I was pleased to see these poster images still in use today, at the Walt Disney Studio store on the Burbank lot. 
So next time you see the red Toys For Tots train, think of Walt and Casey helping out children in need.
Just what was Walt looking at in that previous post you ask? Why, that would be Bruce Bushman's incredible caricature of Storybook Land. Similar to the park maps that guide visitors around the park, this illustration was meant as a roadmap for the different sights one should expect to see in the new attraction.
Before the Storybook Land Canal Boats opened, the original boat ride under and through the wooden trestles of Casey Jr. was called the Canal Boats of the World. Walt's original plan for Disneyland was to include an entire miniature land on the same par with Frontierland and Tomorrowland. Now just nine months after Disneyland opened, the original plan for "Lilliputianland" could be realized.
In this photo Walt shows off a giant storybook map of the new attraction under construction. Walt's characteristically pointing with two fingers to Cinderella's castle, the crown jewel of the new ride. Each miniature's location has already been mapped out, including the nation where the story takes place. Perhaps this was a way to link the theme of "Canal Boats of the World" to "Storybook Land Canal Boats"
After an extended break in posts, today I'm sharing a bit of Casey in print form on the back cover of Disneyland Magazine from 1971. Here Casey's colors are interpreted as a hunter green with gold wheels and capstack. A fairly well illustrated image, despite the creepy looking Mickey Mouse in the corner trying to sell you a used car. (I think its the eyebrows.)
Can you find all six hats in this image? I should have photoshopped on out just to drive you folks crazy!
Although technically not an opening day attraction, Casey Jr. was operational on July 17th 1955. Just three days before Disneyland's opening day, the design of the ride had to be revisited. The locomotive nearly tipped backwards as it crested the peak of the 25% grade of the first steep hill. A nearby construction worker saved the operator, imagineer and Disney legend, Roger Broggie, from catastrophe by catching the front of the engine and returning it back down to its rails. With no time for major retrofitting, lead weights were attached under the pilot of the locomotive. On opening day, Rogger Broggie himself solely ran the train around the tracks for fear that anyone else may get hurt. Following black sunday, Casey Jr. remained closed for six weeks in order to slightly level off the hills. The ride reopened on July 31st, 1955. 
This model was created for the 50th anniversary of Disneyland showing how the park looked in 1955. Without the Storybook Land additions the landscaping looked rather bare. The wood trestles do more closely represent the film incarnations of Casey Jr. though. These were replaced with arched stone bridges during the renovations in 1956.
Casey is lowered on to the tracks with the help of a 2x4. Eyes, bell, and cow catcher are still missing, but the steam dome has been repainted. The calliope car can be seen in the background with the side service panel removed.
Here is how little Casey #7 looks today. He has gone through a few changes cosmetically since 1955. But that story will be coming soon.
The UCLA Film&Television Archive held a special event Monday in a series entitled "The movie that inspired me." John Lasseter was on hand to show a newly struck print of Dumbo made especially for this screening. It was a beautiful print to see up on the big screen. I had grown up only seeing VHS or DVD versions, so seeing the resolution of projected film was a unique experience. Afterwards, John talked about the film and why it was truly his favorite film of all time. Although he mostly talked about the "Baby Mine," "Roustabouts," and final climax of the film, he did mention the Casey Jr. sequences.
The train shown here has children sitting in open-topped cage cars rather than enclosed cages as well as passengers riding in the locomotive cab and tender. The tender depicted here is still shown as a separate car rather than attached to the rear of the locomotive as one unit. Now if only they could have found a way to make those perfect smoke rings.
Even though the volcano never made it through to construction, the hills and tunnels did. That station also looks suspiciously similar to the Fantasyland Skyway station.
The off model colors make me think that this was actually created for the poster or other promo art. However it does give a good depiction of how many cars poor Casey had to struggle with to get up that hill.
This amazing convoluted background painting was from an unused scene for Dumbo. Even though I can easily imagine Casey puffing in and out of those tunnels, just how exactly it would have been done remains a mystery. Its almost as if I'm looking at model train layout just begging to be played with.
I think I can!
I thought I could!
These scenic shots are some of the most cinematic in the whole film.
One of the last images in the movie. I suppose once you've made it big as a flying elephant you can buy your mother a garishly-painted airstream-shaped private car. So odd...
One of my favorite images. I love how the door to the engine shed has the little cut-out for the smoke stack. 
This shot shows some actual interaction between Casey Jr. and Dumbo and Timothy, something that never made it into the final film.
Like all of the backgrounds in Dumbo, this color study looks to be watercolor.
The mood in both of this images is great. Casey looks pretty worn out.
These are model sheets most likely created for Dumbo. Drawn by Ward Kimball, they were passed out to the animators as reference for the characters they were animating. Whats interesting is the number of characters that were created for the film that were not used. The switch character is back from The Reluctant Dragon, as well as several Semiphore characters. Ward even created an Engineer character that bears striking resemblance to himself. Eventhough these characters never made it into the final film, some did make it into a Casey Jr children's book, which I will post as soon as its scanned.
On October 23rd, 1941, just four months after Reluctant Dragon, Dumbo flew onto the big screen. This time Casey stars as the locomotive pulling the circus train. The melody of his music remains the same from The Reluctant Dragon, but this time lyrics have been added. Perhaps the line "Casey Junior's back" refers to the fact that audiences had just seen him in the studio's prior theatrical release; however, it could simply refer to the fact that the circus has come to town once again.
This autographed image of Ward taken during the filming of The Reluctant Dragon is a recent addition to my collection. What I found particularly interesting is the maquette of Casey Jr. sitting on top of his animation desk.
