Last week we began the first of a new series of Disney lists, enumerating the various picturesquely iconic means of rail transport on all Disney theme parks and resorts, starting with Disneyland in Anaheim. They range from classical steam-powered trains, gas or electric-powered locomotives, and even some older horse-drawn streetcars.
This update, we’ll look at the rail transport options on the other side of the continent, at Walt Disney World in Florida. Being the East Coast counterpart to Disneyland at its inception, the rides tend to be copies of each other. Here’s a list of those Disney World rail transports.
All of these rides were launched in October 1 of the year 1971, except two.
- Walt Disney World Monorail System – an electric monorail line serving The Magic Kingdom and EPCOT; with its daily passenger estimate of 150,000 it’s considered one of the busiest monorail transportations in the whole world, probably because you don’t need to purchase anything to board and ride
- Walt Disney World Railroad – four real steam locomotives operate here, originally manufactured from 1916-1928 by Pennsylvania’s Baldwin Locomotive Works (1825-1956); they were being operated by Mexico’s Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatán and called “Bulls of Fire†when they were bought by the Disney Company for Disney World in 1969
- Main Street Tramway – similar to the one in Disneyland Park, streetcars pulled by working horses
- Fort Wilderness Railroad – once part of Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, four replica steam-powered trains started operating 1974; complaints of bad track design and engine noise made it unpopular; it closed 1980, the only WDW rail transport to shut down
- Wildlife Express Train – where Disneyland’s Red Car Trolley is a modern electric tram designed like a retro streetcar, the Wildlife Express Train in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a 1998 diesel-powered locomotive dressed up like a weather-beaten steamer, created by UK-based leisure ride manufacturers Severn Lamb
