| Walt Disney World Railroad | |
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Walt Disney World Railroad and Monorail System Map |
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| Reporting mark | WDWRR |
| Locale | Magic Kingdom |
| Dates of operation | October 1, 1971–Present |
| Track gauge | 3 feet (910 mm) gauge |
| Length | 7,817 feet (2,383 m) |
| Headquarters | Bay Lake, Florida |
The Walt Disney World Railroad (or WDWRR for short) is a narrow gauge railroad circling the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World Resort. Operated by Main Street Operations, the 3 ft (914 mm) gauge, 1.5-mile (2.4 km) railroad circles the entire park with stations at Main Street, U.S.A. and Frontierland, and formerly at the now-closed Mickey's Toontown Fair. One of the busiest steam-powered railroads, it transports over 1.5 million passengers each year.
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Walt Disney was an avid railroad enthusiast, who had built a miniature steam railroad, called the Carolwood Pacific Railroad, in his backyard. A full-size, narrow gauge railroad known as the Disneyland Railroad had been included in the design of Disneyland, and would be included at later parks in Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong. For Walt Disney World, Disney scouts Roger Broggie and Earl Vilmer found and purchased five locomotives from Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatan (United Railways of Yucatan) on Mexico's Yucatan peninsula in 1969.
One of the five, deemed to be in too poor a condition to be restored, was sold and presumed scrapped. The other four were brought by rail to the Tampa Shipyards in Tampa, Florida and restored by a crew headed by Disney Imagineer and accomplished live steam builder Bob Harpur. New boilers were constructed for the trains by Dixon Boiler Works of Los Angeles, California and the locomotives themselves were cosmetically backdated to appear older; which included the addition of diamond smoke stacks, boiler jackets, as well as the use of bright colors and polished brass. The tenders were also completely rebuilt and new fiberglass cabs were manufactured and installed on the locomotives. In addition, a total of twenty open-air excursion cars were constucted at the shipyards, each of which could seat up to seventy five passengers. The trains went into service with the opening of Walt Disney World on October 1, 1971.
During 1989–1990, the train played different versions of a song called "Mickey's Birthdayland Express" and "Rollin' on the Walt Disney World Express". After departing Frontierland, the train traveled to Duckberg Station in what was then named Mickey's Birthdayland. During November 1990–1991, when Splash Mountain was under construction, the train had only one destination: it went backwards to Mickey's Starland, and then forward back to Main Street U.S.A. It was also during this time that the original Frontierland Station was demolished to make way for Splash Mountain and the current Frontierland Station was constructed.
In recent years, several of the locomotives and some of the passenger coaches have been overhauled. Key modifications to the passenger coaches have involved moving the PA system/conductor's spiel panel from a position on the rear of the third car to the rear platform on the last car. This lets the conductor see the entire train at one time which allows for safer operation. Side panels were added to the outside-facing sides of the coaches in 2009 to keep passengers from sticking their legs and feet outside of the cars. One set of coaches does not have these outside-facing panels because it is used exclusively for the park opening ceremonies that are held each morning. Characters ride the train to Main Street Station, disembark on the outer station platform and participate in the park opening song and dance performance.
On February 12, 2011, Mickey's Toontown Fair was permanently closed to make way for an expansion to Fantasyland. As a result, the Toontown Station was closed and demolished and a new Fantasyland Station is currently being built in its place. The new Fantasyland Station will feature restroom facilities and will be themed to the Casey Junior circus train from the Dumbo animated film. Following the closure of Toontown Station, a new on-board narration was introduced, which referenced the Fantasyland expansion and referred to the former Toontown Station stop as the "Watering Outpost" during construction since trains were still required to stop there in order to top off the tender with water and maintain the railroad's operating schedule.
The railroad has four different locomotives and four sets of passenger cars. The four locomotives are narrow-gauge locomotives, built between 1916 and 1928 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia.
A regular train consists of a steam locomotive, tender, and five passenger cars with a capacity of approximately 365 passengers and 2 wheelchairs. The tender has a capacity for 1,837 U.S. gallons (6,953 l) of water and 664 U.S. gallons (2,513 l) of fuel oil. The tender needs to be topped off with water every three or four trips (or circuits) around the park. The water tower is located at the former Mickey's Toontown Fair station, nessesitaing the trains still stop there to refill.
Each of the four locomotives is named after those who greatly contributed to the efforts of the Disney Company and Walt Disney World.
This locomotive is named for the man behind the mouse, Walt Disney (1901–1966). Walt loved railroads and his parks have always displayed his love for trains.
The Lilly Belle is named after Walt Disney's wife Lillian Disney (born Lillian Marie Bounds) (1899–1997). "Lilly Belle" is also the name of the scaled-down steam locomotive Disney ran in his own backyard and the parlour car of the Disneyland Railroad. It should also be noted that Lilly Belle was built in 1928, which would make her as old as Mickey Mouse.
Lilly Belle has been retired from day to day passenger service due to frame issues and is used exclusively for the daily park opening ceremonies. All of the coaches on her train set except for the last car do not have the new side panels so that the characters on the train may exit onto the outside platform at Main Street Station. She is steamed up for the opening show where she brings Mickey Mouse and company to Main Street Station. Following the show, she is then brought back to the roundhouse and put on standby. Should one of the other trains encounter a problem during the day, Lilly Belle would be attached to another train's coaches since it takes several hours to add or remove the side panels to the cars.
This locomotive is named after Roger E. Broggie (1908–1991), who led the effort of acquiring the locomotives for the Walt Disney World Railroad and helped build Disney's own Carolwood Pacific Railroad. Roger Broggie was also the original Disney Imagineer who worked on the EPCOT Project.
The Number 4 locomotive is named after Walt Disney's older brother and business partner, Roy Oliver Disney (1893–1971). Roy saw to the completion of his brother's dream after Walt's death in 1966 and completed the construction of then named "Disney World." Roy renamed the resort to "Walt Disney World" in Walt's honor and died just shortly after the Magic Kingdom opened in late 1971.
Roy was offered to have the second 4-6-0 (which is now the "Roger Broggie") named after him, so that the Walt Disney and Roy Disney engines would be alike, but he refused because he "didn't want to be compared to all the great things Walt had done." The Roy O. Disney was the only WDWRR locomotive that was not steaming at the park on Opening Day 1971. Its restoration was not finished until December of that year, shortly after Roy's Death, thus allowing the company to name the locomotive in his honor.
The railroad operates daily, taking its first passengers at 9 AM, year-round. In the past, for safety reasons, it was closed during the fireworks show due to its proximity to the staging area (about 100 yards (91 m) or so behind Fantasyland). Currently the policy is to remove the trains back to the roundhouse one hour before fireworks. The trains do not operate during special events such as Mickey's Pirate and Princess Party, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. A round trip on the WDWRR takes approximately 20 minutes.
Each train is manned by three cast members; a Conductor, an Engineer, and a Fireman. The engineer is charged with operation of the locomotive, the fireman is responsible for maintaining the fire as well as water level in the boiler and the conductor is responsible for the operation and safety of each station and train.
Duties as station attendants involve passenger counts, answering questions and assisting passengers on and off of the trains. While on the train, the conductor runs the spiel box and makes safety announcements. Trains cannot move without approval from the conductor. The conductors work in a rotation, each of which is assigned to a specific train. There are three different rotations to which conductors may be assigned. Conductors are in each spot of the rotation for 20 minutes. The two main rotations, called roundhouses, are called Roundhouse 1 (RH1) and Roundhouse 2 (RH2). A third rotation, called Roundhouse 3 (RH3) is only added when a third train is needed during peak crowd days at the park.
The RH1 rotation is responsible for the Fronterland Station platform, Frontierland Station Greeter, RH1 Train Conductor and RH1 Breaker. The RH2 Rotation is responsible for the Main Street Station platform, the Fantasyland Station (formerly Mickey's Toontown Fair Station) platform, RH2 Train Conductor and RH2 Breaker. When there is a third train in operation, the RH3 rotation is responsible for the Fantasyland Station platform, RH3 Train Conductor and RH3 Breaker.
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 they are to be removed from the roundhouse.
The first crew will prep and take out the first train listed on the board. A crew consists of 3 individuals: the engineer (charged with operation of the locomotive), the fireman (charged with operation of the boiler to provide the steam for the locomotive), and the conductor (charged with management and safe operation of the train and its passengers). Safety and readiness checks are performed by the conductor as the enginemen prepare the locomotive for a day of operation, which is known in the railroading industry as hostling.
As the atomizer requires around 30 pounds/inch² (200 kPa) of steam pressure to operate, a compressed air line must be tapped into the atomizer line when the fire is first lit until enough steam has been raised to re-light the fire atomizing on steam. The conductor, who is in charge of the train and its motion at all times, will inspect the track and arrangement of the switches in the yard outside of the roundhouse to ensure the train will have safe passage out of the roundhouse all the way to the main line around park.
Once the boiler has reached working pressure and the engineers are ready to go, they will signal using the forward motion whistle (2 short whistles). After a reply from the conductor's buzzer (2 short buzzes) recognizing the whistle signal, the train will proceed out of the roundhouse, the length of one car at a time, so that the maintenance crew can complete the morning inspection of the running gear from the maintenance pit below the train.
At different times during the trip into the park the engineers will test the safety systems on the train. The two main tests include intentionally popping the safety valves and purposely running the train past a red block light. The safety valves are set to release excess steam to maintain the boiler's maximum certified working pressure and running the block light will automatically trigger the train brakes. These systems are tested daily to insure that they are working properly. These two tests are considered the most important to ensure safe operation of these steam trains. After the first train is on the main line, the second train is not far behind. As this process is going on, other conductors arrive at the stations in the park and prepare for the trains' arrival.
When the park opens, the first train departs from Main Street Station. The second will be just behind; at the block light between Fantasyland and Main Street Stations or at the Fantasyland Station. Typically, two trains are used daily, with a third sometimes put into service on busy days later in the morning.
Each lap around the Magic Kingdom should be completed in approximately 20 minutes. This timing is established and maintained by the first train that is brought out onto the main line in the morning. The second and third trains keep up with the first train as much as possible. The goal is to have the first train arrive at Main Street Station on the hour and at :20 and :40 past. If any of the other trains fall behind, they will need to catch up or drop behind a lap to get the first train back on schedule. This is necessary to facilitate proper closing procedures on the park's schedule.
The block signals let the engineers and train conductor know the position of the trains on the system. The block signals on the WDWRR resemble a typical traffic light with three lights that are green, yellow, and red. On the main line there are six blocks. Three of them are the stations which include some length of track before the station. The other three blocks are spread out with one between each station.
The lights typically change in this order in both directions: Green <--> Yellow/Green <--> Red <--> Yellow/Red
In a two 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 to the stations and prevents the train from having to stop in between stations. In a three train operation conductors can dispatch trains on the yellow/green signal. The reason for this is because there will almost always be a train in the second block ahead. Four train operations are not possible as there is not enough space on the main line, nor are there enough blocks to do so safely.
As with any railroad, the whistles all have a meaning as they are warning/signaling devices. Many guests are unaware that a train whistles' primary purpose was in fact communication. On the WDWRR, engineers use distinct whistle patterns to communicate while the conductor uses the same patterns with a button which activates a buzzer in the cab of the locomotive.
While the train is operated as a team, the conductor has the final say in the operation of the train; he/she is in command. At the stations, engineers will request to depart by signaling with two short whistles. The conductor will signal it is safe to do so by buzzing the cab with two short buzzes. The common whistle patterns used on the WDWRR are as follows:
The train bell is rung upon the train's arrival at a station when the train is due to pick up passengers (thus not on the last trip when the station platform is clear of guests). As with the whistle, the bell being rung is an official and mandatory signaling sequence. This system is also used at the Disneyland Railroad.
At the end of the evening the conductors at each station announce the departure of the last train. All guests may ride until the train finally arrives at Main Street Station for the last time. Upon arrival, the conductors walk the length of the train to ensure that there are no passengers remaining and any items accidentally left on board are unloaded and brought to lost and found by the station attendant. The procedure is the same for all trains.
Once a train arrives at Fantasyland Station, the conductor steps off and throws the switch to allow the train to back into the roundhouse. At this point the engineer relies on the conductor to guide the train to back towards the roundhouse, which they do from the rear platform of the last coach. The fireman will throw the Fantasyland switch back to main line to allow trains still in operation to continue running; otherwise the switch is left where it is. At each switch and grade crossing crossing the conductor will signal to let the engineer know that the train successfully cleared it and can continue. This continues until the train is backed completely into the roundhouse.