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: 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

Ride Profile: Indiana Jones

One of the most exciting rides at Disneyland is based from the popular movies Indiana Jones!  Opening in 1995, after being under construction for 7 years and costing Disney about $100 million! The ride can be found between Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Carrabin. Since it is a crowd pleaser, the line can get very long, so I highly recommend getting FASTPASS and coming back to the ride later in the afternoon when you can avoid the line. Single rider passes and parent swap passes are also available, just ask the Cast Member at the front. The ride “takes place” in the Forbidden Temple where famous archeologist, Indiana jones, helps guide your’ ride, making sure you make it to the end. Visitors MUST NOT look into the eyes of the temple's idol, Mara, or an ancient curse will befall them. The ride moves through foreboding caverns adorned with flickering lights, mysterious wall etchings, ominous spikes, even-more ominous skeletons, and other diversions! On th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ride Profile: Jungle Cruise

Tiger and lions and bears “oh my”!  Join your very own skipper as you cruise through rivers across the continenets. This journey lasts about 7 minutes once you leave the dock. The Jungle Cruise features four different rivers: •   The African Congo 
Tour an abandoned Pygmy site, glimpse a massive python and snap a picture of a camp overrun by curious gorillas. •   The Nile River 
Behold bathing elephants, angry hippos and hungry lions—but be on the lookout for a tribe of headhunters, recently spotted in the area. •   The Amazon in South America 
A canopy of green trees opens up to a native shrine, a mammoth anaconda and ravenous piranha! •   The Mekong River 
Explore an age-old shrine, home to baboons, cobras and crocodiles. Even though this ride is often passed or ignored as guests make there way to or from a more thrilling ride like Indiana Jones, I enjoy the Jungle Cruise as a easy going funny ride. ...
Post a Comment
Read more