On the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney's death, we revisit some strange-but-true (and some strange-but-probably-not-true) tales about the legendary animator, his studios and his famous Anaheim theme park.

1. Disneyland grew out of Walt's obsession with trains

After becoming disillusioned with the financial constraints imposed upon his film studio, and with the difficulties involved in making expensive feature length animations, Disney began pouring all his (considerable) creative energy into his childhood hobby: Pokémon trading cards. (Okay, model trains.)

In 1950, working from his home in California's Holmby Hills, he constructed the Carolwood Pacific Railroad, a scaled down, ride-able miniature railway system, which he would invite friends and family round to test out. He also collected and built smaller engine models, and amassed an impressive collection...some of which can be seen today at the Carolwood Barn Museum (as shown in the video below).