SorcererMickey
April 7th, 2006, 20:41
End Of Line For Disney's Train Conductor
POSTED: 5:58 pm EDT April 6, 2006
UPDATED: 6:50 pm EDT April 6, 2006
ORLANDO, Fla. -- In 1969, man first landed on the moon, there was a concert called Woodstock, and a man named George Britton was hired to run the railroad at Walt Disney World.
He's the only one who ever has. But all good things must come to an end, and for Britton, Thursday was the end of the line, WESH 2 News reported.
Every seven minutes, all day long, a train pulls into the station at Walt Disney World. But one trip on Thursday morning was one that Britton will never forget because it was his last.
"I'm an old roughneck and when you see people gather round and hug you with tears sending you off, am I that great that I would deserve that kind of honor?" he said.
Two years before Disney World opened, George was hired to restore discarded, turn-of-the-century steam engines. The day the park opened, they were pristine condition, and they still are today.
"In the 35 years, we never opened up here that we didn't have a steam train ready to meet the guests," Britton said.
He's the only railroad foreman Disney World has ever had. The train's roundhouse has been his home away from for 35 years. The engines mean everything to him.
"When I got this job here, this is a true, honest-to-goodness feeling, I thought I'd arrived. I got the job I always wanted and that's what I had here," he said.
So, for the guests, Thursday was no different than any other. Trains were right on time, and running like clockwork. But park workers understand that in losing Britton, they're losing a legend.
They presented him with one of their highest honors – a window to one day put up along Main Street.
"Look at all the miles you put on these trains and where has it got you?" WESH 2's Bill Shafer asked Britton.
"Same place I started," he said.
"You've never been to MGM?" Shafer asked.
"No. Track don't go there," he said.
They don't make steam engines anymore, and they don't make workers like Britton, either.
"I love the trains, I've really been a blessed man," he said.
Britton said he still has plenty of steam left in his boiler. He's looking forward to catching up on his fishing, and he said he'll be close by, just in case Disney needs him.
Source: http://www.wesh.com/travelgetaways/8515043/detail.html
POSTED: 5:58 pm EDT April 6, 2006
UPDATED: 6:50 pm EDT April 6, 2006
ORLANDO, Fla. -- In 1969, man first landed on the moon, there was a concert called Woodstock, and a man named George Britton was hired to run the railroad at Walt Disney World.
He's the only one who ever has. But all good things must come to an end, and for Britton, Thursday was the end of the line, WESH 2 News reported.
Every seven minutes, all day long, a train pulls into the station at Walt Disney World. But one trip on Thursday morning was one that Britton will never forget because it was his last.
"I'm an old roughneck and when you see people gather round and hug you with tears sending you off, am I that great that I would deserve that kind of honor?" he said.
Two years before Disney World opened, George was hired to restore discarded, turn-of-the-century steam engines. The day the park opened, they were pristine condition, and they still are today.
"In the 35 years, we never opened up here that we didn't have a steam train ready to meet the guests," Britton said.
He's the only railroad foreman Disney World has ever had. The train's roundhouse has been his home away from for 35 years. The engines mean everything to him.
"When I got this job here, this is a true, honest-to-goodness feeling, I thought I'd arrived. I got the job I always wanted and that's what I had here," he said.
So, for the guests, Thursday was no different than any other. Trains were right on time, and running like clockwork. But park workers understand that in losing Britton, they're losing a legend.
They presented him with one of their highest honors – a window to one day put up along Main Street.
"Look at all the miles you put on these trains and where has it got you?" WESH 2's Bill Shafer asked Britton.
"Same place I started," he said.
"You've never been to MGM?" Shafer asked.
"No. Track don't go there," he said.
They don't make steam engines anymore, and they don't make workers like Britton, either.
"I love the trains, I've really been a blessed man," he said.
Britton said he still has plenty of steam left in his boiler. He's looking forward to catching up on his fishing, and he said he'll be close by, just in case Disney needs him.
Source: http://www.wesh.com/travelgetaways/8515043/detail.html