Disneyland Train, Adieu

 

Disneyland Railroad

 

We spent the morning at Disneyland because, now that we're retired, we can do just about whatever we want! Actually, this was the first big test of Tim's Disneyland retirement privileges. Luckily, all is well and we're still able to get into the parks for free. Phew!!

I also wanted to ride the Disneyland Railroad one last time before it stops running, this Sunday, for two years while the new Star Wars land is being built. The train looms large in my family's history, as the Main Street station is the site of one of my favorite childhood photos:

Uncle Louie, me (age 4), my sister Vicki (age 3), 

and Mom (June 1958)

Perhaps even more importantly, the railroad is the first ride that Walt envisioned, telling his imagineers to design an amusement park that "will be surrounded by a train." Indeed, the rail runs along Disneyland's famous 20-foot "berm" that surrounds the park and shields visitors from the outside world. In addition to stopping in New Orleans Square, Toontown/Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland, the last leg of the train ride features a still-spectacular Grand Canyon diorama, plus the animatronic dinosaurs Disney designed for the 1964 World's Fair. You truly travel back in time when you ride the Disneyland Railroad around the entire perimeter of the park.

 

Tim on the train

  

We were so early (9AM), the train was empty—not so later

in the day

  

Grand Canyon diorama 

 

Animatronic dinosaurs

  

Long before Jurassic Park there was Disney's

Primeval World

On our way out of the resort, we stopped at the Disneyland Hotel to use the restroom and ran into these two characters!  

 

Me with Chip (Dale?) and Goofy