The Disneyland Railroad

Wait time: Usually less than 10 minutes

Although some may argue is all started with a Mouse, Disneyland and the ideas that started it actually all began with a train, namely Walt Disney's love for trains and miniatures. In the earliest sketches for Disneyland back in the late 1940's, the park was centrally located around the ideas of a train.

The Disneyland Railroad stops in the following lands; Main Street USA, New Orleans Square, Mickey's Toontown and Tomorrowland. The entire trip around the Magic Kingdom, with stops, takes about 20 minutes. You'll travel past such attractions as Splash Mountain, It's a Small World, The Autopia, and you'll see some animals originally used for the Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland, with a dramatic ending through the Grand Canyon Diorama and the Primeval World.

     Your adventure begins in the Main Street Station (photo, right). Inside, you'll see some interesting items. Just inside the station in a large glass enclosure, is Walt's proud Lilly Belle. Named after his wife, Lillian, this engine, tender and boxcar circled his home in on Carolwood Drive in Holmby Hills, hence the name "The Carolwood Pacific". A replica of the Lily Belle is also on display at Tokyo Disneyland. These trains would later become the inspiration for the trains that travel through Disneyland today.

Walt Disney, along with train enthusiast and animator Ward Kimball were extremely interested in trains. Walt's love of trains dates back to when he and and his brother, Roy Disney, worked for the Santa Fe railroad as "news butchers" during the summers of their youth. Ward's love of trains also stemmed from his childhood. A memorable trip from Minneapolis to Kansas City which included a tour of the locomotive's cab and a chance to ring the bell were the beginnings of Ward's love for trains.

Ward Kimball built a railroad in his backyard, the "Grizzly Flats Railroad", (which, at the time, was the first full-scale privately owned backyard steam railroad). Kimball was also able to obtain the set pieces from the train station used in the early Disney flim, "So Dear to My Heart", and rebuilt this station for his own railroad.

In the summer of 1948, Walt and Ward attended the Chicago Railroad Fair. The Fair was celebrating it's 100th year and so many rare and unique exhibits made the trip very memorable for the both of them. Ward was able to get to know Walt probably better than anyone on the staff. The next year, Walt and Lillian purchased their home in Holmby Hills. The large home, located at 355 Carolwood Drive, would become the home of the Carolwood Pacific Railroad, Walt's own miniature steam railroad.

The railroad consisted of 2,615 feet of track with 11 switches, a large trestle and a huge 90-foot tunnel running under Lillian Disney's flowerbeds. The large tunnel with it's unique s-shape would become the inspiration for later dark rides and attractions at Disneyland.

The Disneyland Railroad serves at the outer boundary to Disneyland and has always been well represented in the early drawings and concepts for Disneyland. Harper Goff, who did many of these original sketches (and was also an avid rail fan), along with Marvin Davis, Bill Cottrell and Dick Irvine presented their ideas to Walt and Herb Ryman, on that historic weekend in September 1953. The remainder of that weekend would be spent drawing the large aerial view of Disneyland that is displayed in the Main Street Opera house as part of the '50 Magical Years' exhibit. This large sketch was then taken to New York to present to would-be investors and bankers by Roy Disney.

During the building of Disneyland, Walt asked Kimball if he could use his station from 'So Dear to My Heart'. Kimball protested; Ward wasn't about to give up the station he had put so much of his time and money into. The station set pieces had proved to be quite fragile and required a lot of work (and expense). Walt conceded, and instead rebuilt the station using the original plans from the film. When you visit New Orleans Square, the station on the other side of the tracks (which is no longer used), was once the Frontierland Train Station, and is the station that Walt rebuilt. When The Haunted Mansion and surrounding areas were under construction, the station was moved and the current covered platform was assembled.

As you continue to look through the Main Street Station, you'll also catch a sight of a small aerial map (pre-DCA and Indy) of Disneyland. (photo, left) Small lights show the relative positions of the trains in the park at any given moment (see photo, left)

     From Main Street Station, you'll pass the jungles of Adventureland, and make a stop in New Orleans Square, you'll then continue to Mickey's Toontown, then Tomorrowland, then into the Grand Canyon Diorama and Primeval World. The Primeval World is comprised of pieces built for the Ford Magic Skyway, an attraction that Disney designed and built for the 1964 World's Fair. The remainder of the attraction was dismantled and is the only attraction from the Fair that did not return to Disneyland.

There is a new narration to the Disneyland Railroad, but for many years previous, the train narration was performed by Thurl Ravenscroft, who's other vocal work includes The Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion and The Enchanted Tiki Room, among others.

Photos on this page courtesy of Stephen Maniscalco

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