June 25, 2005 – The Ward Kimball Steam Engine is Put Into Service in Disneyland
“Also, unlike the other engines, it was named not for an icon of the railroad, but for an icon of the Walt Disney Company.”
On June 25, 2005, the number 5 engine, the Ward Kimball, was officially put into service as part of the Disneyland Railroad. It was the first new engine to be added to the railroad in almost 50 years, and was named for Nine Old Men member and railroad enthusiast Ward Kimball; Kimball’s love of trains inspired Walt Disney’s love of railroads. The engine would be dedicated on February 15, 2006, as a part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Disneyland. The engine itself was operated by Kimball’s grandson, Nate Lord, an engineer for the Disneyland Railroad.
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