Yes, in one way or another I have always loved trains.
Contents
Rail transport can be found in every theme park resort property owned or licensed by Disney Experiences, one of the three business segments of the Walt Disney Company. [3] [4] The origins of Disney theme park rail transport can be traced back to Walt Disney himself and his personal fondness for railroads, who insisted that they be included in the first Disney park, the original Disneyland (a key component of the Disneyland Resort) in California in the United States, which opened on July 17, 1955. [5] [6] The Disney tradition of including transport by rail in, and adjacent to, its parks has since been extended to other Disney properties with the opening of Walt Disney World in Florida in the United States, [7] Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan, [8] Disneyland Paris in France, [9] Hong Kong Disneyland Resort in China, [10] and Shanghai Disney Resort in China. [11] The Disney theme park chain is the largest on the planet by annual attendance with over 155 million visitors in 2019, and the rail systems located inside its properties play key roles as modes of transportation and as attractions for its visitors. [12]
Each Disney theme park resort has a rail transport system serving its general resort area, whether it is a monorail system located inside the Disney resort properties in the United States and Japan, [13] [14] [15] or a conventional rail system connecting external rail networks to the Disney resorts in France and China. [16] [17] [18] The Disneyland Monorail System in California was the first monorail system in the United States; the Walt Disney World Monorail System in Florida, with an estimated 150,000 passengers per day, is one of the busiest monorail systems in the world. [19] [20] Both Disney park resort properties in the United States, as well as those in Japan and France, contain theme parks that feature genuine steam-powered railroads. [21] The Disney park chain has one of the world's largest private collections of operational steam locomotives, with seventeen in total spread across the globe. [21] Additional rail systems within the theme parks in both United States resorts and the Hong Kong resort resemble steam-powered railroads, but their locomotives are powered by internal combustion engines. [22] [23] [24] Other rail transport modes found in Disney parks include horse-drawn streetcar rail lines within both resorts in the United States and the resort in France, [25] [26] [27] replica vintage electric rail lines in California and Japan, [28] [29] and a people mover in Florida. [30]
Name | Location | Image | Motive power type | Track gauge | Opened | Closed | Notes |
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Disneyland Monorail [13] | General resort area [13] | Electric (busbar) [31] [32] | Monorail [13] | June 14, 1959 [33] | – | First operational monorail system in the United States. [19] Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark status. [34] Valid admission to Disneyland is required to ride this monorail. [35] | |
Disneyland Railroad [36] | Disneyland [36] | Steam [37] | 3 ft (914 mm) [38] | July 17, 1955 [37] | – | Design inspired by Walt Disney's Carolwood Pacific Railroad and Ward Kimball's Grizzly Flats Railroad. [39] [40] | |
Main Street Vehicles [25] | Disneyland [25] | Working animal [25] | 3 ft (914 mm) [41] | July 17, 1955 [37] [42] | – | Besides the tramway with horse-drawn streetcars, non-rail, old-fashioned motor vehicles are also part of this attraction. [25] | |
Casey Jr. Circus Train [43] | Disneyland [43] | Internal combustion (gasoline) [22] | 2 ft (610 mm) [44] | July 17, 1955 [45] | – | Based on the anthropomorphic locomotive character Casey Junior from the Disney 1941 animated feature film Dumbo [45] | |
Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland [46] (formerly Rainbow Caverns Mine Train) [45] | Disneyland [47] | Electric (battery) [48] | 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) [48] | July 2, 1956 [45] | January 2, 1977 [49] | Replaced by the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad mine train roller coaster attraction [50] | |
Viewliner Train of Tomorrow [51] | Disneyland [52] | – | Internal combustion (gasoline) [51] | 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) [52] | June 10, 1957 [51] | September 30, 1958 [52] | Replaced by the Disneyland Monorail System [52] |
PeopleMover [53] | Disneyland [53] | Electric (track-embedded spinning tires) [53] | People mover [54] | July 2, 1967 [54] | August 21, 1995 [54] | The former line's elevated track infrastructure is still present at the park. [54] | |
Jolly Trolley [55] | Disneyland [55] | Internal combustion (diesel) [56] | 3 ft (914 mm) [57] | January 24, 1993 [58] | December 2003 [59] | The former line and ride vehicles are still present at the park as static displays. [55] | |
Red Car Trolley [28] | Disney California Adventure [28] | Electric (battery) [60] | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge [60] | June 15, 2012 [61] | – | Non-operating overhead wires are in place to recreate the appearance of a heritage streetcar line. [62] |
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Name | Location | Image | Motive power type | Track gauge | Opened | Closed | Notes |
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Walt Disney World Monorail System [14] | Magic Kingdom and Epcot resort areas [14] | Electric (busbar) [63] | Monorail [14] | October 1, 1971 [64] | – | One of the world's busiest monorail systems with an estimated 150,000 passengers each day. [20] No purchase of any kind is required to ride this monorail. [65] | |
Walt Disney World Railroad [66] | Magic Kingdom [66] | Steam [67] | 3 ft (914 mm) [68] | October 1, 1971 [69] | – | All four locomotives, originally built by Baldwin Locomotive Works, were purchased from the Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatán. [68] | |
Main Street Vehicles [26] | Magic Kingdom [26] | Working animal [26] | 3 ft (914 mm) [41] | October 1, 1971 [70] | – | Besides the tramway with horse-drawn streetcars, non-rail, old-fashioned motor vehicles are also part of this attraction. [26] | |
PeopleMover [30] | Magic Kingdom [30] | Electric (track-embedded linear induction motors) [30] | People mover [71] | July 1, 1975 [71] | – | An early concept model for Epcot can be seen during the ride. [30] Used purely as an attraction and not for transportation purposes, as it only has one station. [72] | |
Fort Wilderness Railroad [73] | Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground [73] | – | Steam [73] | 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) [74] | January 1, 1974 [75] | February 1980 [76] | Numerous operational problems, poor design, and high costs led to the closure of this railroad. [77] |
Wildlife Express Train [78] | Disney's Animal Kingdom [78] | Internal combustion (diesel) [23] | 3 ft (914 mm) [23] | April 22, 1998 [79] | – | Despite the dated and weathered appearance of the trains, they are actually brand-new models built by Severn Lamb. [80] |
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Name | Location | Image | Motive power type | Track gauge | Opened | Closed | Notes |
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Disney Resort Line [15] | General resort area [15] | Electric (busbar) [81] | Monorail [15] | July 27, 2001 [82] | – | Fares are required to ride this monorail. [15] A transfer to Maihama Station, served by the JR East rail network's Keiyō Line and Musashino Line, exists via a short walk from the monorail's Resort Gateway Station. [15] [83] | |
Western River Railroad [84] | Tokyo Disneyland [84] | Steam [85] | 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) [85] | April 15, 1983 [85] | – | Used purely as an attraction and not for transportation purposes, as it only has one station [86] | |
Jolly Trolley [87] | Tokyo Disneyland [87] | Electric (battery) [57] | 3 ft (914 mm) [57] | April 15, 1996 [87] | April 14, 2009 [87] | The former line and ride vehicles are still present at the park as static displays. [87] | |
DisneySea Electric Railway [29] | Tokyo DisneySea [29] | Electric (third rail) [88] | 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) [88] | September 4, 2001 [89] | – | Designed to recreate the appearance of a classic elevated railway line [88] |
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Name | Location | Image | Motive power type | Track gauge | Opened | Closed | Notes |
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Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy station [16] | General resort area [16] | Electric (overhead wire) [90] [91] | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge [92] | April 1, 1992 (RER); [93] May 29, 1994 (TGV) [94] | – | Served by commuter trains on the Réseau Express Régional (RER) rail network's RER A line, as well as TGV inOui, Ouigo, and Eurostar high-speed trains [95] [96] | |
Disneyland Railroad [97] | Disneyland Park [97] | Steam [98] | 3 ft (914 mm) [98] | April 12, 1992 [98] | – | Originally named Euro Disneyland Railroad, and its old initials, EDRR, are still visible in parts of the park [99] | |
Horse-Drawn Streetcars [27] | Disneyland Park [27] | Working animal [27] | 3 ft (914 mm) [41] | April 12, 1992 [100] | – | Unlike its counterpart attractions in other Disney parks, this tramway is a separate attraction from the non-rail, old-fashioned motor vehicles making up the Main Street Vehicles attraction. [27] |
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Name | Location | Image | Motive power type | Track gauge | Opened | Closed | Notes |
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Disneyland Resort line [17] | General resort area [17] | Electric (overhead wire) [101] | 1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in) [101] | August 1, 2005 [102] | – | Run by the MTR rapid transit rail network along with the line's two stations: Sunny Bay station and Disneyland Resort station. [17] The former station is shared with MTR's Tung Chung line. [103] | |
Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad [104] | Hong Kong Disneyland [104] | Internal combustion (diesel) [24] | 3 ft (914 mm) [24] | September 12, 2005 [24] | – | Unlike its counterpart attractions in other Disney parks where the trains are powered by steam, this railroad's locomotives are steam outline models, which are diesel locomotives with the outward appearance of steam locomotives. [24] |
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Name | Location | Image | Motive power type | Track gauge | Opened | Closed | Notes |
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Disney Resort station [18] | General resort area [18] | Electric (overhead wire) [105] | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge [105] | April 26, 2016 [106] | – | Served by Line 11 of the Shanghai Metro rapid transit rail network [18] |
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Similar railroads:
| Museums and private railroads with rolling stock previously run on Disney property:
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Disneyland Park, originally Euro Disneyland Park, is a theme park found at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, France. The park opened on 12 April 1992 as the first of the two parks built at the resort. Designed and built by Walt Disney Imagineering, its layout is similar to Disneyland Park in California and Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World in Florida. Spanning 56.656 ha —the second largest Disney park based on the original, after Shanghai Disneyland Park—it is dedicated to fairy tales and Disney characters.
Oliver Martin Johnston Jr. was an American motion picture animator. He was one of Disney's Nine Old Men, and the last surviving at the time of his death from natural causes. He was recognized by The Walt Disney Company with its Disney Legend Award in 1989. His work was recognized with the National Medal of Arts in 2005.
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Roger Edward Broggie was an American mechanical engineer who worked with Walt Disney and the Walt Disney Company. He is considered the first Disney Imagineer.
The Disneyland Railroad (DRR), formerly known as the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad, is a 3-foot narrow-gauge heritage railroad and attraction in the Disneyland theme park of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, in the United States. Its route is 1.2 miles (1.9 km) long and encircles the majority of the park, with train stations in four different park areas. The rail line, which was constructed by WED Enterprises, operates with two steam locomotives built by WED and three historic steam locomotives originally built by Baldwin Locomotive Works. The ride takes roughly 18 minutes to complete a round trip on its main line when three trains are running, and 20 minutes when four trains are running. Two to four trains can be in operation at any time, three on average.
The Walt Disney World Railroad (WDWRR) is a 3-foot narrow-gauge heritage railroad and attraction located within the Magic Kingdom theme park of Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, in the United States. Its route is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in length and encircles most of the park, with train stations in three different park areas. The rail line, constructed by WED Enterprises, operates with four historic steam locomotives originally built by Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It takes about 20 minutes for each train to complete a round trip on the WDWRR's main line loop. On a typical day, the railroad has two trains in operation; on busy days, it has three trains.
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The Viewliner Train of Tomorrow was a 2 ft 6 in narrow-gauge, miniature train that once operated alongside portions of the Disneyland Railroad main line.
Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn is a museum located within the Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum (LALSRM) complex at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California. The barn, which was originally located in the backyard of Walt Disney's Holmby Hills home, features artifacts and displays related to Disney and his lifelong fascination with trains. The barn and surrounding exhibits are open to the public the third Sunday of each month from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. PST. Admission is free.
The Western River Railroad is a 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge rail transport attraction in Tokyo Disneyland, which opened on April 15, 1983. Its route is 5,283 feet (1,610 m) long and takes guests through the Adventureland, Westernland, and Critter Country sections.
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Disneyland is a theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, and opened on July 17, 1955.
The Grizzly Flats Railroad (GFRR) was a 3-foot narrow-gauge heritage railroad owned by Disney animator Ward Kimball at his home in San Gabriel, California. The railroad had 900 feet (274.3 m) of track, and was operated from 1942 to 2006. It was the first full-size backyard railroad in the United States.
Main Street Vehicles is a series of turn-of-the-20th-century-style vehicle attractions consisting of 3 ft narrow gauge tramways with horse-drawn streetcars and free-roaming motor vehicles in Disney theme parks throughout the world. They usually operate in their respective Main Street, U.S.A. sections, transporting park guests on one-way trips between the Town Square at the park's entrance and the Central Plaza at the park's center.
The Disneyland Railroad(DRR), originally the Euro Disneyland Railroad(EDRR), is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge heritage railroad in Disneyland Park in the Disneyland Paris Resort in Marne-la-Vallée, France, which was inaugurated on April 12, 1992, the park's opening day. Its route is 7,150 feet (2,180 m) in length and is used by park guests for transportation to other areas of the park, or simply for the experience of The Grand Circle Tour.
The Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad is a 3 ft narrow gauge rail transport attraction in Hong Kong Disneyland, which opened on September 12, 2005, the same day the park opened. Its route is 5,000 feet (1,524 m) long and encircles the majority of the park with stations in the Main Street, U.S.A. and Fantasyland sections.
The Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland was a 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge railroad attraction in Frontierland in Disneyland, that featured Audio-Animatronic animals in natural desert- and woods-themed environments. It opened on June 12, 1960, as an extension of Rainbow Caverns Mine Train, which opened on July 2, 1956. It closed on January 2, 1977, to make room for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
The DisneySea Electric Railway(ディズニーシー・エレクトリック・レールウェイ)is a 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge elevated electric railway attraction at Tokyo DisneySea. Opened on September 4, 2001, the railway is one of two rail attractions at Tokyo Disney Resort, the other being the Western River Railroad at Tokyo Disneyland.