New Book Explores Walt Disney's Lifelong Love Affair with Railroads

Author Michael Campbell discusses his new book about Walt Disney's passion for trains, from the Disneyland Railroad to the backyard Carolwood Pacific. Campbell shares his own childhood memory of riding in the locomotive at Disneyland.

Author Michael Campbell's earliest childhood memory is riding a Disney train — and that single moment sparked a lifelong journey into Walt Disney's own railroad obsession.

A Ride He'll Never Forget

Visiting Disneyland at age six, dressed as an engineer, Campbell was escorted to the locomotive of the Ernest S. Marsh by a Cast Member who noticed the excited little boy. Sitting in the engineer's lap, he sounded the whistle twice and got a grand circle tour from the best seat in the park. "It's been more than 50 years," Campbell says, "but I can tell you what it smelled like and what the heat felt like from the back of the boiler."

Walt's Railroad Passion

Campbell's new book dives deep into Walt Disney's relationship with trains — from the famous backyard Carolwood Pacific Railroad to the Disneyland Railroad that became the park's beating heart. For Walt, trains weren't just transportation; they were storytelling devices, engineering marvels, and a connection to the American frontier spirit he cherished.

The book promises rare insights and stories that reveal just how central railroads were to everything Walt Disney built.