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Carolwood Pacific Railroad

1950 establishments in California1953 disestablishments in California7¼ in gauge railways in the United StatesAmusement rides based on rail transportBackyard railroads in the United States
Miniature railroads in the United StatesModel railroadsUse American English from July 2017Use mdy dates from July 2017Walt Disney
Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn CPRR Logo
Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn CPRR Logo

The Carolwood Pacific Railroad (CPRR) was a 7+1⁄4-inch (184 mm) gauge ridable miniature railroad run by Walt Disney in the backyard of his home in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It featured the Lilly Belle, a 1:8-scale live steam locomotive named after Disney's wife, Lillian Disney, and built by the Walt Disney Studios' machine shop. The locomotive made its first test run on December 24, 1949. It pulled a set of freight cars, as well as a caboose that was almost entirely built by Disney himself. It was Disney's lifelong fascination with trains, as well as his interest in miniature models, that led to the creation of the CPRR. The railroad, which became operational in 1950, was 2,615 feet (797 m) long and encircled his house. The backyard railroad attracted visitors to Disney's home; he invited them to ride and occasionally drive his miniature train. In 1953, after an accident occurred in which a guest was injured, the CPRR was closed to the public. The Carolwood Pacific Railroad inspired Disney to include railroad attractions in the design for the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California. Railroad attractions in Disney theme parks around the world are now commonplace. The barn structure that was used as the railroad's control center is now at the Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum in Los Angeles' Griffith Park. The Lilly Belle, some of the freight cars, and the caboose are now on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, California.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Carolwood Pacific Railroad (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Carolwood Pacific Railroad
North Carolwood Drive, Los Angeles Beverly Crest

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Wikipedia: Carolwood Pacific RailroadContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 34.0848 ° E -118.4294 °
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Address

North Carolwood Drive 395
90077 Los Angeles, Beverly Crest
California, United States
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Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn CPRR Logo
Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn CPRR Logo
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Haldeman House

The Haldeman House at 10000 Sunset Boulevard is a house designed by Wallace Neff for Henry F. Haldeman and his wife. It is situated on Sunset Boulevard in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles. Hadleman was the owner of a Chrysler car dealership in Los Angeles. He was not related to Harry F. Haldeman who was the father of President Richard Nixon's White House Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman. The house was completed in 1939 and was sold by the Haldemans to J. M. Friedman in 1947. The businessman Howard Hughes was the first person to rent the house from the Friedman. Hughes rented the house for his future wife Jean Peters. The actress Terry Moore, who claimed she was married to Hughes, first met him at the house.The house was featured in the January 1941 issue of Architectural Digest magazine, photographed by Maynard L. Parker, and in California Arts & Architecture in 1940. Elizabeth Jean McMillian wrote in her 2002 book California Colonial: The Spanish and Rancho Revival Styles that the house "emphasiz[es] the horizontality of the structure" being "flush to the ground of a grass forecourt...originally decorated with classical urns".The house was subsequently occupied by Judy Garland, who rented the house for $1,000 a month in 1949. It was the first home of Garland and her husband Vincent Minnelli's daughter, Liza Minnelli. Garland and Minnelli were estranged; whilst she lived at the Haldeman house, he lived on Evanview Drive. Garland attempted suicide in June 1950 at Minnelli's residence, and was quickly brought to the Haldeman House by her manager, Carleton Alsop. Newspaper reporters had believed that Garland and Minnelli were living together on Evanview Drive, but Alsop's car had been followed, and the Haldeman House was quickly under siege by reporters. A representative from MGM Studios subsequently left the house by the front door after visiting Garland and drew his finger across his throat, thus indirectly telling reporters what had occurred. Sid Luft, Garland's third husband, recalled the house as a "charming house, rather rustic with a large fireplace" and a "cozy, secure retreat with an unhampered view of the hills".It was subsequently rented by actress Jennifer Jones. The house was featured in the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard; the actor William Holden was chased into the driveway of the house by men seeking to repossess his car. Friedman put the house up for sale in 1954. It was sold in 1955 to Charles Babcock, the heir to the American Tobacco Company.Statues sculpted by J. Seward Johnson Jr. were prominently adorned the property in the 1980s; these would draw tourists and sightseers to the house. Sculptures included two tennis players, children climbing the perimeter wall, and a photographer and architect.The house was subsequently owned by a deputy leader of an Asian country "strongly allied to the United States" who "collects secret overseas hideaways" according to The Los Angeles Times.