The Disneyland Railroad (reporting markDRR), originally known as the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gaugeheritage railroad and attraction in the Disneyland Resort's Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California in the United States.[1] Its route is 1.2 miles (1.9 km) in length and encircles the vast majority of the park, with stations in the Main Street, U.S.A., New Orleans Square, Mickey's Toontown, and Tomorrowland sections.[2] The rail line, which was built by WED Enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering), is operated with two steam locomotives built by WED Enterprises and three historic steam locomotives originally built by Baldwin Locomotive Works.[3][4]
The Disneyland Railroad opened to the public for the first time on July 17, 1955, the same day that the Disneyland park first opened.[5][6] Since then the DRR has become one of the world's most popular steam-powered railroads, with an estimated 6.6 million passengers served each year.[7]
The DRR temporarily closed on January 11, 2016 to accommodate the construction of Star Wars Land and is scheduled to reopen in Summer 2017.[8][9]
History
Attraction concept origins
The Central Pacific No. 173 locomotive served as the basis for the 1:8-scale design of Walt Disney's Carolwood Pacific No. 173 Lilly Belle locomotive, which in turn was later used as the basis for the 5:8-scale design of the DRR's first two locomotives.
Walt Disney, the creator of the concepts for Disneyland and the Disneyland Railroad, always had a strong fondness for trains.[10][11] As a young boy, he began to have the desire of becoming a train engineer like his uncle, Mike Martin, who would tell him stories about his experiences driving mainline trains on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.[12][13] As a teenager, he obtained a job as a news butcher on the Missouri Pacific Railway, selling various products to train passengers including newspapers, candy, and cigars.[14] Many years later, after co-founding The Walt Disney Company with his older brother Roy O. Disney, he developed an interest in playing polo, but after receiving several injuries including fractured vertebrae, his doctor made a recommendation that he pursue a calmer recreational activity.[15] Starting in late 1947, he began to develop an interest in model trains after purchasing several Lionel train sets.[16]
By 1948, Walt Disney's interest in model trains began to evolve into an interest in larger, ridable miniature trains after observing the trains and backyard railroad layouts of several hobbyists including Disney animator Ollie Johnston.[17] In 1949, after purchasing 5 acres (20,000 m2) of vacant land in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, he started construction on a new residence for himself and his family, and on the elaborate 7+1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge ridable miniature Carolwood Pacific Railroad behind it.[18][19] The railroad featured a set of freight cars pulled by the Lilly Belle, a 1:8-scalelive steam locomotive named after Disney's wife Lillian and built by the Walt Disney Studios' machine shop team led by Roger E. Broggie.[20][21] The locomotive's design, chosen by Walt Disney after seeing a smaller locomotive model with the same design at the home of rail historian Gerald M. Best, was based directly off of copies of the blueprints for the Central Pacific No. 173, a steam locomotive rebuilt by the Central Pacific Railroad in 1872.[20] The Lilly Belle first ran on the Carolwood Pacific Railroad on May 7, 1950.[22] Walt Disney's backyard railroad attracted visitors interested in riding his miniature steam train and on weekends, when the railroad was operating, he allowed them to do so, even allowing some to become "guest engineers" and drive the train.[23] In Spring 1953, after a visitor drove the Lilly Belle too fast along a curve, causing it to derail and injure a five-year-old girl, Walt Disney, fearing the possibility of future accidents, closed down the Carolwood Pacific Railroad and placed the locomotive in storage.[24][25]
Prior to the incident that closed the Carolwood Pacific Railroad, Walt Disney consulted with Roger Broggie about the concept of including his ridable miniature train in a potential backlot tour of Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, north of Downtown Los Angeles.[26] Broggie, believing that there would be limited visitor capacity for the attraction, recommended to Disney that he make the train bigger in scale.[26] The idea of a backlot tour was eventually replaced by the idea of an amusement park across the street from the studio named Disneyland, and in one of its first design concepts at that proposed location, a miniature steam train ride was included, as well as a larger, narrow gauge steam railroad attraction.[26] During this time, Disney proposed that the narrow gauge Crystal Springs & Southwestern Railroad planned to be built at the nearby Travel Town Museum in Griffith Park be extended to run through Disneyland; however, due to the Ventura Freeway planned to be constructed between the two sites and the Burbank City Council rejecting the idea of a new amusement park in their city, Disney had to look elsewhere for a suitable place to build Disneyland and its narrow gauge railroad.[26]
Planning and construction
A set of 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge Oahu Railway and Land Company passenger cars, preserved at the Travel Town Museum near Walt Disney Studios, were used as the basis for the 5:8-scale design of the DRR's passenger cars.
By 1953, 139 acres (560,000 m2) of orchard land in Anaheim in Orange County, southeast of Downtown Los Angeles, were chosen as the location for the planned Disneyland park and on August 8th of that year, Walt Disney drew the triangular route for the future Disneyland Railroad on the park's site plan.[27] After financing for Disneyland was secured and all of the parcels of land at the Anaheim site were purchased, construction of the park and its railroad began in August 1954.[28] In order to cut costs, a sponsorship deal was arranged with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF) and when it was finalized on March 29, 1955, the official full name of the DRR became the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad.[29] The DRR was known by that name until September 30, 1974 when the AT&SF Railway's sponsorship ended.[29]
Prior to the start of construction of the DRR, in the hope of saving money by buying already-existing trains for the attraction, an attempt was made by Walt Disney to purchase a set of 19 in (483 mm) gauge ridable miniature locomotives from William "Billy" Jones, but after Jones declined his offer, Disney decided that he wanted the railroad's rolling stock to be bigger and made from scratch.[30] For this task, Disney again turned to Roger Broggie, who was confident that he and the Walt Disney Studios' machine shop team could simply use the design of Disney's 1:8-scale miniature Lilly Belle locomotive and enlarge it to build the DRR's locomotives.[30] The exact size of the rolling stock for the new railroad was determined after Disney saw a set of narrow gauge Oahu Railway and Land Company passenger cars that had recently arrived at the Travel Town Museum near Walt Disney Studios, whose dimensions Disney found to be favorable.[30][31] The scale of the design for the DRR's passenger cars, based on the 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge passenger cars at the Travel Town Museum, was nominally 5:8-scale when compared to the size of 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge rolling stock.[30] This same scale was also chosen for the steam locomotives planned to be built for the DRR, and when its locomotives and passenger cars were completed and paired with its 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge track, the railroad had nearly-identical proportions as those of a conventional 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge railroad.[19][32]
Through WED Enterprises, a legally-separate entity from the Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney retained personal ownership of the DRR and financed the creation of two trains to run on it in time for Disneyland's opening day.[33] The first train, referred to by Disneyland employees as Retlaw 1, would be pulled by the No. 2 locomotive, which was given a turn-of-the-20th century appearance with a straight smokestack (typical of coal-burning locomotives), a circular headlamp, and a small cowcatcher.[34][35] The No. 2 locomotive would pull six 1890s-style passenger cars designed by Bob Gurr, consisting of a combine car, four coaches, and an observation coach.[33][36] The second train, referred to by Disneyland employees as Retlaw 2, would be pulled by the No. 1 locomotive, which was given a late-19th century appearance with a spark-arrestingdiamond smokestack (typical of wood-burning locomotives), a rectangular headlamp, and a large cowcatcher.[34][35] The No. 1 locomotive would pull six freight cars consisting of three cattle cars, two gondolas, and a caboose.[36] While the train cars and most of the parts for the locomotives were built at Walt Disney Studios, the boilers for the locomotives were built by Dixon Boiler Works and their frames were built by Wilmington Iron Works.[34] Final assembly of the locomotives and their tenders took place at the Disneyland site in the DRR's new roundhouse, which was built in one week by a construction crew directed by Park Construction Administrator Joe Fowler, a former US Navyrear admiral.[37] The two original DRR trains cost over US$240,000 to build, with the two locomotives costing over US$40,000 each.[37][38]
Before the opening of Disneyland, a station in the Main Street, U.S.A. section and a station in the Frontierland section were built for the DRR.[36][39] Main Street, U.S.A. Station, an example of Second Empire-style architecture, was built at the entrance to Disneyland using an original design that incorporated forced perspective elements on its upper levels to make it appear to be taller.[40][41] Frontierland Station was built based on the design of the depot building located on the Grizzly Flats Railroad, a full-size 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad owned by Disney animator Ward Kimball in his backyard.[42] Besides the depot building, the DRR's functioning water tower was also built at Frontierland Station.[42][43]
The track layout and operations for the DRR were created by railroad-building expert Earl Vilmer, who was hired for the job by Roger Broggie due to his experiences building railroads in Iran for the Allies during World War II, in France after the war, and later in Venezuela for U.S. Steel.[37] Vilmer designed the operations of the DRR in such a way that each of its two trains would be assigned to a single station on the rail line, making only complete round trips possible.[36][44] The Retlaw 1 passenger train pulled by the No. 2 locomotive only serviced Main Street, U.S.A. Station while the Retlaw 2 freight train pulled by the No. 1 locomotive only serviced Frontierland Station, and with sidings at both stations, the two trains would operate simultaneously and continue down the rail line even if the other train was stopped at its station.[36][44] The first test run of the DRR's trains along the full length of its route occurred on July 10, 1955, one week before Disneyland's grand opening.[5][45]
Opening day
On July 17, 1955, Disneyand's opening day began with Walt Disney pulling the Disneyland Railroad's No. 2 locomotive and its passenger train into Main Street, U.S.A. Station with Art Linkletter, Ronald Reagan, and several television camera crews waiting on the station's platform.[6] Linkletter introduced Disney, as well as California Governor Goodwin J. Knight and AT&SF Railway President Fred G. Gurley riding in the locomotive's cab, who jointly presided over the opening day ceremonies.[6]
Additions in the 1950s
Artist Delmer J. Yoakum (left) painted the DRR's Grand Canyon Diorama.
By 1957, with the DRR becoming overwhelmed by ever-increasing crowds, Walt Disney determined that a third train was needed for the attraction.[46] Instead of having another locomotive built from scratch to pull the train, Disney believed that costs could be saved by purchasing and restoring an already-existing 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge steam locomotive, and the job of finding one was given to Roger Broggie.[47] With the assistance of Gerald Best, a suitable locomotive was found in Louisiana, which had been built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1894 and had previously been used as a switcher at a sugar cane mill in Louisiana owned by the Godchaux Sugar Company.[47] After purchasing the locomotive, it was delivered to the Walt Disney Studios' machine shop where restoration work began, which included installing a new boiler built by Dixon Boiler Works and having its firebox reconfigured to burn diesel oil for fuel to generate steam.[48] This locomotive became the DRR's No. 3 locomotive and it went into service on March 28, 1958, with its final cost after being restored totaling over US$37,000.[48][49]
Joining the No. 3 locomotive in 1958 were five new Narragansett-style open-air passenger cars collectively referred to by Disneyland employees as the Excursion Train, which was designed by Bob Gurr and built at Walt Disney Studios.[50]
On March 31, 1958, the No. 3 locomotive participated in the inauguration ceremony for the DRR's Grand Canyon Diorama featuring a foreground with several life-like animals and a background painted by artist Delmer J. Yoakum on a single piece of seamless canvas measuring 306 feet (93 m) long by 34 feet (10 m) high, which was covered with 300 US gallons (1,100 L) of paint in fourteen colors.[49][51] Located inside a tunnel on the DRR's route, the diorama was claimed by Disneyland to be the longest in the world and during its inauguration, it was blessed by Chief Nevangnewa, a 96-year-old chief of the HopiNative American tribe.[46][49] The diorama cost over US$367,000 and took 80,000 labor hours to construct.[49]
The addition of the Grand Canyon Diorama in 1958 prompted changes to the Retlaw 2 freight train pulled by the DRR's No. 1 locomotive, which involved adding lengthwise bench seating facing inwards towards Disneyland and red-and-white striped canopies on all of the cattle cars and gondolas, as well as removing the inward-facing walls on the cattle cars, allowing for superior views of the diorama.[50] At the same time, a third gondola with the same modifications as the other gondolas was added, and a fourth gondola with the same attributes was added in 1959, bringing the total number of freight cars in the train set, now referred to by Disneyland employees as Holiday Red, to eight.[50]
Also in 1958, a new station in the Tomorrowland section and a new station in the Fantasyland section were built for the DRR.[52] Tomorrowland Station, consisting of a covered platform with no station building, was constructed in April 1958 with a futuristic theme, which was updated in 1998 as part of a redevelopment of the Tomorrowland section.[52] The Fantasyland Depot was constructed later in 1958 with a Medieval theme, and was removed by July 1966 when the It's a Small World attraction, originally built for the 1964 New York World's Fair, was installed.[52] With the addition of the DRR's third train and two new stations, the system of having one train assigned to a single station was abandoned and replaced by the current system where each train travels in the same direction along the railroad's route.[53]
Around the same time that the No. 3 locomotive was placed into service in 1958, Roger Broggie decided that the DRR needed an additional locomotive so that maintenance could be routinely performed on the railroad's locomotive fleet.[50][54] After Walt Disney concurred with the decision, Broggie once again began searching for an already-existing 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge steam locomotive to purchase and restore.[50] Broggie eventually found an advertisement in a rail magazine offering a suitable locomotive for sale in New Jersey and after contacting and receiving key information from the seller, Broggie passed on the information to Gerald Best to research the locomotive. Best was able to determine that the locomotive had been built by Baldwin Locomotive Works (the same manufacturer of the DRR's No. 3 locomotive) in 1925 and had previously been used to pull tourist trains on the Pine Creek Railroad in New Jersey.[55] After purchasing the locomotive, it was delivered to the Walt Disney Studios' machine shop where restoration work began, which included installing a new boiler built by Dixon Boiler Works and giving it a new tender built by Fleming Metal Fabricators.[54] This locomotive became the DRR's No. 4 locomotive and it went into service on July 25, 1959, with its final cost after being restored totaling over US$57,000.[54]
Changes from the 1960s to present
The interior of the DRR's Lilly Belle parlor car.
In 1962, to accommodate construction of the New Orleans Square section, Frontierland Station's depot building was moved across the DRR's tracks, and a covered platform with no station building was built in its place.[56] Despite the fact that the station was no longer in the Frontierland section, its name was not changed to New Orleans Square Station until September 1996.[56]
By 1965, the six passenger cars of the DRR's Retlaw 1 train, due to their slow passenger loading and unloading times, began to be discontinued from service.[35] In July 1974, the Retlaw 1 passenger cars were retired and stored in the DRR's roundhouse, except for the Grand Canyon observation coach, which was converted into a parlor car and renamed Lilly Belle after Walt Disney's wife Lillian.[35][57] The Lilly Belle was given a new exterior paint job and a new interior, which included varnishedmahogany paneling, velour curtains and seats, a floral-patterned wool rug, and Disney family pictures framed and hung on the walls.[57] The first official passenger to come aboard the Lilly Belle after its conversion into a parlor car was Japanese EmperorHirohito and since then, it can be regularly seen coupled on the ends of the DRR's trains.[57] In 1996, the five other Retlaw 1 passenger cars were sold to rail collector Bill Norred in exchange for a new narrow gauge steam locomotive, which ended up not being suitable for the DRR's operations.[35] In 1999, after Norred died the previous year, his family sold the four coaches of the former Retlaw 1 passenger train to the Pacific Coast Railroad Company in Santa Margarita, California, leaving only the Retlaw 1 combine car in the Norred family's possession.[58][59] On July 10, 2010, the Norred family sold the Retlaw 1 combine car to the Carolwood Foundation, which restored it and put it on display next to Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn within the Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum complex in Los Angeles' Griffith Park.[22][60]
In Spring 1966, the five-car Holiday Green train set with green-and-white-striped canopies, and the five-car Holiday Blue train set with blue-and-white-striped canopies, were added to the DRR's rolling stock, with both containing sideways-facing bench seating like the Holiday Red freight train.[61]
Also in 1966, on July 1, the DRR's Primeval World Diorama was put on display adjacent to the Grand Canyon Diorama.[62] The Audio-Animatronic dinosaurs from the Ford Magic Skyway, one of the attractions created by Disney for the 1964 New York World's Fair, were incorporated into the Primeval World Diorama, including a Tyrannosaurus confronting a Stegosaurus.[63]
In June 1985, the new Videopolis Station, consisting of a covered platform with no station building, was built in the Fantasyland section for the DRR.[43] Mickey's Toontown Depot, consisting of a cartoon-themed depot building and a non-functioning water tower, replaced Videopolis Station in 1993.[43]
Ride experience
The DRR's water tower at New Orleans Square Station.
Beginning at Main Street, U.S.A. Station adjacent to Disneyland's entrance, where a genuine pump-style handcar built by the Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company can be seen on a siding, the trains of the Disneyland Railroad travel along its single track in a clockwise direction on its circular route.[42][53] The journey from Main Street, U.S.A. Station travels northwest along Disneyland's border, just outside the park's main berm from the Jungle Cruise attraction. Guests get a glimpse of an antelope on the berm before the train passes through the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, themed as Mardi Gras Carnival staging area, before arriving at New Orleans Square Station. A sound effect of a telegraph operator using a telegraph key to enter Morse code can be heard emanating from the old Frontierland Station building across the tracks, which continuously repeats the first two lines of Walt Disney's 1955 Disneyland dedication speech. After the journey restarts, the train passes into a tunnel through the berm between façade and show building of the Haunted Mansion attraction. Shortly thereafter passengers catch a glimpse of the Splash Mountain attraction's "Zip-a-Dee Lady" riverboat finale scene before crossing over the Critter Country section on a trestle bridge. The track then follows the outer edge of the Rivers of America, where guests glimpse minor wildlife scenes, a Native American chief riding a horse, and a settler's log cabin across the river within the Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island attraction. The train then passes behind the Festival of Fools picnic grounds and passes through a tunnel before arriving at Mickey's Toontown Depot. The trains then pass the Autopia attraction before entering Tomorrowland Station. Leaving Tomorrowland Station, viewers get a quick glimpse of the Innoventions building before entering a tunnel leading to the Grand Canyon Diorama. The main theme from On the Trail, the third movement of Ferde Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite, can be heard from the sound systems on the DRR's trains as they approach the diorama.[49] The Grand Canyon Diorama is immediately followed by the Primeval World Diorama. As the DRR's trains travel past this diorama, music from the 1961 film Mysterious Island can be heard from their sound systems.[64] After a brief stretch along the berm, the train arrives back at Main Street, U.S.A. Station, completing what the park refers to as The Grand Circle Tour.
An option to ride on a seat in the tenders of the DRR's locomotives is available upon request at Main Street, U.S.A. Station at the start of each operating day.[65] The option to ride in the DRR's Lilly Belle parlor car is also available upon request at Main Street, U.S.A. Station, when a Disneyland employee is available to monitor the passengers aboard it and no heavy rain is present.[65]
The DRR's otherwise-restricted roundhouse, where the trains are stored and maintained, can be viewed by participants of specific runDisney events where the race course organized for the runners goes past the facility.[66][67]
Rolling stock
Locomotives
A view of the backhead inside the cab of the DRR's No. 1 locomotive.
The Disneyland Railroad currently has five steam locomotives, the first four of which are named after former AT&SF Railway presidents.[29][49][54]
The No. 3 locomotive and the No. 5 locomotive were originally Forneytank locomotives, which were often used on suburban or branch line trains due to their ability to make their return journeys in reverse with the tender fuel tank facing forward.[47]
As of 2007, each DRR locomotive has been converted to use B98 biodiesel to generate steam, which burns cleaner than traditional steam locomotive fuels like wood, coal, or fuel oil.[72] Disneyland then began recycling its own cooking oil into biodiesel, which reduced fuel costs even further and gives credence to passengers being able to smell french fries in the tunnels of the DRR.[7][73]
The table below lists the details of the DRR's locomotives.[4][74]
Designed to resemble the Baltimore and Ohio No. 774 locomotive, per advice from Gerald Best.[34] This locomotive is mechanically-identical to the DRR's No. 1 locomotive.[34]
Originally built for the Laurel Valley Plantation of Louisiana. In 1999, Disneyland received it in trade from the Cedar Point amusement park's Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad as the inoperative Maud L., which was restored and put into service for the park's fiftieth anniversary celebration in 2005.
Train cars
The passenger cars of the DRR's Retlaw 1 train in 1960.
Retlaw 2, the original freight train on the Disneyland Railroad, originally consisted of three cattle cars and two gondolas numbered 201–205 with a caboose numbered 206, which always trailed behind. Initially, there was no seating in the cattle cars or open gondolas; most of the passengers were to remain standing the entire trip. Only the caboose had seats; four of the seats were up in the cupola. By 1958, these freight cars, except for the caboose, received red-and-white-striped canopies and holiday-style benches facing the right side of the train, and two additional train cars (one in 1958 and one in 1959) built in the same style, were added to the train set (the caboose was renumbered 208 as a result), which became known as Holiday Red.[50] The two rows of center-loading bench seating facing inward to the park on each freight car, except for the caboose, allowed for quick disembarking and embarking at the stations and allowed for easier viewing of the Grand Canyon Diorama and the Primeval World Diorama.
Retlaw 1, the original passenger train on the Disneyland Railroad, consisted of six yellow passenger coaches with green letter boards, red wheels, and clerestory windows. Combination coach No. 101, affectionately known as the Combine, was a combination baggage/express and coach seating. Although labeled with Wells Fargo Express and U.S. Mail, it never was used as a railway post office, but it was equipped with a strong box. The Combine was Walt Disney's favorite train car on the DRR because it brought back pleasant memories of his youth working as a news butcher on the Missouri Pacific Railway.[33] The rest of the passenger cars were officially named, with each coach bearing painted green titles on their sides reflecting the Santa Fe sponsor. Their names were No. 102 Navajo Chief, No. 103 Colorado Rockies, No. 104 Land of Pueblos, No. 105 Painted Desert, and No. 106 Grand Canyon. The latter was an observation coach, which featured larger twin windows and a grand observation platform with a candy-stripped canopy skirt over the illuminated Santa Fe & Disneyland Limited drumhead sign on the end. The first five passenger cars were retired in 1974 and sold in 1996. The Grand Canyon observation coach remained on the DRR and was converted into the Lilly Belle parlor car.[35][57]
Each train is manned by four Disney "cast members": two conductors, an engineer, and a fireman. The engineer is charged with operation of the locomotive and the fireman is responsible for maintaining the fire as well as water level in the boiler.
The conductors are responsible for the operation and safety of each station and the trains. Duties as station attendants involve passenger counts, answering questions and assisting passengers. While on the train the conductor runs the spiel box and makes safety announcements (narration is left up to a recorded voice). Trains cannot move without approval from the conductor. The conductors work in rotation.
Opening
Early in the morning the first crew arrives at the roundhouse to get the first train ready to depart. The maintenance crew will mark on the board which trains are to be used and the order in which they are to be removed from the roundhouse.
The first crew will prep and take out the first train listed. Safety and readiness checks are performed by the conductor as the engineers and firemen prepare the locomotive for a day of operation. The conductor, who is in charge of the train and its motion, inspects the track and arrangement of the switches in the yard outside of the roundhouse to ensure safe passage out of the roundhouse to the park.
Once the boiler has reached working pressure and the engineers are ready to go, they will signal using the forward motion whistle (two short whistles). After a reply from the conductor's buzzer (two short buzzes) recognizing the whistle signal, the train will proceed into the park.
In the morning, the roundhouse operating engineers will test the safety systems on the train. The main tests include intentionally popping the safety valves. The safety valves are set to release excess steam to avoid going above the boiler's maximum working pressure. After the first train is on the rail line, the second is not far behind. As this is going on, other conductors arrive at the stations in the park and prepare for the trains' arrival.
In service
When the park opens, the first train departs from Main Street, U.S.A. Station. The second will be just behind. Typically, three trains are used daily, with a fourth sometimes coming out on busy days later in the morning.
Each lap around Disneyland should be completed in approximately 18 minutes. This timing is established and maintained by the first train. The second and third trains keep up with the first train as much as possible. The goal is to have the first train at Main Street, U.S.A. Station on the hour and at :20 and :40 past. If a trains falls behind, it needs to catch up (or drop behind a lap) to get the first train to the top of the hour. This is necessary to meet the park's scheduled closing procedures.
Block signals
The DRR featured trackside block signals along the rail line which resemble a typical traffic signal with two lights, red above green, which indicated to the engineers and conductor position of the trains on the system by proximity of the train ahead. Since 2004 in-cab signaling, colored lights in the cab near the engineer, inform the crew of the status of the track ahead. Before the in-cab block signal, there were ten block signals along the track. Now, four remain. One at each station.
The lights typically change in this order in both directions: Green <--> Yellow/Green <--> Red <--> Yellow/Red
In a three-train operation the conductors will not allow the train to proceed on a yellow/green signal. This keeps the trains spaced for more consistent service in the stations and prevents the train from having to stop in between stations. In a four-train operation conductors can move trains on the yellow/green signal. This is because there will almost always be a train in the second block ahead. Due to the lack of one more coach set, five-train operations aren't possible as the Retlaw 1 coaches were sold.
The Disneyland trackside signals, no longer the primary block indication, operate unlike most other railroads. On most railroads the signals change red as soon as the block is occupied, so once the locomotive trips the signal, the rest of the train will see that they are entering a red block. At Disneyland, this is instead represented by a flashing green, indicating zero approach to the crew while not upsetting the guests with an apparent safety violation.
Observant guests at New Orleans Station can know when the train is about to approach even before the announcement or bell by keeping an eye on the vintage semaphore as it starts to change from green/up to red/down.
Whistle signaling
Communication has always been the primary purpose of signaling whistles and horns. While the train is operated as a team, the conductor is ultimately responsible for its safety, and so is in command with the final say regarding train operation. On the DRR, engineers use the whistle to communicate intent. The conductors indicate the same patterns by pressing a button wired to a bell in the locomotive cab. At stations the conductor signals it is safe for the train to proceed by calling aloud "All aboard!" Although in later years, the conductor would stand on the rear of the observation car and tell the guests that the train is ready for departure. Engineers will acknowledge by signaling with two short whistles. The conductor then alights his running board and keys confirmation with two short button presses. The common whistles on the DRR are:
One Short – Attention
Two Shorts – Forward Movement
Three Shorts – Reverse Movement
One Long – Stop Immediately / Emergency stop
One Long, One Short – Approaching a Station
One Long, Two Shorts – Crew spotted along track (also used as a general greeting)
Five Shorts – Shave and a haircut
Two Longs, One Short, One Long – Public Crossing ahead
Two Longs, One Short – Meeting Point (junction)
Four Longs – Train in distress
The train bell is rung upon the train's arrival towards a station as well as on the approach to a crossing. As with the whistle, the bell being rung is an official and mandatory signaling sequence. This system is also used at the Walt Disney World Railroad. Strangely, the bell is not rung when departing a station, which is required by Federal Railroad Administration regulations. In addition to federal regulation, another form of greeting is signaled by exchange of whistles when the Mark Twain Riverboat is sighted from along the banks of the Rivers of America - "Shave and a Haircut" by the first, and "two bits" by reply, and occasionally responded in kind by the second and "two bits" reply.
Closing
When a train is going out of service, all guests can ride back to Toontown where the conductors will then notify the guests that the train is being taken off the rail line.
At park closing however, the conductors announce the departure of the last train, also known as the "Sweeper Train". All guests can ride until the train arrives back at Main Street, U.S.A. Station. Once back at Main Street, U.S.A., the conductors walk the length of the train to ensure that there are no passengers remaining and any items accidentally left behind are unloaded to the station attendants and brought to lost and found. This procedure is the same for all the trains.
After the train is cleared for departure, the conductor will signal the engineers with the forward movement signal. Then the train departs for the switch past the It's a Small World attraction. When the train is visible by backstage, the driver will blow 3 shorts (or longs). Once a train passes the switch it stops. One of the conductors will jump off the train and throw the switch to allow the train to back to the roundhouse.
At this point the engineer relies on the conductor to guide the train to back towards the roundhouse. This continues until the train is backed completely into the roundhouse. Another conductor will throw the switch back to allow another train to leave if one or more remain; otherwise the switch is left where it is.
Maintenance
After closing, the trains get refueled with biodiesel and have their throttle locked so no one can move them. They also place wheel chocks on the drivers so they can't roll away. The trains will then get cleaned and get TLC. The night maintenance crew checks every bit of the locomotives and consists from the battery operating the sound system to the wheels, to the brakes, and to the look. No train will ever be left outside the facility because routine maintenance is performed nightly.
^ ab"Walt's Barn". The Carolwood Society. October 23, 2016. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2017. ((cite web)): Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^"Carolwood Chronicle, Fall 2010"(PDF). Carolwood Pacific Historical Society. Fall 2010. Archived from the original(PDF) on January 31, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017. ((cite web)): Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^"Pacific Coast Railroad". Santa Margarita Ranch. January 11, 2017. Archived from the original on January 11, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017. ((cite web)): Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^"Hot Rail! Newsletter, Summer 2008"(PDF). Fullerton Railway Plaza Assoc., Inc./Southern California Scenic Railway Assoc., Inc. Summer 2008. Archived from the original(PDF) on September 8, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2017. ((cite web)): Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^"Hot Rail! Newsletter, Spring 2013"(PDF). Southern California Railway Plaza Assoc., Inc./Southern California Scenic Railway Assoc., Inc. Spring 2013. Archived from the original(PDF) on September 8, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2017. ((cite web)): Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
Amendola, Dana (2015), All Aboard: The Wonderful World of Disney Trains (1st ed.), Disney Editions, ISBN978-1-4231-1714-8((citation)): Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
DeGaetano, Steve (2015a), The Disneyland Railroad: A Complete History in Words and Pictures (2nd ed.), Theme Park Press, ISBN978-1-941500-56-9((citation)): Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
Smith, Dave (2012), Disney Trivia from the Vault: Secrets Revealed and Questions Answered (1st ed.), Disney Editions, ISBN978-1-4231-5370-2((citation)): Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
Trahan, Kendra D. (2005), Disneyland Detective: An INDEPENDENT Guide to Discovering Disney's Legend, Lore, and Magic! (1st ed.), PermaGrin Publishing, ISBN0-9717464-0-0((citation)): Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
Further reading
DeGaetano, Steve (2015b), The Ward Kimball: The Story of Disneyland Engine No. 5 (2nd ed.), Theme Park Press, ISBN978-1-941500-58-3((citation)): Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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