Walt's Barn Dedication
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After the formal ceremonies, guests and press were able to tour the barn. LaughingPlace.com editor Doobie Moseley was able to speak with a couple of well-known Disney personalities. His first interview was with Bob Gurr, Disney Imagineer. Mr. Gurr joined the Disney Company in 1954. When asked if he had visited the barn in its original Carolwood location Mr. Gurr replied, "No, oddly enough, Walt always gave me the job designing anything with wheels like Autopia cars, antique vehicles on Main Street. Got into trains with the first streamline train, the little Viewliner train then from that he asked me to design the cars for the excursion train at Disneyland. So sort of by osmosis I wound up learning more and more about steam railroads since Roger Broggie was my boss." Doobie asks, "So you know Michael?" referring to Carolwood Pacific Historical Society founder, Michael Broggie. Mr. Gurr smiles, "Ah, yes I know Michael from when he was 12 years old. He was my test driver on the Autopia cars in '54 and '55."

Gurr continues, "Over a period of time I've learned more about steam railroading through working for Walt while designing a number of the attractions, particularly anything that had wheels on the bottom. Walt asked me to do other things that didn’t have wheels such as Abraham Lincoln. They wanted to develop an Abraham Lincoln animated figure and I had never given a thought to animated figures. So there was another assignment. It took about 90 days to figure that machine out think up all the drawings start getting it built but Walt would have all of us do different things we’d never done before and he hadn’t done them before. So that’s the way we all learn how to do these things that were different and unique, not been done before, because we were all in the same boat having to learn how to do them. But over that time I learned more and more about railroads but I never did have a chance to go see the barn."

"But I did have the Lilly Belle in my room under my drafting table and Walt used to come and visit. I had the drafting board and a drafting machine that was used by Eddie Sargeant who was the man who made all these drawings for the Lilly Belle and the railroad cars. So I had a connection with this history.”

Later our editor was able to catch Paul Anderson, Disney historian and editor of Persistence of Version, for his thoughts, “I think it is wonderful to have the barn here and to have a place where people can actually go and see a part of Walt Disney. When you think of Walt Disney as maybe one of the most influential men of the 20th century, and you think that outside of Disneyland and Disney World there really is no monument, no plaque, no museums, no place for people to visit and learn more. I think having more sights like this is great.”