It seems like anything that happens at Disneyland manages to generate some strong feelings that manage to find their way onto social media. Perhaps the most notable recent example was the decision by some in management at the Park to move merchandise sales into the Main Street Cinema. While the installation was temporary in nature, it may have signaled a more permanent change in the thinking of some.

Let’s go back to 1955 and look at what Main Street USA was meant to be. A turn of the 20th Century Main Street in a mythical city some where in the United States. Familiar to many people, yet a thing more of memory than of modern day. To be sure, there were indeed shops where guests could spend more of that disposable income. Many of the spaces up and down the street were filled with concessionaires. But the overall idea was to find shops that fit into the theme. There was a pharmacist, a general store, the cinema, a tobaccanist, a magic shop, an emporium with all kinds of theme park souvenirs, a china shop, a womens lingerie shop. and more. All with merchandise that was related specifically to those individual shops. In short, it was meant to be the downtown street just as Walt once enjoyed in Marceline. And it didn’t hurt the bottom line of the Park if it helped generate revenues above and beyond those tickets sold at the Main Gate.

Now in the 60 odd years since then, Main Street has changed and evolved. Almost all of the shops now are part of the Park, with (as far as I am aware) only one remaining concessionaire. Call it Main Street if you will, but it is more akin to a shopping mall than a downtown. And much of the merchandise sold in the various shops is the same as is sold elsewhere in the Park or at World of Disney. It ceased to be the collection of individual shops and simply became various locations, identified by names on cash register receipts or work reporting spots.

So, when one of the last quiet places on Main Street that goes back to 1955 comes into the 21st Century with the addition of t-shirts and mouse ears on sale, you can guess that some of the faithful will raise up and cry “foul” to anyone who will listen. Which in this case, strikes me as a bit odd. The Main Street Cinema has always been a spot easily overlooked by many guests. Even back in the ticket book days, it was much of a lesser attraction, requiring one of the lowly A Tickets to enjoy. In today’s world of big screen blockbusters with bigger and louder explosions and computer generated graphics where audience attention spans are limited to the next shiny screen moment, how can black and white silent movie cartoons hope to compete with Youtube videos on an iPhone? In short, they can’t and don’t.

Disney has a great vault with all kinds of silent content that could be shown here. From Alice cartoons to Oswald to Mickey and more. Maybe a way to freshen things up a bit is to change out the clips and add more from the vaults? That might help bring a few more guests to visit, especially on warm Southern California days/

In an era when those sharp pencil Accountanteers are doing their best to squeeze every cent out of a guest experience, how long before the quiet corners of the Park like the Main Street Cinema come under scrutiny and the questions are raised to see if opportunities can generate revenue? Back in the ticket book days, the use of those A tickets for admission to the Cinema could show revenue as the surrender of the ticket proved guests valued their time inside. With the end of ticket books, that was lost, and revenue was counted at the cash register instead.

Personally, I enjoyed the days when Disneyland had merchandise specific locations. When you could find souvenirs that were attraction or area related. Not the same t-shirts and pins everywhere you looked. And while there are still such opportunities at the Park, they are less and less available. At one time, the Frontierland Mercantile sold items that were more area specific in nature. Lots of items with a western theme. Today, it’s all much the same items found at other locations. I miss places like Le Gourmet in New Orleans Square. You could find all kinds of kitchen items there. Now, you are lucky if it’s more than a coffee cup or maybe some Mickey shaped pasta. In today’s world of online shopping, there are plenty of opportunities to find those little items that once were the things specialty shops at the Park once sold. I can understand how Disney didn’t see competing and having all that stock taking up space in storage instead of turning over through strong sales.

One has to wonder if some advance customer focus might have helped bring merchandise sales to the Cinema in a better way? If instead of more generic merchandise, what if the merchandise had a tie in to the Cinema? Maybe some Oswald items and more of the classic Mickey and Minnie merchandise? Some DVD sets of those classic cartoons, pins of those character designs or even t-shirts that were special to the Cinema? Vintage movies do have an attraction for some folks. Take advantage of that instead of just more of the same…

Those of us who visit the Park on a more than once in a lifetime have come to treasure the little quiet moments inside Disneyland. And yes, the Main Street Cinema is indeed one of those. Much like other areas of the Park, the way to show you appreciate them is to visit them. Like the Sleeping Beauty walk-through, spend a few minutes out of your day at the Cinema. Guests do get counted as they visit. Help drive those counts up and show your appreciation. That’s the best way to keep the Cinema you know and love.

And a kind word of appreciation to City Hall now and then helps, too!

Don’t get me wrong.

I love a good story. Some of the best have made the leap from tales told by a camp fire and making their way from generation to generation; then onto the printed paged to be read and enjoyed; and perhaps onto the stage with actors (and actresses) bringing the tale to life in their own way with each new performance; maybe in song instead of just the spoken word; maybe the tale is told cinematically, shared among the viewing by audiences in yet another new experience; perhaps animated films drawn and colored by artists, with voice talents adding to the story in another medium; or even with the aid of the latest tools in computer visualization bringing us to places we have never seen before.

At the core, it is the telling of a story to an audience, even an audience of one.

I understand that the authors of a tale carefully craft that from first to last. In the end, that tale goes forth from those creators to stand on its own. Be it any medium you wish, that’s pretty much the way it used to be. Walt Disney commented once how a film was released to an audience and that was the end of the process. You couldn’t go back and make changes. That’s one of the things he looked forward to as Disneyland grew and evolved. He could make changes, reacting to guest preferences. Even something as simple as a path could become a walkway if that is what guests wanted.

In the world of film (and even television), once upon a time, when the product was complete it went forth and stood on it’s own merits. Either audiences liked something or they didn’t. Stories have been retold time and again. Films have had different versions of stories produced. Some better than others, finding favor with the audiences in ways that seem new and fresh. Some worse and leaving audiences wondering why they spent their money after all.

In recent years, technology has allowed what I think best called “tinkering”. First it was colorization of black and white films; some less successfully than others. Then with the growth of digital imaging came the addition of effects to create what may not have been possible when the film was originally created. George Lucas gets a share of blame for his digital editions of Star Wars. Cleaning up scenes to eliminate some of the limitations of 1970’s film making tools, I get. But to change plot points (Han shot first) and add sequences to fit an updated vision seems gratuitous at best. Yet I also understand how technology can help. Star Trek The Motion Picture was a disaster with special effects not completed in time for the film’s premiere. Instead sequences were slowed down to take advantage of what effects they did have. When director Robert Wise was allowed to go back and tighten the film in a Directors Cut with modern effects, the final product is improved. (Even though it still relies on a lot of model porn…)

I know, I am a curmudgeon. I like what I like. “Casablanca” with Bogart and Bacall. Other versions? No thank you very much… While I appreciate work that goes into films today, I find myself often asking, “Why the remake?” Take the current fad at Disney of making live action versions of animated films. Yes, they may find an audience, but at what cost? Once upon a time, the company would release films every seven years back into theaters. New generations enjoyed films and the company only had the cost of promotion and distribution along with a few new prints as needed. Costs were lower than a new film and profits were money easily made.

Understand this was all before home video and video on demand. With Disney finally opening the vaults to it’s upcoming streaming service, all of that content will now generate income and continue to generate income as product is enjoyed on all kinds of platforms beyond the theater.

Yet, I wonder why Disney as a leader in entertainment will not look for more original content?

Remakes may seem cheap with little or no investment in development costs on one side. And I know that the company has history of recycling, as animation from one film would find it’s way into another. A few projects in the 70’s had entire sequences recycling drawings.

Part of the success of services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and others is that they do go with original content. They do something new that takes audiences off in different and unexpected directions.

One can’t overlook that Disney has invested in properties like Star Wars and Marvel that they know audiences like. Franchises like the Pirates films draw movie goers. But within those stories, there are other stories waiting to be told. And you can’t accuse Disney of not going out there. Star Wars has had some very successful animated projects. Marvel has had some good television as well, such as Agent Carter and Agents of Shield. So, while I doubt the last will be seen of either, I do wish for more originality

Every day, folks are out there pitching what they hope may be the latest and greatest, hoping against hope that someone will come along with funding to bring the project to production and distribution. As audiences, we help make that happen by watching new shows and new films on one of the myriad of available platforms. You can help by supporting that new content. Be it film, television, printed page, live performance or streaming service. Your conspicuous consumption does make the difference.

All I can say is, keep it up folks. As long as you consume it. the product will keep coming.

Today, the traveler often takes the easy way out.

That can be flying across the country at altitude, comfy in your coach seat, served peanuts along with that complimentary soft drink. Or if driving, by what Google tells them is the shortest route from mythical point A to mythical point B. There are other options such as Greyhound, if it still serves your destination or as in this case, Amtrak.Yes, trains do still carry passengers, and more each year, believe it or not.

Yes, to hear some folks tell the tale, no one rides the train any more. That’s odd; as what I saw on my trip from Emeryville to Denver and back again (almost) would seem to seriously contradict that belief.

For the record, I rode a private railcar, carried on the back of the California Zephyr last month. Our trains were the winter consist with two locomotives, a full baggage car, a crew dormitory/sleeping car, two full sleeping cars, a dining car, a lounge car and two full coaches. While I don’t have an exact count, I do know that for some parts of this trip, those coaches and sleeping cars were full. And it wasn’t just at bigger stations where people got off and on either. The train did a good business all along the route.

Let’s step back a moment and go over some history about Amtrak. How did it come to be? In the late 1960’s, passenger train travel was in decline. The growth of the interstate highway system, personal travel by automobile and fast airline service had drawn travelers away from the passenger train. In their day, trains crossed the country offering great service from one town to another. And they were all operated by private companies. Even post war investments in newer and more modern trains couldn’t slow the transition for travel. Add in increased labor costs and it was inevitable that the golden era of train travel would not last.

The real death knell for the passenger train was sounded when the US Postal Service made the decision to end handling mail aboard trains. Because when the revenue earned ended, passenger trains became to expensive to operate privately. Fabled named trains gave way to simple numbered trains between cities, with maybe a coach or two and a baggage car. The railroads were going out of the business, wholesale.

The Nixon presidential administration created Amtrak (or the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) as a way to let the private companies off the hook with a new nationalized passenger rail system.They would run the freight trains and let Amtrak carry the passengers.

Amtrak bought a selection of the best passenger cars from the railroads, put on a shiny new face and marched boldly into the 1970’s with a short term plan to keep trains running. The funny thing was, the public discovered they needed trains again. The decade also saw the oil shortages and people decided Amtrak could get them where they needed to go. So Amtrak invested in new equipment and it kept people on the move.

Fast forward to today. Most of the equipment running today has exceeded it’s designed service life. Amtrak has been a favorite whipping boy of Republicans, yet manages to show a better fare box recovery year by year. The reality is that it will never be profitable and will always require some form of subsidy; just as airlines and highways do, at the Federal level.

But why ride the train? A fair question. First, you don’t ride the train because it is the fastest mode of travel. Even in the vaunted Northeast Corridor, the airlines still get you there faster from start to finish. You may pay the price for it, however. Second, Amtrak trains do travel through some of the most scenic areas of the country. You do get to see the scenery in a way you just do not get to at 40, 000 feet flying over it. You get to experience it at “see level”.

My trip crossed the Sierra Nevada and the Rockies and it was magnificent. Crossing Nevada under a full moon was an experience I am not likely to forget, with a clear night, even if temperatures outside were in single digits. I was safe and warm, taking it all in as the miles rolled by.

Another thing that comes into play on the train is the shared experience. You can get to know your fellow travelers on your journey in a way that doesn’t happen on an airliner. Be it over a favorite beverage in the lounge car or sharing a table in the dining car, you can meet people and learn who they are; why they travel on the train.

One last thing I enjoy about train travel. Even though the train has a timetable or schedule to meet, you don’t really worry about delays. Sure, it would be nice to arrive at the scheduled time (and oddly enough, the trains do manage to be on time more often than not), but it doesn’t seem as important as it might with a connecting flight to meet onto that final destination. Unlike the plane flight where you can’t wait to be off the aircraft as soon as you can, a delay on the train is not the end of the world.

And yes, Mother Nature can make a train trip as unpleasant as she can a trip by car or airplane. The recent events where snow delayed trains here in California and Nevada shows that delays can be longer than you would like. But they tend to be much more the exception than the rule.

Travel today tends to be a hurried affair. We get testy if things don’t go as we want. Everything from that TSA screening to gate delays on arrival, all conspire against us. Or just traffic on the freeway that slows to a crawl as everybody rubbernecks to see what ever is causing the slowdown. But that’s just the way it is…

So, why the train? It’s the adventure. Seeing the countryside as the miles roll by, without the hurry. Leaving the driving to someone else. Meeting fellow travelers who are seeking the same.

All in all, not a bad way to go.

Anniversaries manage to find their way.

This year sees an interesting one for an ancestor of mine. One that marks a moment that changed his life and set in motion a career of 51 years, a family in northern Nevada and a life long passion for this writer.

Christopher Cameron Walker was my great-grandfather. He was born in the mining town of Eureka, Nevada on October 7, 1881. He was the firstborn child of Jonathan and Mary Walker. They were married in November the year before in nearby Mineral Hill, another mining camp where they both worked supporting the community. He was a saloon keeper; she was a house keeper in a boarding house. Not long after Chris was born, Jonathan and Mary moved to another booming mining camp named Safford. There Jonathan built one of the few structures and operated it as the Pioneer Saloon. Eventually, it became more of a general store.

As with many mining camps in Nevada, once the silver ore played out, the community moved on to other camps where things were promising. The Walker family grew, even as the business continued during lean times. Eventually, things had to change. So it was that in 1893, Jonathan took his eldest son aside and broke the bad news to him. At the age of 12, it was time for Chris to make his own way in the world. Jonathan could no longer afford to support him.

Now, at that time in central Nevada, there was not much in the way of opportunities for an uneducated young man. An apprenticeship was rare as most of the trades tended to be in bigger cities. Mining was limited to the places where ore was paying enough to cover costs and make a profit. Ranching was the other going concern as folks had livestock that needed attending.

Along the Central Pacific Railroad in that part of Nevada was the town of Palisade. From here, freight went to various mining camps. At first a toll road ran south and later came the narrow gauge Eureka and Palisade Railroad, running through the Pine Valley to Eureka, the county seat. The Pine Valley was so named because of Pine Creek that flows into the Humboldt River at Palisade. With water in the creek year round, the land was good for ranching with plenty of grasses for feed.

And here it was that Chris went to work as a vaquero. For the next 6 years, life was lived on the back of a horse working at a series of ranches. And from what Chris described, it was pretty much the same, day in and day out. He had the same slouch hat, the same pants, shirt, jacket and boots. If he was lucky, he may have had an extra shirt to wear when it got cold.

About the only thing of note was a yearly round-up of wild horses to be driven to the railroad for shipment east. A buyer would pay so much a head and the ranch owner would count his profit on the sale. The price differed from year to year, depending on the need. Sometimes, horses were sold for work. Others, just for meat and other materials processed.

The way Chris described it, the hired hands would herd horses into a box canyon from out on the ranch. Once that was done, the gathered animals would be driven to the railroad in either Palisade or Carlin. Often, such a drive was a multi day trip there and back again.

It wasn’t all dull on the drives. For entertainment, the hands would put up a pot of six-bits or so, to be won by the man who could ride a wild horse. Chris had a knack for riding and he said he could usually stay on. He claimed only to have been thrown from a horse once, when it was scared and reared up unexpectedly. The real trick wasn’t riding he said. It was saddling the wild horse, and that wasn’t part of the plan to win the pot. But it did make for amusement.

In the winter of 1899, there was a Mardi Gras dance to be held in Eureka. Now as a young man on the range, Chris was sweet on a particular girl he had met. Rumor had it that she was going to the dance as well. There was a whole group coming from out in the Pine Valley who planned to ride the train into town.

As the story is told, Chris had a miserable time at the dance. While he may have been sweet on the girl, she wanted nothing to do with him. In fact, she went out of her way to avoid him all night. After the dance, when it came time for the train to go back to Palisade, Chris didn’t want to ride with the rest of the group. He decided instead to ride with the crew of the train’s locomotive.

Remembering the night years later, Chris told of how he decided right then and there, that the life of railroading was for him. He tried to go to work for the Southern Pacific soon after and was turned away as being too young at 18 years of age. Instead, I believe he found work with the narrow gauge Eureka and Palisade that summer and gained experience as well as growing.

He hired out as a steam locomotive fireman in December of 1900, in Wadsworth, Nevada. His job took him over the original route of the transcontinental railroad on a line that hadn’t been greatly improved. Ties in the alkali dirt for ballast on light rail that had come around Cape Horn. He must have been good at the job, for he was promoted to engineer in 1906. He retired in 1951, being number one in seniority on the SP’s Salt Lake Division, running the diesel-powered Streamliner City of San Francisco; what was considered one of the finest passenger trains on the railroad.

He claimed never to have ridden a horse after he started his railroad career. Years later, after he retired, his grand children wanted him to go with them to see the rodeo in Reno. He declined. telling them that he “didn’t need to see the rodeo. He had already lived it”.

Had it not been for the Mardi Gras dance in Eureka and the young girl who spurned his interest, he might never have ridden in the cab of that narrow gauge steam locomotive and taken up railroading as a career. Now 120 years later, I will hoist a glass in his memory and toast his good fortune on Fat Tuesday.

I for one am glad he did!

Once upon time, Union Pacific travelers used the Overland route to reach Denver from either the east or west. Their partners in doing so included the Southern Pacific from San Francisco as well as the Chicago and Northwestern from Chicago.

At the peak of rail travel, UP offered service to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. It’s Streamliner trains were some of the finest with service standards right down to the placement of a chilled glass for a passenger’s favored beverage.

While my trip this week follows part of the Overland route from Emeryville to Salt Lake City, it still harkens back to days like above, when Colorado was calling to the travelers.