The suggestion of Disney ownership of Steamtown was, as stated, a hypothetical personal fantasy that I have, stated to make the point of how private ownership might flourish with the right private organization. By the way, I disagree with you regarding Steamtown being contrary to the Disney operation. To elaborate hypothetically a little further, Disney is a multi-faceted corporation which has, on a continuing basis, a theme of American values and history. Certainly, the railroads fit into this category. Focusing even closer, Walt Disney was an avid rail buff, constructing a large guage ride-on train on his property, who included railroads in many of his features. With the juice, capital, imagination, and engineering talents of the Disney corporation, there is no doubt in my mind that under Disney, a visitor to Steamtown would genuinely feel as if they had embarked from a 1920 American Railroad operation upon leaving Steamtown and not a static glorified scrap track as they do now. It's just a fantasy.
~Paul Joyce~
Moderator: Toy Trains, Model Railroading, Outdoor and Live Steam
Paul Joyce passed away in August, 2013. We honor his memory and his devotion at railroad.net.