Walt Disney World Railroad
The Walt Disney World Railroad, is a working steam-engine which surrounds Walt Disney World. The railroad has stations in Main Street USA, Frontierland and Fantasyland.
Attraction History
The Walt Disney World Railroad was built due to Walt Disney's love of trains. Even before he built Disneyland, Walt had a miniature train in his backyard called the Carolwood Pacific Railroad. Walt was so enthralled with trains, that anytime he told guests about Disneyland, he would conclude "and it will all be surrounded by a train". Sure enough, when Disneyland opened in 1955, the park was surrounded by the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad. Walt Disney himself was in charge of building the railroad, and he even financed the construction himself. The Disneyland Railroad opened with Disneyland, and is a working steam engine train.
When Disney began designing Disney World in Florida, he once again wanted to have a train surrounding the park. In 1969 Disney Imagineer scouts Roger Broggie and Earl Vilmer found and purchased five locomotives from Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatan (United Railways of Yucatan) on Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. While one of the five trains was deemed unrepairable, the other four were sent by railway to Tampa Bay. Here Disney Imagineer and train expert Bob Harper oversaw their restoration. New boilers were built for the locomotives by the Dixon Boiler Works in Los Angeles, California. In order to make the trains look older, they were fitted with diamond smoke stacks and boiler jackets. The tenders also needed to be completely rebuilt and new fiberglass cabs were manufactured and installed. The trains were then painted with bright colors and brass, before being shipped to Walt Disney World. The Walt Disney World Railroad opened with the rest of the park on October 1, 1971.
History Since Opening Day
When the Walt Disney World Railroad opened, it originally consisted of three trains. A few moths after the opening, the forth train joined the fleet. For all of 1971, the Railroad provided guest with a roundtrip tour of Walt Disney World. Only the Main Street USA station was open, and it wasn't until 1972 that the Frontierland station opened, allowing guests to board and exit the train at either end of the park. The Frontierland station remained operational until 1990 when it was closed and demolished in order to make room for Splash Mountain. The station re-opened in a new location in 1991, and the railroad now runs through Splash Mountain allowing guests to see the "Zip-A-Dee Lady" Scene. In 1988 another station was built in Mickey's Birthdayland. Known as the Duckburg station, the station was renamed the Toontown Fair station in 1996 before closing in 2010. It is expected that the station will reopen as part of the Storybook Circus expansion of Fantasyland. While Fantasyland is under construction, the train still stops at the location to top off the tender with water and to keep the railroad's operating schedule. While the train is stopped in Fantasyland, a new narration plays, telling guest that they are stopping at a "Watering Outpost". The narration also gives guests a preview of what is coming to Fantasyland as part of the expansion.
Attraction Plot
The Walt Disney World Railroad begins with guests boarding the train from one of the three railroad stations. If guests board in Main Street, the narrator will welcome them to the Walt Disney World Railroad and tell them that the train will be stopping at Frontierland and Fantasyland. The narrator then gives riders a little history about the railroad saying:
"For an old conductor like me, there is no better place to travel the rails then here at the Magic Kingdom. By the way, were traveling by pure steam power. This old locomotive is descended from the mighty trains that powered the golden age of steel."
As the train continues towards Adventureland, the narrator tells guests that they are traveling from the charm of Main Street USA to the jungles of Africa, Asia and South America. He tells them that since they are headed into the heart of Adventureland, things can get pretty wild. He also mention attractions such as Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise. As the locomotive moves from Adventureland to Frontierland, the narrator tells guest that they've reached the wild west of the Magic Kingdom. He says:
"This outpost is home to covered wagons, cow folk and Country Bears.
He also mentions Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain, before the train enters a cave, alongside Splash Mountain. Through a window on their right, guests can look into Splash Mountain and see the Zip-A-Dee Lady scene. The train then pulls into the Frontierland station where guests can unload and load. As the train moves out of the station, it passes Big Thuder Mountain, and the boom town Tumbleweed. It then travels over a small bridge, where the narrator informs guests that a trip around the park used to take a week! On the left, guests can see a small outpost, as the narrator informs them that Indians were the first people on the land. The train then rolls past an Indian Village and some wildlife.
As the train moves into Fantasyland, the narrator tells guests that in Fantasyland they can "Fly with Peter Pan and even spin in a Tea Cup. As the train pulls into the former location of Toontown, both the narrator and engineer gives guests a preview of what is going to built. The narrator tells guests that part of the Fantasyland expansion will allow them to go "under the sea" with the Little Mermaid or even visit the Beast's Castle. When the train stops at the former Toontown Station, the conductor tells guests that they need to stop here and get water. Often times, while the train is getting the water, the engineer will give some of the history of Toontown and what is is going to become.
As the train pulls out of Fantasyland and into Tomorrowland, the narrator that some people think that traveling by train is a little too old fashioned. As the train rolls past the Speedway, he says that any guest can travel the futuristic highway, or choose another mode of transportation so as the PeopleMover, Space Mountain or Astro Orbiter. On their right, guests can see into Tomorrowland. As the train continues forward, the narrator informers riders that Main Street was inspired by the small towns of Walt's childhood. He also says that stepping onto Main Street is like stepping back in time. At this point that train reaches the Main Street Station, and the narration starts all over again.
