“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
– Henry David Thoreau, Walden
If you want to dress up any article you’re writing, you can’t go too wrong quoting Thoreau, and while Thoreau’s quote from “Walden” could easily apply to how Walt Disney lived his life, Thoreau has another connection to Walt’s Barn.
When Walt and Lillian bought a new house in the Holmby Hills in the late 40’s, Walt wanted a train layout in the backyard. It turned into a seven thousand foot layout with a trestle bridge and a 90 foot tunnel that ran under his wife’s garden. Wow.
To get started, Walt recruited studio machinist Roger Broggie. Roger took the train from design through production and he also taught Walt how to machine his own train parts. To continue making the parts at home Walt wanted his own shop, so he had a barn built.
Walt’s Barn was a scaled down version of one from his family’s farm in Marceline, Missouri. It was less an exact replica and more an enhanced memory of the old building. He even had it built with a saggy roof and doorsill to give it a feel of having been on the Holmby Hills property for years. While it was built on a smaller scale than an actual working barn, it was still too big for Walt’s train, so he had it installed on a lower grade of the property to lessen the impact of the size.
The barn became Walt’s machine shop and tinkerer’s garage. He not only created pieces for his backyard train, he designed his own miniatures here as well. Some of these miniatures were going to be used for Disneylandia.
Somewhere between a small amusement park next to the Disney Studio and Disneyland in Anaheim, Walt came up with a personal project. He was learning to work with his hands and he wanted a way to showcase his new talents. Disneylandia was his idea for a one man show.
Walt’s plan was to hand build a dozen dioramas depicting quaint and clever scenes of everyday life from bygone eras. Some of the dioramas were planned to have moving parts and for a shiny quarter dropped in a slot, the diorama would perform its miniature mechanical dance. Disneylandia was going to be installed in Pullman cars and the hand made arcade would travel from city to city educating and entertaining thousands.
Only one diorama was ever completed, but it’s just one example of just what an oasis the Barn was. It was Walt’s place to play and implement new ideas on his own. It may have not been the exact location where he thought up Disneyland but much of its early layout, design and problem solving happened in the little red barn while Walt tinkered with other things. OK, here comes the Thoreau connection.
Years after Walt died, his daughter Diane and members of her family are visiting Walden’s Wood, the area surrounding Walden’s Pond where Henry Thoreau built a 10 foot by 15 foot cabin and spent about two years trying to live as simply as possible. Thoreau wrote “Walden,” a book about his experience of living deliberately in the New England woods, and the book has changed thousands of lives. It’s credited as the book that started the conservation movement in America.
While Thearou’s original cabin is gone, what struck Diane when she actually saw the tiny copy was how such a little building could get you to feel so much. It was amazing to think that even a copy of the simple structure could have such a huge impact. And then she thought of her parent’s home. Sitting in the backyard of her family’s property for 40 years or more was Walt’s Barn. Diane Disney Miller realized that her family owned their own small cabin of significance.
When the Holmby Hills property was sold in the 1990’s, Walt’s Barn was taken apart board by board and moved. It was eventually rebuilt at Griffith Park in the heart of LA.
The Disney family’s connection to Griffith Park is personal. Diane and her sister Sharon went there as kids to ride the carousel. Walt would sit on the Griffith park benches, eat popcorn, watch his girls ride the horses and dream his dreams. Griffith Park was a natural location for the barn and in July of 1999, Walt’s Barn was opened to the public in a dedication service.
If you’re coming out to California for Disneyland’s 50th birthday, I suggest you look into visiting the Barn. I got myself motivated by being at the E.P. Ripley’s historic steam-up and visited the barn the next day. Without getting too corny, visiting the Barn for me is what visiting Walden’s Pond is like for others.
The first thing that struck me about the Barn is just how small it really is. I didn’t get exact measurements but I don’t think it’s any bigger than a two car garage. It’s funny to think about one of the most innovative showmen of the 20th century, making train parts and miniature furniture in this simple shed.
Now, the Barn may not be large but, like dynamite, it’s a big bang in a small package. There’s a lot on display here. The original switching station for the Carolwood Pacific sits in its own corner. The shaving mug, brush and razor Walt used on Saturdays before he played chief engineer for the day is on a shelf. There’s Walt’s homemade workbench with his tools still sitting on top and the first engine Walt bought for the Carolwood from a popular train shop in England. If I’m not mistaken, it’s the same train shop where he met Harper Goff and talked him into working at the studio.
The Barn also has displays of an original working Schuco Monorail that runs around its elevated track, signed pictures from Disney celebrities who have visited the Barn for the day and personal effects of Ward Kimball’s that were bought at auction a few months ago. The list goes on.
Outside, the small, well manicured grounds have three picnic tables and plenty of benches where you can sit and see demonstrations of steam powered motors and watch as families ride the scale trains that circle the property. This, my friends, is how to spend a lazy afternoon.
A great addition to the Barn experience is the helpful staff. These guys out-Disney, Disney. I haven’t had that many people ask me if I have any questions since I was at a car dealership on Memorial Day weekend. The all volunteer staff of the Barn comes from the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society, started by Michael Broggie. Broggie is author of “Walt Disney’s Railroad Story” and the son of Roger Broggie, the man who built the Carolwood Pacific, Walt’s backyard train. The society was created to help keep the history of Walt’s trains alive and nothing represents Walt’s personal dedication to trains quite like his original workshop.
The day I went to the Barn was Fathers Day and also happened to be Michael Broggie’s birthday, two very legitimate reasons for not being at the Barn, but Broggie was there. That’s dedication. I’d also like to single out Kendra Trahan, author of the “Disneyland Detective” who has more pep than a Disneyland tour guide. Her enthusiasm is infectious. While everybody who volunteered for Barn duty did such a great job and should be applauded for their effort, it’s pretty cool to know two of the volunteers are Disney authors.
Now, the next time the Barn will be open is Saturday, July 16th, the day before Disneyland’s 50th birthday. I’m told there will be a couple surprises but I don’t know what they are. Admission is free, but if you feel so inclined, donations of $3.00 for adults and $1.00 for kids is always appreciated. For more details, check the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society here.