DISNEYLAND V. WDW: The Railroads

DISNEYLAND V. WDW: The Railroads - Disneyland

DISNEYLAND:

In my opinion, a principle reason why Walt built Disneyland in the first place was he wanted a bigger train.

Some say it all started when Walt attended a party hosted by Ward Kimball. Ward was a brilliant animator and one of Walt’s famous Nine Old Men. Well he just happened to own and operated the Grizzly Flats narrow gauge steam train and ran it in his backyard in San Gabriel.

Ward was brilliant. From what I have read he seemed like one of the smartest guys at the Walt Disney Company. He is best known for his animation of Jiminy Cricket, the Mad Hatter, and the Cheshire Cat among others. His Man in Space segments for the Disneyland TV show were so compelling President Eisenhower used them to build support for the American space program. One of my favorites is his band, the Firehouse Five Plus Two, and their version of the Mineburg Joys is what you hear as you exit the Mark Twain.

The party was an opportunity for Ward to fire up the boiler and run it along the 800’ of track. Walt had always loved trains since childhood. Once Walt started to play with Ward’s train he was hooked. Ward was the guy who got Walt hooked on trains. When Walt and Ward went to the 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair they had access to everything and they took full advantage. After the fair, they visited the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. Walt bought and installed a 1/8^th scale live steamer called the Carolwood Pacific Railroad in his backyard in Holmby Hills. This got Walt thinking.

Back to Disneyland.

For Walt, the Disneyland Railroad was the starting point for everything. It was the first attraction that was a must on the list. The park would be defined within its boundaries. In every scheme he considered the train was a central part. He loved the Disneyland trains so much he owned them outright and operated them through his own company called Retlaw.

Every Magic Kingdom around the world has a steam locomotive.

Disneyland features five bio-diesel powered locomotives. They are scaled to 5/8^th of standard gauge. The effect is to make the trains small enough to be friendly and approachable but powerful enough to do the job. The Walt Disney World trains and the steam locomotive at Knott’s Berry Farm are much larger.

The C.K. Holiday (Engine 1) and the E.P. Ripley (Engine 2) were built specifically for the park. Both are just super-sized versions of Walt’s backyard train, The Lilly Belle. Roger Broggie, considered to be the first Imagineer, took Walt’s blueprints and changed the scale from 1/8^th to 5/8^th. Want to show off? Since the trains are identical, you can tell the difference by looking at the smokestacks. The Holiday is typical of a wood burning locomotive and has a big round smokestack. The Ripley is the city version and the coal burning smokestack is just a cylinder.

Over the years, Disneyland added three more locomotives: the Fred Gurley (Engine 3 built in 1895), Ernest S. Marsh (Engine 4 built in 1925), and the Ward Kimball (Engine 5 built in 1902).

Disneyland features two styles of passenger cars. The forward facing “excursion” cars can suck up huge crowds. The right-facing “holidays” cars are my preference because everything is to the right.

This introduction makes me nostalgic for a ride. Let’s take the 1.5-mile round-trip okay?

Wave goodbye to the people you don’t know as you cross the tunnel and leave the Main Street station. As you enter Adventureland you might see an antelope from the Jungle Cruise high up on the berm. It is fun to spot the same critter while taking the Jungle Cruise.

When the train is stopped at the New Orleans Square station there are a couple of little gems. Listen for the loud party in the hotel toward the end of the train. At the train station you can hear the Disneyland dedication speech being tapped out on the landline. This is also the location where they change crews, fill the water tank, and blow down the boiler. The best train geek viewing spot is the Haunted Mansion Fastpass area.

Here is a good trick if you have to wait at the New Orleans Square Station. Look for a signal across the tracks toward the tunnel. When the arm moves the train will have just left the Main Street station. You can turn to your guests and say, “here comes the train” and by the time you are finished the announcement will have been made and the train will appear. Freaks ‘em out every time.

Past the people eating at the Hungry Bear Restaurant and watch out for the Mark Twain. When the train is running along side the Mark Twain the two sing along with each other. Be sure to nod to Chief Waves-a-lot. Okay movie trivia question. Once past the River, look along the ground and you will spot a doghouse with the name Indiana stamped on it. What is this in reference to? One other odd fact is the original roundhouse used to connect right about here.

The Toontown Station is a copy of the old Frontierland station (across the tracks in New Orleans Square) but “toon” style. As you roll past Rolly Crump’s beautiful “it’s a small world building” façade you might spot the Roundhouse on the left. This is where they park and service the trains and monorails.

Most people miss the “Agra-Future” sign at the entrance of Tomorrowland. It is there to remind you that most of the plants in Tomorrowland are edible. The Tomorrowland station is one of the most historic buildings in the park. It is original. Oh sure it has been repainted and different signs installed out front. But it is the same structure since 1958. That was the same year the Grand Canyon Diorama opened.

The Grand Canyon Diorama was really an excuse to hide the administration building backstage. Just beyond the Grand Canyon we get to see survivors of the 1964-1965 New York Worlds Fair. The dinosaurs were part of the Ford Magic Skyway pavilion. The other refugees include Mr. Lincoln; it’s a small world and the Carousel of Progress. The dinos have been repainted according to the latest theories. The one-two punch of the Grand Canyon and the Primeval World is an appropriate finale for the Grand Circle tour.