The backyard railroad attracted visitors to Disney's home; he invited them to ride and occasionally drive his miniature train.

The Lilly Belle, some of the freight cars, and the caboose are now on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, California.

[3] As a teenager, Disney worked as a news butcher on the Missouri Pacific Railway, where he sold newspapers, candy, cigars, and other products on trains.

[8][9] On June 1, 1949, Disney purchased 5 acres (2.0 ha) of vacant land in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles.

[10] The property consisted of a bluff, which was 2 acres (0.8 ha) in size, and a level shelf of land behind it, which Disney named Yensid Valley.

[10] Plans for the railroad's layout included 2,615 feet (797 m) of 7+1⁄4-inch (184 mm) gauge track with eleven switches, as well as gradients, overpasses, a trestle, and an elevated dirt berm.

[21] Under Broggie's guidance, Disney helped build several parts for the Lilly Belle, including its smokestack and headlamp.

[19][22] On December 24, 1949, the Lilly Belle and its tender were first test run on a small loop of track during the studio's Christmas party in front of the staff.

[20] The tender could carry up to 3.5 US gallons (13.2 L) of water and 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of coal crushed to scale-sized lumps to fuel the locomotive.

[24][25] The CPRR's train cars consisted of six cast-metal, wood-grain-patterned gondolas made by the studio's machine shop.

[28][29] The barn had a centralized traffic control board, which had several lights designed to indicate the presence of trains along the railroad's route.

[18][30] These articles attracted visitors interested in the CPRR to the home of Disney, who invited them to ride and occasionally drive his miniature train.

[33] As a result, the Lilly Belle fell on its side, broke its whistle, and released a jet of steam across the ground.

[33] As a result of this incident, Disney, fearing the possibility of future accidents, closed down the CPRR and stored the locomotive in the studio's machine shop.

[35] Walt Disney credited the Carolwood Pacific Railroad with inspiring the creation of Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

[36] In one early concept for the park, the CPRR was included as an attraction, in which its train would carry passengers past miniature towns and settings.

[53][54] The Walt Disney World Railroad's Fantasyland Station area is nicknamed Carolwood Park, paying tribute to the CPRR.

[60] In 1999, Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn, the CPRR's former control center, was relocated to the Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum.

[61] Since 2009, the CPRR's Lilly Belle, some of the freight cars, and the caboose have been on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, California.