Michael Broggie's Ward Kimball Memories
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Later, in 1956, Walt finally agreed to do a biography for Saturday Evening Post; Pete Martin was assigned to do a series of interviews. In the course of the interviews, he told Martin he thought Ward was a genius and the comment made it into the article. Walt genuinely believed his opinion, but Ward thought he was set up to be ridiculed by envious colleagues-who never missed an opportunity to pay Ward back for his trickery. The comment also made it into Diane Disney Miller’s book, My Dad, Walt Disney. Ward was never comfortable with direct praise. He certainly knew he was unusually talented, but he preferred to see people enjoy the results of his work rather than listen to their laudatory comments. However, two Academy Award® statuettes he received were proudly displayed in his living room. One was for Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, the first cartoon filmed in wide-screen Cinemascope. The second was given for It’s Tough to Be a Bird, a whimsical cartoon look at birds’ life.
Ward’s talents were manifested in many ways. His founding of the Firehouse Five Plus 2 Dixieland band nearly cost him his job at Disney. The band became so popular that the public demand for play dates began to interfere with the members’ studio work. Finally, Walt had to lay down a choice: Full time musicians or full time animators-but not both. Ward and his fellow band members chose animation but negotiated performing an occasional and memorable gig at Disneyland. Fortunately, the band’s music is preserved on CD.
Ward amassed a large collection of firefighters’ hats and several vintage pieces of equipment including an old Maxwell fire chief’s car and a horse-drawn water pumper.
Ward’s lifelong passion for trains can be best appreciated with a visit to his model train barn. In a 20x40 foot building, Ward amassed what many consider the finest collection of model trains in the world. He liked to show visitors the first trainset given to him by an uncle before Ward was one year old. He never stopped collecting throughout his 88 years. The last locomotive, given to him by Hartland Locomotive Works, was a G-scale model of his beloved Emma Nevada. Several years before, a G-scale model of Ward’s Chloe plantation engine was produced along with a model of his flag stop depot that was fashioned from a set originally built for the Disney feature, So Dear to My Heart. Walt had noticed Ward’s Grizzly Flats Railroad didn’t have a train station so when the film was completed he offered the Victorian-period depot to Ward. Later, having run out of construction money for Disneyland, Walt asked if he could have it back to use as the Frontierland Station. Ward flatly refused, telling Walt that the building was permanently constructed on a foundation and was no longer just a set. Although, his refusal may have temporarily chilled their relationship, Walt had an identical building built in Disneyland.
When the demand for passenger capacity at the new park exceeded the existing two trains, Walt suggested to Ward he bring his Chloe steam engine to the park, where it could haul a third trainset. "You can run it on Mondays when the park is closed," he told Ward, who countered, "It burns wood and the cinders will burn down your park." Walt then suggested the engine be changed to burn diesel fuel like the C. K. Holliday and E. P. Ripley. Ward was appalled at the mere idea of altering his vintage Baldwin into a diesel-burner. Ward referred to the episode as "The Great Train Robbery."
Ward was one of the founding governors of the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society. He was often seen at Walt’s Barn in Griffith Park, where he signed autographs and chatted with like-minded railroad fans. He preferred socializing among fellow railroaders who appreciated the preservation of steam-powered puffers of a bygone era.
The 1904 Baldwin sitting in the back of the Steam Train Facility building at Disneyland is one of those puffers. Someday, it will be completed with bright brass fittings and gleaming paintwork. The wooden cab is finished and has the name painted below the window: Ward Kimball. Ward’s custom paintings of Jiminy Cricket will appear on both sides of the large headlamp. Disneyland Engine No. 5 will be a fitting tribute to a lifelong railfan who happened to be a genius.
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-- Posted July 9, 2002