Recent content by Bigart

I am almost certain that Aunt Polly's hasn't been open since March 29 thru April 11 of 2015, when they did a little experiment to see how it would go. Yet someone is telling me they ate there on Dec 21 last year, which I think is incorrect. Someone else I know sat at the tables in the gazebo...

High attendance predicted at Magic on Saturday (75,000+); no Christmas party Saturdays mean big day numbers, and with no more "Move it Shake it" Street parties they need to run 2 Festivals to fill in the gap (parades help pull people away from the outskirts of the park)

Sorry to report, but 2 days ago Maleficent failed its latest Reedy Creek FD fire safety inspection and fire test. Rehearsals have subsequently been cancelled for the time being, and Mal is back to the shop. This will further delay a return that was otherwise expected within days. The return of...

Bob is still very involved with various people from the company past and present, and is very clued in on things that are currently going on at the parks. He guest speaks at a lot of these type of events, and I see him at the parks a few times a year with a small entourage of managers, and he...

If it is ok to post links, here is the link to the full video of tonight's event, and my question and his answer is at 2:12:25. His confirmation obviously got some applause from the crowd...

That was me in the video asking him the question (black shirt and glasses). The entire video of the April 28 Bob Gurr event is online to view, including my question and his answer at 2:12:25

For anyone interested in dimension comparisons, here are a few more of the spec pages from the TGI 1987 Mark VI contract specification booklet. The current double beams are 12' apart center to center, so yet another issue with the wider 300s would be their much closer proximity to each other...

The current Mark VIs and the Innovia 200s both run on a 26 inch wide beam. The Innovia 300s run on a 27.2 inch wide beam. The width of the current Mark VIs is 8'-4 1/2" wide, the Innovia 200 is 8'-8" wide, and the Innovia 300 is 10'-4" wide. The height of the Mark VI is 10'-5 1/2", the...

We shall have to wait and see if the limited report has any basis in fact, and of course it could be possible. If true, I do not believe however that the 300's will be the chassis used, but rather a modified version of the 200 series. To answer a few previous questions, the WDW Mark VI...

Correct. The whistle from the Admiral Joe Fowler was placed on the Roy O. Disney by roundhouse foreman George Britton after the Fowler was accidentally destroyed while in dry dock in 1980

On Sunday I was told by a WDWRR Main St Ops coordinator that now the plan is to try to have Lilly running on the line by mid-September in order to: 1. Allow release of the next Loco for refurb (Originally Walt, but now possibly Roger first) 2. Have Lilly on the rails for the 45th Anniv by Oct 1...

This is correct. The Walt will be the next refurb.

Lilly Belle was loaded in PA on July 18 and arrived early July 21. The locomotive is in the roundhouse in one of the furthest east track bays. There is assembly left to do, and the cast tells me about 6 months before full service. Still needs safety systems install. I shot this photo tonight...

The delays are legal in nature. The locomotive has been down for refurb for 5 years+, and word is the repairs have been complete for some time. Apparently during a later stage of the refurbishment Strasburg performed some work that Disney did not authorize. There had been disputes over who was...

More to report. Al (a current manager and long time CM at Magic Kingdom who used to drive the Lilly Belle) told me last week that there have indeed been more delays. According to him Lilly Belle was expected to be done by summer, but now says a several more months. CMs keep insisting the...