Skip to main content

All Aboard the Disneyland Railroad!


“Your attention please. The Disneyland Limited now arriving for a grand circle tour of the Magic Kingdom...with stops at New Orleans Square...Mickey's Toontown...and Tomorrowland. All passengers stand by to board.”

As you pass through the front gate to Disneyland, it is hard to miss the Disneyland Railroad station above a beautiful floral design of Mickey Mouse. The train is one of my favorite ways to get from one side of the park to another. Stationed at Main Street, USA, New Orleans Square, Mickey’s Toontown and Tomorrowland (behind Autopia), the train offers a great overlook of the park and quick transportation.

To add to the Disney fun, there are two fascinating dioramas between the Tomorrowland and Main Street station. First is the Grand Canyon with sun kissed vistas and filled with native creatures like deer, mountain lions and more! Next is the Primeval World or the land of the dinosaurs!

The park currently has five trains in operation:
•    C.K. Holliday
•    E.P. Ripley
•    Ernest Marsh
•    Fred Gurley
•    Ward Kimball

To keep the dreams of Walt Disney alive, the trains are of historical design with detailed finish and striped awnings. The only train with a reference to a Disney character is on the Ward Kimball train where there is a gold silhouette of Jiminy Cricket. All the trains run on bio-diesel, making them mean “green” steam machines!

Attached to one of the full trains is the Lilly Belle Presidential Train Car. It continues to replicate a Victorian parlor car with stained glass and gold stenciling, making it quite the lady of the railway. The car was designed with a partnership of Lillian Disney, which was a longtime dream of Walt. You can request to ride in this car if it is attached the day of your visit, but be aware that it does not have the best view and tends to get very stuffy and hot, yet it is an unforgettable experience!

 Overall, at some point during your day it is a must “to-do” to get on board the famous Disneyland Railroad whether to hop from one land to another or to take in the park from a different point of view!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ride Profile: Haunted Mansion

“Dear Foolish Mortals, You are hereby invited to a spirited tour via "buggy" of the home and estate of a prosperous yet departed sea captain whose elegant 19th-century mansion in the New Orleans Square was once the setting for some of the most prominent social gatherings this side of the Mississippi.” One of Disneyland’s top 10 rides (as voted in the LA Times), the Haunted Mansion fun begins even before stepping into your buggy. If you have to wait in the queue pay special attention to the tombstones, as they can be very entertaining. Once you actually get into the house, guests gather into a room, where you soon realize that there are no windows and no doors, and the famous “ghost speech” is given. As with most Disney rides, the attention to detail is phenomenal! Do not rush to get to the ride itself, take not of the changing pictures and special statues in the hallway. When you do get into your buggy, the safety rail is magically lowered as you ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ride Profile: Mad Hatter Tea Cups

Celebrate your “un-birthday” in Wonderland by spinning and twirling in your very own teacup! There are a total of 18 cups that spin individually, on top of 3 separate turntables, on top of one large turntable! It a crazy contraption indeed, but it is Wonderland after all! (After a recent physics experiment, without spinning the actual cup, you will spin about 8 times during the ride, but with spinning you can get up to 23 spins. For those looking to spin as much as possible, try sitting in the purple cup or pink trim cup with hearts as they spin the most times!) The ride was created after the animated classic Alice in Wonderland , particularly the Mad Hatter’s party scene. So naturally the color scheme and unreal size of tea cups are not a surprise! This attraction was apart of one of the original rides in the park, located in Fantasyland today where it still has the timeless whimsical feel as on opening day. As for the hidden Mickey, this one is tricky to se...
Post a Comment
Read more

World of Color

One of my absolute favorite things to view is World of Color. A combination of water, pyrotechnics and a lot of magic brings the Paradise Lagoon in California Adventure to life every evening! More than 1,000 water jets form screens and shapes that animations are projected onto. Although I have seen the show dozens of times, it never gets old, especially because as new Disney movies come out, they are incorporated into the show. If visiting both parks (or just DCA), be sure to get a fatspass for World of Color. The machines are right outside Grizzly Rapids and will have one of four colors (red, yellow, green, and blue), which is your viewing area during the show. Be sure to line up in your  specific area as soon as your fastpass tells you you can. Most people will sit down to wait for the show, which is fine, but be ready to wiggle to the front as people start to stand up. Another great way to get premium seating is through dining specials. Certain restaura...
Post a Comment
Read more