Even though the trains aren’t running, guests can steam on over to the Disneyland Railroad Toontown Station for a little DLRR history! Engineers are available during the day to offer insight and give fun facts about our beloved Disneyland Railroadn and it’s unique steam trains.
Ride the Legendary Rails
As described on the Disneyland website: “Steam along the banks of the Rivers of America and behold rugged landscapes inspired by 4 of America’s majestic rivers: the Mississippi, the Columbia, the Missouri and the Rio Grande. Each are carefully recreated, complete with indigenous rock formations, wildlife and picturesque waterfalls.
“Between the Tomorrowland and Main Street, U.S.A. stations, a special treat awaits! See Walt Disney’s legendary dioramas of the Grand Canyon and Primeval World – Land of the Dinosaurs, where you’ll encounter a thrilling prehistoric land of towering Audio-Animatronics dinosaurs come to life.
The Disneyland Railroad is a handy way to get around the park. Trains are scheduled to arrive every 5 to 10 minutes at most times throughout the day and travel clockwise around the park.”
Building the Anticipation
As you approach the station, you’ll notice a replica of the “current location” map housed in the Main Street Station. There are also a few attraction posters on the concealing walls. Each poster is a version that has been displayed at the Disneyland main entrance. Though they are faithful reproductions, the artwork had to be altered to remove any references to the Santa Fe Railroad. Because of this, the posters on display have a footnote at the bottom that honors the original artists, such as: “Inspired by Bjorn Aronson”. But, when talking to the engineers, he pointed out that we can see a small Santa Fe logo still on one of the tender cars in the poster!
The Disneyland Railroad is a handy way to get around the park.
About the Engines
After the attraction posters, we see a section with statistics and facts about each of the five engines of the Disneyland Railroad.The plaques for each of the engines give information such as “Date Entered Service” and “Water Capacity” and even “Boiler Diameter”. However, we were told that some of the info is out of date(!). Not sure what info is not accurate (we didn’t press the issue), but sad that some of it is not correct.
Our tour guide, Mark, was extremely knowledgeable and more than happy to talk to us about the trains. He gave us so much trivia, we can’t even remember all the tidbits he shared. From letting us know that Bob Gurr designed the touring cars to stating each of the first four engines were named after the presidents of the Santa Fe Railroad, we had our fill of DLRR fun facts. He even shared an incorrect “fact” often mentioned during the exclusive Disneyland Railroad Guided Tour. He said that tour guides often claim that the Lilly Belle is only pulled by engine #1, the C. K. Holliday. That is not true; the Lilly Belle can be and is sometimes pulled by any of the engines. It just depends on which one is on for when the Lilly Belle is being brought out.
We also found out that they do offer rides in the tender cars…as long as the whole crew is agreeable to it. If you’d like to ride right behind the engineers, simply ask a conductor at the Main Street station. If they are able, they just might get you a very special ride aboard the tender car!
Make a Stop at Toontown Station
So, if you’re a train enthusiast, or just a curious newbie, be sure to stop at the Toontown Station! Get to know some engineers and learn more about the wonderful Disneyland Railroad!
Theme Park Casual
Vlogger, Podcast Host, Ice Cream Aficionado
Infatuated with theme parks since he can remember, TPC enjoys visiting, discussing and critiquing all things theme parks. Having been in the marketing and graphic design industry for more than 25 years, he gives a designer's perspective to the entertainment and attraction offerings at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Knott's Berry Farm and other So Cal venues.