I have always wanted to get up close to the railroad depot that sits on the "wrong" side of the tracks in Frontierland/New Orleans Square at Disneyland. These two photos taken from the sitting area have been the best that I could do.
Until recently when Disneyland turned lemons into lemonade. Ever since Walt Disney's statement that the Park would be surrounded by a train, millions of guests and railroad enthusiasts have enjoyed the Grand Circle Tour. With the long-term closure of the Railroad to make way for Star Wars Land construction, many were dismayed. Creative thinking forged a silver lining by allowing guests to get up close to the tracks and engines at a few of the stations, including the Frontierland/New Orleans location. Here are some photos from my recent trip.
Not only was the E.P Ripley available for up=close inspection, but the Kalamazoo Handcar was there, too.
Never thought I'd be this close to this little booger which faithfully click-clacks its message every day.
Vintage hardware…good Lord I am in heaven.
Luggage as props:
Zooming in for a detailed look at the labels:
Plenty of cool stuff for gear heads to pour over:
What a view; who'd thought I'd ever be able to stand on the tracks!
…let alone pose by the train!
Thanks to the Disneyland Resort for giving this great alternative during construction!
More Disneyland Railroad photos at my main website.
9 comments:
Nice Dave...but either you are in some 12 step program or an alien has taken over your brain...I didn't see one close up pix of a light fixture! Are you okay?...you can tell us. ;-)
- Darryl
Just a momentary lapse of sanity, Darryl!
What a wonderful opportunity Dave. Thanks for sharing your pics. That last photo really puts the actual size of the engine in perspective.
Since I can't get to Disneyland anytime soon to see it for myself, thank you for that travelog and attention to the details.
Been there, done that. Super crews on hand to talk with. Main Street Station also has a loco. You can do close up inspections but not as neat as Frontierland Station. I understand they switch locomotives once per week in the early AM on Tuesdays but not under steam power.
Agree with Snow White that the last photo puts the size of the loco in perspective. And the view of the tunnel from the other side of the track is awesome! It must've been strange and exciting to walk around this area which also provided new viewing angles and close-ups. Wonderful job photographing it, Dave. Thanks for sharing it since I won't be able to get down there anytime soon.
This little feature almost would make a trip to "Closed-Land" worthwhile. I remember the little station before NOS, and hated having the little gem just out of reach across the track.
I would love to see it up close again, and the trains as well, but we are not returning for several years after our last blow-out.
JG
it took me a minute to figure out that some of these shots were on different days, either that or that steam engine/boiler thing ( technical term? ) moves away on it's own. Lots of cool details here like good repros of travel decals from the era, not goofy ones like Toontown or Radiator Springs. So odd the handcar is there as opposed to at the Main Street station. I wonder why? Congrats on all the great pics up close and being on the tracks. All those train engineers and conductors just standing around... They must have been steamed.
@SnowWhite, Dave is actually 9'7"
Bryan - The first two shots were from 2015; the rest were all from the same day. And yes…I've been eating my Wheaties!
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