The Lilly Belle Passenger Car
The original Grand Canyon Car (#106) was an observation car that was taken out of regular commission with the other passenger cars (known as Retlaw 1 & Holiday 1) in 1966, due to the fact that it was difficult to see the Grand Canyon Diorama with the positioning of the seats. They were only used when it rained (because they were enclosed) and were mainly just rotting away in the back of the roundhouse the rest of the time. Ken Kohler, the roundhouse superintendent, suggested that #106 be converted into a Bicentennial VIP car, so in July 1974 (about the same time Santa Fe dropped their sponsorship of the Disneyland Railroad), it began its transformation into the Victorian themed Lilly Belle as the rest of the passenger/observation cars were officially retired. The first guest to ride the newly built Lilly Belle coach on September 1st, 1976 was Emperor Hirohito of Japan. For a time, Walt’s original caboose from his backyard Lilly Belle model railroad was on display inside this Bicentennial Parlour Car. By the 1990’s the Lilly Belle was suffering from dry rot/termite damage, and was eventually pulled from the line in 2002. Current Disneyland Resort President Matt Ouimet was instrumental in having her restored by Tim LaGaly & his crew, and the Lilly Belle was back on the line on December 7th, 2005: 64 years after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. When Disneyland became a publicly traded company, Lillian Disney removed a number of personal mementos from the Lily Belle (as well as Walt’s apartment above the Town Square Fire Department) stating "We're a publicly traded company now..and these things are MINE, not the companys’.” Thanks to Mike Bronstein for supplying the 1970’s photos below.
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