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WaltDisneyWorld Railroad
Apparently Walt Disney developed a love of trains at an early age. When he was a young adult, he built a half-mile scale model railway in his backyard that he called the "Carolwood Pacific Railroad. " When he began designing Disneyland, a railroad was one of the first attractions he planned. Later, when he began the design for what is now known as Walt Disney World Resort, Walt made sure that the train station was located near the entrance to the park. The Magic Kingdom has featured vintage, steam-powered trains since it’s opening in 1971
You can board an old-fashioned steam train for a 15-20 minute tour encircling the Magic Kingdom, with a stop at Frontierland and Mickey's Toontown Fair. This is a lovely way to rest whilst still enjoying the magic of Disney. My parents usually treat them selves to the full ride each time they visit Magic Kingdom!
One of the first things visitors to the Magic Kingdom see as they approach the park is the Main Street Railroad Station -- and one of the first sounds they hear is likely to be a train's steam whistle.
Main Street Station - when you walk into the Magic Kingdom, you walk through a tunnel - in the centre there are stairs that lead you up to the railway platform. It is worth remembering that the elevated Main Street station is a terrific, and extremely popular, fireworks and parade viewing area. We often hop aboard the railroad at the Main Street station at park opening and then we reach Splash Mountain in Frontierland before the crowds get there!
Strollers are permitted on the railroad. The seats on the train are open with bench style backs.
Even if the park is busy you usually do not have to wait too long for your ride and the queue is undercover from the sun and has the usual ceiling fans. Whilst you wait you can put a quarter into the Antique Music Box located in the waiting room to hear a selection of tunes. Or even put a coin into some of the other machines scattered around the station to watch a short movie.
The railroad usually runs until just before the evening's fireworks. There are some great views of the back of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad from the train.
In addition to Main Street you can board the Walt Disney World Railroad at either of its other two stations, the station in Frontierland or the one in Mickey’s Toontown Fair. You can also depart at any of these stations, or stay on board for the full 1. 5-mile grand-circle tour, which takes about 20 minutes. The Frontierland Station is located near Splash Mountain and the Toontown Fair Station is located adjacent to Toon Park.
A recorded narration describes the sights you're seeing as you make the circuit around the park at a leisurely, 10-12 mph pace.
This really is a great way to relax.
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