Anaheim Area Blog

For guests staying at Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn, located directly across Harbor Boulevard from the Disneyland Resort pedestrian entrance, the railroad is especially easy to discover. Walk into Disneyland, pass beneath the tracks and you’ll find the Main Street, U.S.A. station overlooking Town Square.

Whether you’re a train enthusiast or simply looking for a chance to sit down after walking around Disneyland, here’s what you should know before climbing aboard.

Yes, These Are Real Steam Trains

The locomotives circling Disneyland aren’t merely ride vehicles designed to look like old trains.

The Disneyland Railroad operates five working narrow-gauge steam locomotives, each with its own name and history:

• C.K. Holliday
• E.P. Ripley
• Ernest S. Marsh
• Fred Gurley
• Ward Kimball

Some were constructed specifically for Disneyland, while others began their working lives elsewhere before being extensively rebuilt for service at the park.

The Fred Gurley, for example, dates to 1894 and originally hauled sugar cane in Louisiana before Disney acquired and rebuilt it. The Ward Kimball was built in 1902 and eventually joined the Disneyland fleet in 2005.

For most visitors, you don’t need to know which locomotive is pulling your train to enjoy the ride. But railroad enthusiasts could ride several times and have a slightly different piece of history at the front of the train each time.

Four Stations Make It Easy to Hop Around Disneyland

The railroad travels clockwise around Disneyland Park and currently has four stations:

• Main Street, U.S.A.
• New Orleans Square
• Mickey’s Toontown
• Tomorrowland

You can board at one station and exit at another, which means the train can function as transportation as well as an attraction.

Disney says trains are generally scheduled to arrive every five to 10 minutes during much of the day, although actual operations can vary.

You also don’t have to get off at the next station. If your goal is simply to ride the train, stay aboard for a complete circuit and eventually return to where you started.

Should You Use the Train to Get Around?

Sometimes.

The Railroad can save your feet, but it isn’t necessarily the fastest route between two points.

You have to account for the time spent waiting for a train, loading passengers and stopping at stations along the route. If your destination is only a short walk away, walking may still be faster.

That’s not really the point.

Think of the Railroad as transportation with an experience attached. Instead of fighting your way through crowds to cross part of Disneyland, you can sit down, watch the scenery go by and arrive somewhere else in the park.

After several hours on your feet, that trade can become increasingly attractive.

The Main Street Station Is Hard to Miss

First-time Disneyland visitors will encounter the railroad almost immediately.

After entering the park, you’ll see the Victorian-style Main Street station elevated above the entrance tunnels with the iconic Mickey Mouse floral display below it.

Pass beneath the tracks and you’ve arrived in Town Square.

The station itself is worth taking a moment to appreciate rather than treating it solely as somewhere to board a train. From its elevated position, you’ll get a wonderful view looking down Main Street, U.S.A. toward Sleeping Beauty Castle.

For guests coming from Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn, this will naturally be the first Railroad station you encounter.

New Orleans Square Puts You Near Some Disneyland Favorites

The New Orleans Square station can be particularly useful because it puts you in one of Disneyland’s most attraction-rich areas.

New Orleans Square is home to Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion, with the Rivers of America and several other areas of Disneyland nearby.

This station also offers something interesting for railroad fans.

The locomotives take on water here during their daily operation, and across from the boarding platform you can still see the original Frontierland station building from Disneyland’s early years.

Listen carefully around the depot and you may also hear a telegraph clicking away.

Hop Off for Mickey’s Toontown

The Mickey’s Toontown station makes the train particularly useful for families with younger children.

Rather than making the entire walk from the front of Disneyland to the back of the park, families can board the Railroad and turn the journey itself into an attraction.

Once you arrive, you’ll be positioned for the colorful world of Mickey’s Toontown and its family-oriented attractions.

When everyone is ready to move on, you can either continue exploring on foot or return to the station and catch another train.

Tomorrowland Leads to the Most Unexpected Part of the Ride

If you ride the Railroad between Tomorrowland and Main Street, don’t start gathering your belongings too quickly.

You’re about to encounter one of the attraction’s best surprises.

The train enters a series of show scenes that transform an ordinary trip around Disneyland into something much more unusual.

First comes the Grand Canyon.

Then things get prehistoric.

Take a Train Through the Grand Canyon

Walt Disney’s Grand Canyon Diorama gives passengers a panoramic journey through an enormous recreation of the American Southwest.

Instead of simply looking at another part of Disneyland through the open side of the train, you’re suddenly transported into a vast landscape filled with rock formations, wildlife and dramatic scenery.

The diorama dates to 1958 and remains one of the distinctive experiences of the Disneyland Railroad.

But the journey doesn’t stop in the American West.

The next scene takes you millions of years into the past.

Then Come the Dinosaurs

Primeval World is probably the part of the Disneyland Railroad that surprises first-time riders most.

Suddenly you’re traveling through a prehistoric landscape populated by Audio-Animatronics dinosaurs.

You’ll encounter towering creatures in an environment dramatically different from anything you just passed outside the train.

It’s a wonderfully strange transition. One moment you’re aboard a steam train traveling through Disneyland. The next you’re staring at dinosaurs from another era.

The scenes are classic Disney rather than an attempt at a modern thrill ride, which is precisely why longtime Disneyland fans remain fond of them.

Parents of very young children should know that this portion of the journey becomes darker and includes dinosaur sounds and dramatic effects. Most children will simply find the dinosaurs exciting, but particularly sensitive little ones may be startled.

A Full Circuit Is One of Disneyland’s Best Breaks

You don’t need to be going anywhere.

Staying aboard for a complete trip around Disneyland can be one of the most relaxing things you do during a busy park day.

A full circuit generally takes around half an hour once station stops and passenger loading are included.

That’s roughly 30 minutes when you’re not standing in a queue, checking a map or deciding which direction to walk next.

You can simply sit down.

That’s more valuable than it sounds after spending most of the day exploring Disneyland on foot.

The open-air cars also make the journey scenic. Instead of disappearing into an enclosed transportation system, you’re watching different parts of Disneyland pass outside the train.

Try It When Attraction Lines Are Getting Longer

Many Disneyland visitors understandably concentrate on popular attractions early in the morning when wait times may be more manageable.

That can make the Railroad particularly appealing later.

If the park gets busier in the afternoon and your family is ready to slow down, that’s a natural opportunity to ride.

You aren’t necessarily sacrificing valuable morning attraction time, and everyone gets a chance to sit for a while before heading back into the park.

It can also work well when different generations are traveling together. Grandparents, parents and young children can all ride without worrying about a height requirement or thrill level.

Walt Disney’s Love of Trains Is Part of the Story

The Railroad isn’t simply a transportation system that happened to be included when Disneyland was built.

Trains were deeply important to Walt Disney.

Before Disneyland opened, Walt built a miniature steam railroad at his home. Called the Carolwood Pacific Railroad, it circled his property and reflected a fascination with trains that would eventually become an important part of his new theme park.

When Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955, the railroad was there.

Originally known as the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad, it was one of the park’s opening-day attractions. The name changed to Disneyland Railroad in 1974, but trains have continued circling the park as Disneyland itself has changed dramatically around them.

Knowing that history makes the ride feel different.

You’re not experiencing a nostalgic attraction created decades after the park opened. You’re riding something Walt Disney considered important enough to make part of Disneyland from the very beginning.

Even the Locomotive Names Tell a Story

Four of Disneyland’s five current locomotives carry names associated with American railroad history.

C.K. Holliday and E.P. Ripley were the two original Disneyland locomotives, constructed at the Disney Studio for the park’s opening.

Fred Gurley and Ernest S. Marsh were later added to the fleet and named for railroad executives.

The fifth locomotive breaks the pattern.

Ward Kimball was a legendary Disney animator and fellow railroad enthusiast whose passion for trains helped encourage Walt Disney’s own interest in the hobby.

The locomotive bearing his name joined the Disneyland Railroad fleet during the park’s 50th anniversary year.

Is the Disneyland Railroad Good for Young Children?

For many families, absolutely.

Disney lists the Railroad as an any-height attraction, so families don’t have to separate based on who is tall enough to ride.

There are also no roller-coaster drops or high-speed thrill elements.

For children who already love trains, you may discover that the Railroad becomes an attraction they want to experience more than once.

The one consideration is the Grand Canyon and Primeval World sequence between Tomorrowland and Main Street. That portion includes darkness, louder effects and dinosaurs, so parents of children who are particularly sensitive to those things may want to know about it beforehand.

Railroad Fans Can Go Much Deeper

For most visitors, riding the train and learning a little of its history will be enough.

Serious railroad enthusiasts may find themselves paying attention to everything.

Which locomotive is running? How old is it? What happens when the train stops at New Orleans Square? What are those signals beside the track?

The Disneyland Railroad rewards that curiosity because it is a functioning railway with genuine history rather than simply a themed train circling an amusement park.

Disneyland even offers a separate guided experience devoted to its railroad history. Availability, pricing and tour details can change, so anyone interested should check Disney’s official information while planning a trip.

Check the Disneyland App Before Heading to a Station

Disney currently says trains are scheduled to arrive every five to 10 minutes at most times throughout the day, but operating conditions can change.

The Railroad may also temporarily close under certain wind conditions to accommodate Disneyland fireworks performances.

That matters if you’re relying on the train to reach another part of the park late in the day.

Check the Disneyland app for current operating information rather than assuming the Railroad will be running at a particular time.

Is the Disneyland Railroad Worth Riding?

Yes, but you don’t need to treat it like another attraction that must be conquered as quickly as possible.

The Railroad is best when you allow it to fit naturally into your Disneyland day.

Use it when your feet are tired. Take it to another part of the park. Ride the complete circuit when attraction waits are getting longer. Or climb aboard simply because you want to experience one of the attractions that was part of Disneyland when Walt Disney opened the park in 1955.

Along the way, you’ll pass familiar Disneyland scenery, travel along the Rivers of America and eventually find yourself staring into the Grand Canyon and a world filled with dinosaurs.

That’s a lot more interesting than simply getting from one station to another.

Start Your Disneyland Day Just Across the Street

One of the nicest things about the Railroad is that you encounter its history almost immediately after entering Disneyland.

Guests staying at Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn are directly across Harbor Boulevard from the Disneyland Resort pedestrian entrance. Once you’re inside Disneyland Park, the Main Street Railroad Station is one of the first landmarks you’ll see.

You don’t necessarily need to board immediately. In fact, your first few hours may be better spent experiencing other attractions while everyone still has plenty of energy.

But remember that station later.

After you’ve crossed Disneyland on foot a few times, that steam whistle starts sounding considerably more inviting.

Climb the stairs, find a seat and let one of Disneyland’s oldest attractions do the walking for you.