Walt Disney World Railroad

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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.

Walt Disney World Railroad
Station.jpg
The Main Street USA Station.
Magic Kingdom
Land Main Street USA, Fantasyland, Frontierland
Theme Steam-engine railway
Opening date October 1, 1971
Ride duration (roundtrip) 20 minutes


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 always 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 in 1955 and has been running ever since.

When Disney began designing Disney World in Florida, they 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 the 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, a forth train joined the fleet. For all of 1971, the Railroad provided guest with a roundtrip tour of Walt Disney World. At that time only the Main Street USA station was open, and it wasn't until 1972 that the Frontierland station opened. Guests could now board the railroad 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. Orginally 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 in 2012. While Fantasyland is under construction, the train still stops at the location of the station, 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 on 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, we're 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. Here, 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 boomtown of 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 Fair station, both the narrator and engineer gives guests a preview of what is going to built there. 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 then explain what it is going to become.

As the train pulls out of Fantasyland and into Tomorrowland, the narrator says that some people think traveling by train is a little too old fashioned. As the train rolls past the Tomorrowland Speedway, he says that any guest can travel the futuristic highway, or choose another mode of transportation such 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.

The Trains

There are four operation trains on the Walt Disney World Railroad. The four locomotives for the trains, were built between 1916 and 1928 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia. The trains consist of a steam locomotive, tender, and five passenger cars. Each train has a capacity of approximately 365 passengers and 2 wheelchairs. The tender has a capacity for 1,837 gallons of water and 664 gallons of fuel oil. The tender needs to be topped off with water every three or four trips around the park. Due to the fact that the water tower used to top off the tenders is located at the Fantasyland station, the trains still need to stop there, despite the fact that the area is under construction.

Walter.jpg Lilly.jpg
The #1 "Walter E. Disney" The #2 "The Lilly Belle
Broggie.jpg Roy.jpg
The #3 "Roger E. Broggie" The No. 4 "Roy O. Disney"

Crew

Each train has a three man crew who are in charge of their daily operation. The crew consists of an engineer, a fireman, and a conductor. The engineer is in charge of the operation of the train. The fireman is in charge of the operation of the boiler, and the conductor is in charge of the management of the train and it's passengers.

Early in the morning, before park opening, the first train crew arrives at the roadhouse and preps the locomotive for the day. First, safety and readiness checks are performed by the engineer and conductor. Since the train needs steam pressure to operate, a compressed air line must be tapped into the atomizer line when the fire is first lit. It must stay in the atomizer until enough steam has been raised to re-light the atomizer's fire. After this is done, the conductor will inspect that track and the arrangement of the switch's outside the roadhouse, to make sure it is safe to leave. After both the boiler is ready, the engineer will give two short whistles to signal they are ready to go. After the conductor responds with two short buzzes, the train is put into motion. As each individual car leaves the roadhouse, the maintenance crew inspects the running gear located beneath the train.

As the train heads out of the roadhouse and towards the main track, the engineers test the safety features on the train. This consists of two tests, intentionally popping the safety valves and purposely running the train past a red block light. If the features are working properly, the safety valves will release excess steam, and the train brakes will automatically turn on after running through the red block. These tests are performed daily, to meet safety standards.


Daily Operation

Opening

The Walt Disney World Railroad operates daily, beginning at 9 am. It takes approximately 20 minutes for the train to make a round trip, meaning that guests can expect a train to arrive at each individual station every 7 minutes. There are usually two trains in operation on any given day, although sometimes three are in operation if the park is busy. Disney's goal is to have the first train arrive at the Main Street Station on the hour, and every subsequent 20 minute interval (:20 and :40). The second and third trains then try to keep up with the first train, as much as possible. If one of the trains falls behind, they must either try to catch up or drop behind a lap, in order to stay on schedule. It is important for the trains to be on schedule in order for the park closing to run smoothly.

Block Signals

Along the Walt Disney World Railroad, their are six block signals which let the train conductors know where the other trains are. The block signlas on the railroad resemble a traffic light, in that they have three lights (red, yellow, and green). Three of the block signals are located near the stations, while the other three are spread around the track. The lights typically change from Green to Yellow/Green to Red to Yellow/Red. After the lights have followed this pattern, they reverse in the opposite direction, Yellow/Red to Red to Yellow/Green to Green. Each of the the lights have their own specific meaning:

  • Green: The next 2 blocks are completely clear. It is safe to proceed.
  • Yellow and Green: The next block is clear, however, the block beyond is occupied. It is safe to proceed, but be prepared to stop at the next block.
  • Red: The next block is occupied and it is not safe to proceed past this point.
  • Yellow and Red: The next 2 blocks are both occupied; it is not safe to proceed past this point.

Whistles

On the Walt Disney World Railroad, the engineer's use distinct whistle patterns to communicate while the conductor. The conductor then responds with a buzzer using the same pattern. The buzzer goes off inside the cab of the locomotive. At the stations, the engineers will ask to depart by giving two short whistles. The conductor must respond and give the ok, because they have the final say as to whether or not the train moves. The whistle pattern used on the Walt Disney Railroad is typically:

  • One Short – Attention
  • Two Short – Forward Movement
  • Three Short – Reverse Movement
  • One Long, One Short – Approaching a Station
  • One Long, Two Short – Crew spotted along track (also used as a general greeting)
  • Two Long, One Short, One Long – Public Crossing ahead
  • Two Long, One Short – Meeting Point (junction)
  • One Long – Stop Immediately / Emergency stop.
  • Four Long – Train in distress.
  • Two Short, One Long, One Short – Engineer is acknowledging the maintenance crew

Closing

On the trains last trip around the park, the conductor announces at each station that the final train is departing. All guests can ride the train until it reaches the Main Street station for the final time. After guests have unloaded, the conductor walks the length of the train to make sure that all guests are off, and any lost items are brought to the lost and found. The train then goes to the Fantasyland station where the conductor steps off and throws the switch to allow the train back into the roadhouse. The engineer relies on the conductor to back the train into the roadhouse, from the rear platform of the last coach. The fireman then throws the Fantasyland switch back to the main line, so that trains in operation can continue running. When the final train has been returned to the roadhouse, the switch is left where it is. When the train reaches the switch, and the track crossing, the conductor will signal the engineer, letting him know the train has successfully cleared. This continues until all the trains are parked completely in the roadhouse.

Fun Facts and Trivia

  • The "Walter E. Disney" and "Roger E. Broggie" trains were on the shop floor together in 1925. Their serial numbers are sequential (58444 and 58445), and both trains were built for the United Railways of Yucotan by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia.
  • For a behind the scenes tour of the Walt Disney Railroad, guests can experience the "Magic Behind our Steam Trains" tour on select days.
  • At one time there was plans for a Tomorrowland Station to be added to the Walt Disney World Railroad.

References

http://wdw.railfanning.org/

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/magic-kingdom/attractions/walt-disney-world-railroad/

http://www.omniluxe.net/wyw/mkindex.htm