Red Car Trolley

For the 20th–century Los Angeles–based transportation network, see Pacific Electric.

Red Car Trolley
Car 717 wears Pacific Electric's better-known later paint scheme featuring orange wing-like designs.
Disney California Adventure
Area	Buena Vista Street / Hollywood Land
Coordinates	33°48′30″N117°55′09″W / 33.808471890568406°N 117.91905804697684°W / 33.808471890568406; -117.91905804697684
Status	Closed
Opening date	June 15, 2012 (2012-06-15)
Closing date	February 9, 2025 (2025-02-09)
Replaced by	expansion of Avengers Campus
Ride statistics
Attraction type	Trolley
Manufacturer	Brookville Equipment Corporation
Designer	Walt Disney Imagineering
Theme	Pacific Electric Railway
Length	1,744 ft (532 m)
Speed	4 mph (6.4 km/h)
Vehicles	2
Riders per vehicle	21
Wheelchair accessible

The Red Car Trolley was a 3 ft 3+3⁄8 in (1,000 mm) meter gauge tramway and transportation attraction at Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. ^[1] Construction began on January 4, 2010, and the attraction opened on June 15, 2012, as part of the re-dedication of the park. ^{[2] [3]} The attraction featured cars inspired by the Pacific Electric Railway's "Red Cars" that once traversed much of Southern California. It provided transportation between the park's main entry at Buena Vista Street and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood Land. ^[4]

In August 2024, it was announced that the Red Car Trolley would close in early 2025 as the backstage trolley barn will be removed to make way for expansion plans for Avengers Campus. ^{[5] [6] [7]} In December 2024, it was announced that the final day of operation for the attraction would be February 8, 2025. ^[8] A trolley will remain parked on Buena Vista Street for photo opportunities. ^[9]

Operation

Frequency

Trolleys ran approximately every 8 minutes while the park was open. ^[10] Unlike the Main Street Vehicles at neighboring Disneyland, the Red Car Trolley ran all day, briefly pausing service when a parade traveled down Hollywood Boulevard.

Vehicles

Car 623 wears a paint scheme the Pacific Electric's "Hollywood" cars originally wore as-delivered.

The line had two trolley cars, ^[11] built by Brookville Equipment, a manufacturer of diesel switcher locomotives and a rebuilder of classic trolley cars. The design of the Red Car Trolley rolling stock are inspired by the Pacific Electric "Hollywood" class cars, built in the 1920s.

• Car 623 is inspired by the 600-series trolleys built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1922, and wears a paint scheme similar to the one used when the "Hollywood" cars were first delivered. The “23” in the car's number is a reference to the year 1923 when Walt Disney arrived in California. ^[11]
• Car 717 is inspired by the 700–750–series trolleys built by the J. G. Brill Company in 1925, and wears a paint scheme similar to Pacific Electric's iconic Art Deco “wings” design. The car's number “717” is a reference to the opening date of Disneyland. ^[11]

Unlike the original Pacific Electric trolley cars, which drew their power from an overhead wire, the "Red Car Trolley" cars were battery-operated. The onboard batteries were fully recharged overnight in the car barn, and the battery was periodically "topped off" through non-contact charging using induction coils in the ground where the cars rested at the Sunset Boulevard stop. ^{[12] [13]} The trolley poles on the cars and the overhead catenary lines through the park are not energized and were added to enhance authenticity. ^[11]

Stops

v t e Red Car Trolley
Legend
Car barn (not open to public) Sunset Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard Carthay Circle Buena Vista Street Bus and parking lot tram transfers (via short walks outside park)

The Red Car Trolley line had four stops throughout Buena Vista Street and Hollywood Land: ^[10]

• Buena Vista Street at Buena Vista Entry Plaza
• Carthay Circle at the Carthay Circle Theater
• Hollywood Boulevard at Animation Academy (Sunset Boulevard-bound only)
• Sunset Boulevard across from the Hyperion Theater

Former stops

• Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

See also

• Disney portal
• Trains portal
• Greater Los Angeles portal

• 2012 in amusement parks
• List of former Disney California Adventure attractions
• Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

References

1. "Imagineer brings rail passion to Disney expansion". Orange County Register . June 14, 2012. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
2. MacDonald, Brady (June 13, 2012). "Review: Buena Vista Street lets visitors walk in Walt Disney's shoes". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 13, 2012.
3. "Disney's California Adventure Project Tracker VIII". micechat.com.
4. "Buena Vista Street and Newly Designed Front Entrance in 2012". Disneylandnews.com. June 9, 2010. Archived from the original on December 23, 2010.
5. "Disney California Adventure's Red Car Trolley to end service in early 2025". KTLA. August 26, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
6. "Disneyland's Red Car Trolley is closing for expansion of Avengers Campus". ABC7. August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
7. "BREAKING: Closing Date Announced for Red Car Trolley at Disney California Adventure –WDW News Today". wdwnt.com. December 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
8. Kendall, Samantha (December 5, 2024). "Disney Announces CLOSING DATE for an Iconic Attraction". allears.net. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
9. "NEWS: Disney Begins Construction on Avengers Campus Expansion". allears.net. January 12, 2025. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
10. "Red Car Trolley". disneyland.disney.go.com. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
11. "The Red Car Trolleys of Buena Vista Street". Disneyland Resort News (Press release). Disney Parks. October 1, 2014. Archived from the original on February 8, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
12. "Replica Streetcars". Brookville Equipment Corporation . Retrieved November 17, 2021.
13. "Advances in Wireless Power Reiterate Brookville's Commitment to Innovative Technologies". Brookville Equipment Corporation (Press release). April 13, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2021.

External links

• Official site (Archive)