The Trains of The Disneyland Resort

Disneyland...
Disneyland Railroad Opened July 17, 1955...
The Disneyland Railroad is a narrow-gauge railroad. The two original "iron horses" were custom built by WED Enterprise in 1955. The last three narrow-gauge locomotives were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s as real work trains. Each was completely rebuilt and refurbished and has a unique design, paint scheme and history.

The Locomotives:
Number One... C.K. Holliday- Named for Cyrus Kurtz Holliday (1826-1900), who was the founder of the Atchison & Topeka Railroad.

Number Two... E.P.Ripley- Named for Edward Payson Ripley (1845-1920), who became president of the newly reorganized Atchison, Topeka &Santa Fe Railway in 1895.

Number Three... Fred Gurley- Named for Fred Gurley (1889-1976), who was Walt's friend and the President of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway at the time. The locomotive debuted on March 28, 1958. The Fred Gurley is the oldest steam engine at the Disneyland Resort.

Number Four... Ernest S.Marsh- The Ernest S.Marsh entered service on July 25, 1959. It was named for Ernest S. Marsh (1903-1975), who was the president of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway at the time.

Number Five... Ward Kimball- On June 25,2005, the Ward Kimball (1914-2002), the fifth locomotive to run at Disneyland is a tribute to one of the men who helped encourage and nurture Walt Disney's interest in trains and, as an animator,was one of his "Nine Old Men."



Casey Jr. Train, Opened July 31,1955...
Themed after the train in Dumbo, Casey Jr. Train transports Guests around and above Fantasyland, giving Guests a bird's eye view of Storybook Land. (My oldest daughter "Kimberly" was a Cast Member on this attraction)


Disneyland Monorail, Opened June 14,1959...
At the time,the modern-looking monorail was considered to be the future of train travel. It was the first daily operating monorail in the country,and originally known as the Disneyland-Aiweg Monorail System, with Alweg the German company that aided in its design.


Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Opened Sept.2,1979...
This year the "wildest ride in the wilderness" celebrates its 30th anniversary. This classic attraction was designed by Tony Baxter who was inspired by Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. The railroad replaced Rainbow Caverns Mine Train but some reminders of the old attraction can still be seen.


Disney's California Adventure

Heimlich's Chew Chew Train, Opened October7,2002...
Candy Corn! The lovable Heimlich from Disney/Pixar's A Bug's Life eats his way around candy corn,animal crackers and watermelon.


California Zephyr, Opened February 8,2001...
The home of Engine Ears Toys, Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream hosted by Nestle Ice Cream and Baker's Field Bakery.


Past Disneyland Trains...

The Viewliner, June 26,1957 to Sept. 15, 1958...
This modernistic train traveled around Tomorrowland.

Rainbow Caverns Mine Train, July 2,1956 to Oct.11,1959...
Traveling through Frontierland, this attraction later became the Mine Train through Nature's Wonderland(1960-1977).



Learn More about Walt's Love of trains...


For those wanting to learn more about Walt's train fascination, here are some great places to start:

A) Hop aboard one of the trains at any Disney theme park in the world. At Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort, one of the trains has been named Walter E. Disney.

B) Visit The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, where they have the actual Lilly Belle, Walt's personal train.

C)Read Walt Disney's Railroad Story by Michael Broggie.

D)Every third Sunday of the month Cast Members are invited to see Walt's Carolwood barn at Griffith Park from 11a.m.-3p.m.

E)Now through Jan.19,visit the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda to see the annual Holiday Train Festival. Models of Ward Kimball's two steam trains and original pieces of the Monorail will be on display.


ALL ABOARD!!! DR LEE