|
|
LAKE BUENA VISTA,
Fla. – Walt Disney was always fascinated by the
railroad. His uncle Mike was a train engineer, and
as a teen, Walt sold gum, cigars and soda pop to
passengers as the train made its daily stops at the
railroad depot in Walt’s boyhood home, Marceline,
Mo.
When Walt grew older and moved to California, he
built a half-mile scale model railway in his
backyard. Guests young and old were invited aboard
his “Carolwood Pacific Railroad.” In fact, Walt
could often be seen straddling one of the one-eighth
scale cars as it chugged along the sprawling track
layout.
Later, when he began his grandest project –
Disneyland – a railroad was one of the first
attractions he placed in his new theme park.
“Walt built his larger model train at home, and it
turned out to be one of the catalysts that got him
thinking about Disneyland,” says Dave Smith,
director of Archives for The Walt Disney Co. “He had
wanted a place where parents and children could have
fun together, and this was happening in his backyard
as he gave rides to his daughters and their
friends.”
When Walt began the design for what he called the
“Florida Project” – now known as Walt Disney World
Resort – he once again wanted the train station
placed near the entrance to the park.
More than 30 years later, Walt’s fascination with
trains and the railroad is still reflected
throughout Walt Disney World Resort.
The newest train adventure is Expedition Everest,
a runaway train adventure at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
that combines coaster thrills with an encounter with
the enormous creature that fiercely guards the route
to Mount Everest. The new fun involves
out-of-control railcars that race forward and
backward, sending guests swooping into the unknown
to brave twists, turns and drops inside and outside
a mighty mountain. It all leads to an unforgettable
encounter with the yeti. The opening of Expedition
Everest is part of the “Happiest Celebration on
Earth,” honoring 50 years of Disney theme parks and
commemorating the 1955 opening of Disneyland. The
celebration began in 2005 with the launch of new
shows and attractions at Disney parks around the
world. Towering nearly 200 feet high and occupying a
6.2-acre site, Expedition Everest is located in the
Asia section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
In addition to the twists and turns of Expedition
Everest, here are a few other train-inspired
attractions and locations at the Florida Vacation
Kingdom:
Walt Disney World Railroad, Magic Kingdom:
Vintage steam-powered trains have transported guests
around Magic Kingdom since the theme park’s opening
day in 1971. Baldwin Locomotive Works of
Philadelphia originally built the brightly painted
locomotives in the 1910s and 1920s. They were
purchased from United Railways of Yucatan,
disassembled and shipped to a Tampa, Fla., ship
repair dock where they were renovated, bolt by bolt.
The passenger cars were fabricated from scratch in
the same warehouse where the locomotives were
renovated. Originally wood burners, the locomotives
were converted and currently are oil burners. The
shiny steam engines take guests on a leisurely,
1.5-mile grand-circle tour around Magic Kingdom with
stops at three stations – Main Street, U.S.A.,
Frontierland and Mickey’s Toontown Fair.
“The Magic Behind Our Steam Trains Tour,”
Magic Kingdom: Walt’s passion for steam trains comes
alive during a behind-the-scenes peek at the Walt
Disney World Railroad. The two-hour tour takes place
at Magic Kingdom where guests observe cast members
preparing for the daily operation of the Walt Disney
World Railroad. Cost of the tour is $30 per person,
and theme park admission is required. For schedules
and more information, guests may call 407/WDW-TOUR
(939-8687).
Wildlife Express, Disney’s Animal Kingdom:
For most of Disney’s Animal Kingdom guests, Wildlife
Express is a novel way to travel by train in the
newest Walt Disney World theme park. The train runs
from the African village of Harambe to Rafiki’s
Planet Watch, an interactive center focusing on
animals worldwide. But for railroad buffs, the
puffing steam engines and their open-air carriages
provide a nostalgic adventure extending the legends
of British railroading in the mountains and jungles
of far-off colonies.
Three engines and two sets of cars were built in
1997 only a few miles from William Shakespeare’s
cottage in Stratford-on-Avon by the model-railroad
firm of Severn Lamb, Ltd. The company has made
trains for parks throughout the United Kingdom and
Europe, including one for Disneyland Paris. Each
five-car train at Disney’s Animal Kingdom seats 250
passengers on contoured benches facing sideways. The
Express travels a 1.2-mile circle-tour route built
in narrow-gauge (3.3-foot rail width) to fit the
scale of its Disney’s Animal Kingdom surroundings.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Magic Kingdom:
One of Magic Kingdom’s most popular attractions, Big
Thunder Mountain Railroad is a mine train adventure
with plenty of twists and turns. This “E-Ticket”
favorite in Frontierland has been thrilling guests
since 1980 and is one of the attractions that now
offers Disney’s FASTPASS service. Led by a runaway
mine train engine, guests ride in converted ore cars
around Big Thunder Mountain – through gorges,
redstone slopes, dry river beds and mysterious
caverns.
The Walt E. Disney Suite, Disney’s Grand
Floridian Resort & Spa: One of the newest luxury
guest suites at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort &
Spa is devoted to the life and times of Walt Disney.
The suite, which features two bedrooms, two and
one-half bathrooms, a living room and an entry hall,
is adorned with vintage photographs of Walt Disney
and his wife Lillian enjoying many of their favorite
pastimes. Walt’s passion for trains is represented
in the suite’s entry hall by a replica of his
“Carolwood Pacific Railway” locomotive in an
enclosed presentation case. The centerpiece of the
living room is a large painting featuring the trains
at Disneyland.
Iron Spike Room, The Villas at Disney’s
Wilderness Lodge: Disney Vacation Club, Disney’s
vacation ownership program, arranged with the Disney
family for the loan of two of Walt’s original
backyard railway cars and a piece of the actual
track, for display in the Iron Spike Room, a living
room-style area in The Villas at Disney’s Wilderness
Lodge. Surrounding the display are vintage
photographs of Walt with his prized train. In
addition to the Iron Spike Room, each of the
resort’s 181 studio, one- and two-bedroom Disney
Vacation Club homes tells the tales of the people
who built and stayed in turn-of-the-20th-century
railroad hotels in the national parks region of the
Old West. |
|
 |
|
