Amusement parks and railroads. Major parks always need railroads, monorails, sky rides, or any kind of transportation system for that matter to give guests’ feet a rest and be a convenient way to get around. Being one of the largest parks in the world, it’s only fitting Disney would construct a railroad around the perimeter of their most popular park. While often forgotten about by the general public and taken for granted, the Walt Disney World Railroad is a key attraction of the park, filling in a niche.
With stations in Main Street, Frontierland, and Mickey’s Toontown Fair, the Railroad is a nice way to get around from section to section to give your feet a rest. I’ve always gotten on whenever the next train arrives, which usually equates to a wait less than 10 minutes or so. Why? Well, simply put, I have never ever seen a bigger train at an amusement park. The thing just seems endless. Also, each train is a beauty. These classic locomotives have been around for almost 80 years, and each is named after an instrumental figure in Disney history.
The ride itself is not only a great way to move around the park, but also it provides great views of a cornucopia of Disney attractions. Some of the highlights are the views of the three mountains, especially the neat view of Splash Mountain’s final scene from above. Not only are there great views of the attractions themselves, but also there are some neat little scenes included along the way, with my favorite being the cute little scene in the woods between Frontierland and Mickey’s Toontown Fair. Disney permits you to stay out as long as you so choose, and a whole lap around the park takes almost 20 minutes or so.
So what makes this basic attraction so good? One, the classic locomotives are simply stunning to gaze upon and are easily the best I’ve come across in my travels. Second, it’s much easier and more convenient than walking from land to land. Lastly, the great views and neat little scenes along the way make this better than the ordinary train featured at parks. Really my only complaint is the lack of a station in Tomorrowland. Didn’t there used to be one there? It wasn’t there this past summer when I went, but that would have just made this great attraction even better. I highly recommend the utilization of this neat little railroad to get around the park as opposed to walking around on your tired feet.
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