Walt Disney World Finally Brings Back Classic Attraction

Taking a scenic trip through the most magical place on earth just got a bit easier. Following a four-year closure due to construction, scheduled repairs, and a COVID-19 pandemic, the Walt Disney World Railroad is officially back in business. According to WDW News Today, the Magic Kingdom Park attraction officially reopened at 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 23, offering parkgoers an early Christmas present.

According to the outlet, the reopening event began with a “special” media preview. After that was over, Disney cast members invited guests up to the platform and aboard the Walter E. Disney engine for its first 1.5-mile scenic round-trip tour since the attraction closed more than four years ago. With the reopening of the Walt Disney World Railroad also came the reopening of the Main Street, U.S.A. railroad station.

The Walt Disney World Railroad is an original attraction that first opened as an opening day attraction on October 1, 1971. During its earliest days, the only stop the locomotive made was Main Street, U.S.A., but less than a year after the park opened, a second stop in Frontierland was opened. A stop at what was then Mickey’s Birthdayland, now considered the Storybook Circus section of Fantasyland, followed on June 18, 1988, completing the current 20-minute, 1.5-mile scenic round-trip tour. According to WDW News Today, during the ride, riders can catch a glimpse at the TRON Lightycycle Run, an upcoming rollercoaster that is currently under construction.

Guests planning to ride the Walt Disney World Railroad enter the train station near the entrance to Magic Kingdom park before boarding one of four “meticulously restored, vintage narrow-gauge steam trains.” All four locomotives on the Railroad were built between 1916 and 1928, and each was named after someone who played an essential role in Walt Disney World’s success. The first Walter E. Disney, was named after the man himself. Lilly Belle drew its name from Walt’s wife, Lillian Disney. The third locomotive was named for Roger E. Broggie, an Imagineer who worked on EPCOT and was vital to Disney’s acquisition of the locomotives. The fourth locomotive bears the name of Walt’s brother and business partner, Roy O. Disney. The trains have a capacity of up to 365 guests, with each train equipped with one locomotive and five train cars. The Walt Disney World Railroad locomotives weigh between 51,000 and 67,000 pounds dry and use 25 gallons of fuel and 200 gallons of water per hour when in service.