Pumped Up
(continued)
While the Disney team may have failed in their handcar-racing attempts, they
nonetheless continue to take pride in their genuine railroad handcar. It is
meticulously maintained, and was given a complete rehab for her very public
display at Fullerton in 2007.
Proud Disney cast members happily display their handcar. Little has
changed about the car over the years; the black rectangular end pieces on the
support under the push bar were originally yellow, and the wheels once sported
red pinstriping on their spokes. Photo courtesy Sam Towler.
Sometimes it seems as if things at Disneyland never change. Certainly this
seems so of the handcar--a fixture of the main entrance since the Park's very
earliest days. However, all may not be as it seems. In preparing this article, I
became aware of changes to the handcar--changes that are nearly imperceptible.
Here for the first time we will examine these changes. Note, for example, the
two photos below:
The four pedestals that support the car's platform, just below the builder's
plate, are shaped differently. The main black and white photo was shot in the 1950s or early 1960s,
while the color photo inset is from a couple years ago (Courtesy Sam Towler).
It also appears the four main frame members, which run the length of the car
and which extend beyond the car's ends (where they are used as handles to lift
the car on and off the tracks) have been replaced as well. Note the differences
in these two photos (inset shot courtesy Sam Towler):
According to sources, the old undercarriage was replaced when the handcar
underwent its last rehab, as it was in quite bad shape. While at one time the
handcar was covered after hours with a waterproof tarp, this practice had been
abandoned in recent years.
While there have been numerous collectibles memorializing just about all
aspects of the Disneyland railroad--from pins depicting the stations and rolling
stock to models of the locomotives to apparel--the demure handcar has so far been
neglected. This is set to change in 2009, however.
I am informed that Accucraft,
a builder of large-scale model trains, has just completed the engineering sample
for a perfect scale model of the Disneyland Kalamazoo handcar, which will be
precisely detailed and will actually function, just like the original.
Fabricated in brass and featuring an accurate paint job, the model should be
available through the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society sometime this year.
The handcar, the smallest piece of rolling stock in the Disneyland "fleet," will
finally have her day in the sun!
Photo courtesy
Matt Walker.
The Disneyland Railroad Kalamazoo handcar has been a fixture at Disneyland
since nearly the beginning. Like many things at Disneyland, it is unique to the
California Park, a detail closely associated with Walt Disney himself. You may
not have given the contraption a second thought, but the next time you ride the
trains of the Disneyland Railroad, try to catch a glimpse of the handcar. It's
just another detail Walt Disney wanted you to enjoy.
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