total number of cars to eight.
The Holiday Red train set has had two incidents in its history. Within a week of Disneyland's opening on July 17, 1955, a brakeman pulled the switch connecting the Disneyland Railroad's main line with a siding at Main Street, U.S.A. Station too soon as the Retlaw 2 freight train on the siding was passing the Retlaw 1 passenger train stopped at the station. The caboose had not made it fully across the switch when it was pulled, causing the caboose to swing to the side before colliding with a concrete slab and derailing upon impact. During the ensuing commotion, the erring brakeman, presumably to avoid disciplinary action, quietly left the scene of the accident, exited the park, and was not seen again. No injuries were reported, and by the following year the use of sidings at stations on the DRR's main line came to an end. In February 2000, a tree in the Adventureland section fell onto the DRR's Holiday Red freight train while it was in motion, damaging the awnings on the gondolas as well as knocking off the cupola on top of the caboose. No injuries occurred as a result of this incident.
The addition of the Grand Canyon Diorama in 1958 prompted changes to the Retlaw 2 freight train. Side-facing bench seating, and removal of the walls on the cattle cars facing the park allowed guests to better view the diorama. Prior to these modifications, the cattle cars and gondolas of Retlaw 2 had no seating, requiring passengers to stand for the duration of the ride. Despite safety concerns voiced by Ward Kimball related to the lack of seats on these train cars, Walt Disney, for the purpose of authenticity, had insisted that there be no seats on them; he wanted the passengers to feel like cattle on an actual cattle train. Finally, red-and-white striped awnings were installed on all of the cattle cars and gondolas which today gives the train set its name as Holiday Red. In 1958 and 1959, two more gondolas were added to the consist bringing the total number of cars to eight.
The Holiday Red train set has had two incidents in its history. Within a week of Disneyland's opening on July 17, 1955, a brakeman pulled the switch connecting the Disneyland Railroad's main line with a siding at Main Street, U.S.A. Station too soon as the Retlaw 2 freight train on the siding was passing the Retlaw 1 passenger train stopped at the station. The caboose had not made it fully across the switch when it was pulled, causing the caboose to swing to the side before colliding with a concrete slab and derailing upon impact. During the ensuing commotion, the erring brakeman, presumably to avoid disciplinary action, quietly left the scene of the accident, exited the park, and was not seen again. No injuries were reported, and by the following year the use of sidings at stations on the DRR's main line came to an end. In February 2000, a tree in the Adventureland section fell onto the DRR's Holiday Red freight train while it was in motion, damaging the awnings on the gondolas as well as knocking off the cupola on top of the caboose. No injuries occurred as a result of this incident.
The Model
The G Scale representation of the Disneyland Railroad Holiday Red Caboose #208 started out with a USA Trains woodside caboose. Decals for the project were created by Stan Cedarleaf following dimensions taken from the caboose. The following paint colors were used to replicate the prototype: Rustoleum Gloss Burgundy, Gloss Sunrise Red, and Semi-Gloss Black; craft store True Red and Yellow.
A window was added to each side of the caboose and framed to match the existing windows. Ozark Miniatures lanterns and a placard for the Disneyland Railroad logo were added to each side of the caboose. Kadee 830 couplers and Ozark Miniatures air hoses were added to the frame, as well as a push button and switch to trigger the attraction sound recordings. Bench seating was added to the interior of the caboose as well as posters along the caboose walls that advertise for the Disneyland Railroad, Grand Canyon Diorama, and Primeval World. There are also a few pictures of Walt Disney and his trains on each end of the car.
The electronics in the caboose are fed from LGB ball bearing wheels with electrical pickups. In order to convert the DC track power (2-24V) to the correct polarity for LEDs, a bridge rectifier and capacitor were added between the track power and the LEDs. (200V/4A RS403L Bridge Rectifier, 50V 1000microF capacitor, 1.2kohm resistors) 3mm LEDs are used in the lanterns and cupola, and 5mm LEDs are used for lighting the car. In addition, a custom sound system that plays the Mainstreet Station Arrival/Departure recording, and the entire Grand Circle Tour recording were installed under the bench seating. This sound card is made by Adafruit and contains a 16MB memory to be able to play the entire 15-minute recording with room to spare. The sound card is powered by a 5.5 Volt source, so a voltage regulator circuit was added between the bridge rectifier and the sound card. The Mainstreet Station Arrival/Departure recording is triggered by a momentary push button located under the center of the caboose on the engineer side. The Grand Circle Tour recording is activated by an On/Off switch and will play in a continuous loop. The roof is fed power through a quick disconnect plug for easy removal.
A window was added to each side of the caboose and framed to match the existing windows. Ozark Miniatures lanterns and a placard for the Disneyland Railroad logo were added to each side of the caboose. Kadee 830 couplers and Ozark Miniatures air hoses were added to the frame, as well as a push button and switch to trigger the attraction sound recordings. Bench seating was added to the interior of the caboose as well as posters along the caboose walls that advertise for the Disneyland Railroad, Grand Canyon Diorama, and Primeval World. There are also a few pictures of Walt Disney and his trains on each end of the car.
The electronics in the caboose are fed from LGB ball bearing wheels with electrical pickups. In order to convert the DC track power (2-24V) to the correct polarity for LEDs, a bridge rectifier and capacitor were added between the track power and the LEDs. (200V/4A RS403L Bridge Rectifier, 50V 1000microF capacitor, 1.2kohm resistors) 3mm LEDs are used in the lanterns and cupola, and 5mm LEDs are used for lighting the car. In addition, a custom sound system that plays the Mainstreet Station Arrival/Departure recording, and the entire Grand Circle Tour recording were installed under the bench seating. This sound card is made by Adafruit and contains a 16MB memory to be able to play the entire 15-minute recording with room to spare. The sound card is powered by a 5.5 Volt source, so a voltage regulator circuit was added between the bridge rectifier and the sound card. The Mainstreet Station Arrival/Departure recording is triggered by a momentary push button located under the center of the caboose on the engineer side. The Grand Circle Tour recording is activated by an On/Off switch and will play in a continuous loop. The roof is fed power through a quick disconnect plug for easy removal.
