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Wildlife Express Train

740 bytes added, 21:38, 10 October 2021
The Wildlife Express Train is an attraction located in [[Disney's Animal Kingdom]].
{{Infobox Disney ride |
| image=WildlifeWildlife2.jpg| caption='''The Wildlife Express Train in the stationtakes guests between Africa and Rafiki's Planet Watch.'''
| land=Rafaki's Planet Watch, Africa
| opened=April 22, 1998
| custom_label_2= Capacity per Train
| custom_value_2= 250
| cutom_label_3custom_label_3= FastPass Disney Genie +
| custom_value_3= No}}
The Wildlife Express Train is an attraction located in [[Disney's Animal Kingdom]]. The train travels from [[Africa]] to [[Rafiki's Planet Watch]]
==Attraction History==
Early plans for Disney's Animal Kingdom called for a steam engine railway which would have taken guests through the Savannah plains. This idea was modified however, when concerns about the safety of the animals was raised. Instead, Disney decided to create a steam engine that would take guests from the Village of Harambe in the Africa section of the park to Conservation Station. Imagineer George McGinnis came out of retirement to design the locomotives for the attraction<ref name= "book"/>. They were designed to give guests the impression that they the trains had been traveling through Africa for a hundred years, collecting grime and rust along the way<ref name= "book"/>. According to Imagineer Joe Rhode:
{{Quotation| We're creating a look for vehicles that would be seen today in Africa and Asia, long after their original use in Europe in the late 1800s<ref name= "book"/>}}
The rail cars and engines themselves were built in 1997 Stratford-on-Avon by the model-railroad firm of Severn Lamb, Ltd., at Alcester, England<ref name= "parksblog"> https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/11/where-at-disney-parks-can-you-find-13/?comment_sort=asc </ref>. Production of the locomotives was overseen by Imagineers Bob Harpur and Joel Fritsche<ref name= "book"/>. Finally, on April 22, 1998 the Wildlife Express Train opened with the rest of Disney's Animal Kingdom. On October 11, 2018, the Wildlife Express Train closed along with the rest of Rafiki's Planet Watch <ref> https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/rafikis-planet-watch/news/21sep2018-rafikis-planet-watch-permanently-closing-in-october.htm </ref>. The attraction reopened on July 11, 2019, with a new narration that showcases the relationship between Walt Disney and nature <ref> https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/rafikis-planet-watch/news/11jul2019-photos---animation-experience-at-conservation-station-opens-at-disneys-animal-kingdom.htm </ref>.
==Attraction Description==
The Wildlife Express Train is a locomotive steam engine that takes guests from the village of Harambe in [[Africa ]] to Rafiki's Planet Watch and vice versa. The train takes guests on a 1.2 mile circuit, along a narrow path between Africa and Asia<ref> http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/animal-kingdom/attractions/wildlife-express-train/ </ref>. Along the way, guests can get a backstage view of the animal care facilities where the park's animals are kept overnight.
==Fun Facts and Trivia==
==References==
http://www.magicalkingdoms.com/wdw/parks/ak_wetrain.html
 
http://touringplans.com/animal-kingdom/attractions/wildlife-express-train-africa-station
 
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/animal-kingdom/attractions/wildlife-express-train/