And I thought "Smokey Joe" was the PRR's Baltimore & Eastern RR Love Point Ferry! (Schedule subject to wind and tide.)

TyburnRR@cs.com

Disney World apparently now offers a behind-the-scenes tour of its RR facilities. Here's a description from Ed Kelley on the Park Trains list:

I took the "Magic Behind our Steam Trains" tour on Thursday. We arrived
around 7:15 in front of the floral mickey to meet Jack, our tour guide, who is a
conductor on the line and who started the tour. We received pins with our
names on them showing a cartoonish steam train and Mickey. The Roy O. Disney soon
pulled up to the station and made a safety check run after we took some
photos of it. It soon returned and we got on the last car of the train. We ran to
Toontown Fair station where a junior member of the crew from Texas threw the
switch and we backed down the spur. As the crossing gates went down on the
roundhouse spur, cast members did some daring stunts...speeding under the
closing gates to get in on time! The Walter E. Disney sitting out front blew its
whistle as we backed into the roundhouse and got a look around (we couldn't get
off the train). No photos beyond Toontown. We saw the Roger E. Broggie and
the Lilly Belle sitting in the enginehouse, building up steam. Jack told us
that the Roger E. would be pulling the third train of the day. When I asked him
why steam was coming off the Lilly Belle's whistle, he didn't know why. He
said they weren't equipped to run 4 trains at once. We then pulled out of the
roundhouse and got to go into the cab of the hot Walter E. Disney. The fire
was turned off as we went in. That junior member got to blow the whistle and
ring the bell. Then after everyone got to look inside, we stood back as they
re-fired the Walter E. Disney. In a few minutes we were on our way back to
Main Street. We then were offered coffee and water and then got a tour of the
station area and the historical photos there. The whole tour was complimented
by stories and information, most coming out of Michael Broggie's book which I
have read cover to cover maybe 3-4 times, but there is some new stuff too
including the story how someone stole Oswald the Lucky Rabbit from the Disney
brothers. We then were handed out (and were one of the first groups to receive) a
beautiful custom train tour pin (not cardboard and paper like the name tag but
like the other Disney pin trading pins) that was custom designed by a
cartoonist and can't be purchased anywhere on property.

It was a great tour and I reccomend it to everyone who loves trains and is at
WDW.



ryarger@rypn.org