Western River Railroad
35°38′01″N 139°52′57″E / 35.633732°N 139.882427°E
| Western River Railroad | |
|---|---|
 The station of the Western River Railroad. | |
| Tokyo Disneyland | |
| Area | Adventureland |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | April 15, 1983 |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | Heritage railway |
| Manufacturer | Kyosan Kogyo |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering |
| Length | 5,283 ft (1,610 m) |
| Vehicle type | Train |
| Vehicles |
|
| Riders per vehicle | 140 per train |
| No. of tracks | Single |
| Track gauge | 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) |
| Sponsor | Takara Tomy |
The Western River Railroad (
Overview
Sponsored by
At the time that the Western River Railroad was opened, Japanese rail regulations required that any railway line with more than one stop be subject to the same rules as any other conventional rail line, which included running on a timetable and collecting fares. As such, there is only one stop on the Western River Railroad in order to avoid having to charge fares and to allow the use of passenger cars that are not fully enclosed, which would not be allowed otherwise.[4] The law was eventually abolished on April 1, 1987.
Ride experience
Going clockwise around the loop, the train departs Adventureland Station, and passes through Stillwater Junction, a Western-themed train station (though the train does not stop here).[5] Afterwards, the train goes through a forest where passengers are able to see animatronic displays of wild animals and Native Americans.[5] Continuing down the line, the train crosses over a long trestle through the Critter Country section and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction in the Westernland section.[5] Finally, it enters through a deep tunnel containing the Primeval World Diorama (featuring animatronic dinosaurs) and exits back to the Adventureland Station.[5]
Rolling stock
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The Western River Railroad has four 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge 2-4-0 steam locomotives built by Kyosan Kogyo Co., which were named after famous rivers located primarily in the Western United States (hence the name of the railroad).[6] All four locomotives were designed to resemble the Denver & Rio Grande Montezuma locomotive, originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works.[7] Each WRR locomotive shares the same tender design, which holds 264 US gallons (1,000 L) of fuel and 475 US gallons (1,800 L) of water.[6]
The railroad also has a fleet of twelve passenger cars, with three coaches assigned to each locomotive. The passenger cars are based on the
| Number | Name | Namesake | Image | Wheel arrangement | Date built | Builder | Serial number | Passenger cars | Date entered service | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | Colorado | Colorado River | .jpg)
|
2-4-0 (Porter) | 1982 | Kyosan Kogyo Co. | 10096 | Three reddish-brown (100 series) | April 15, 1983 | Operational | The locomotive's number refers to the year 1953 when Walt Disney presented the plans for the original Disneyland.[8] |
| 28 | Missouri | Missouri River | 
|
2-4-0 (Porter) | 1982 | Kyosan Kogyo Co. | 10095 | Three green passenger cars (200 series) | April 15, 1983 | Operational | The locomotive's number refers to the year 1928, when the Disney animated short Steamboat Willie was released, the first cartoon with synchronized sound.[9] |
| 25 | Rio Grande | Rio Grande | 
|
2-4-0 (Porter) | 1982 | Kyosan Kogyo Co. | 10094 | Three red passenger cars (300 series) | April 15, 1983 | Operational | The locomotive's number refers to the year 1925, when Walt Disney married his wife, Lillian Disney.[10] |
| 20 | Mississippi | Mississippi River | 
|
2-4-0 (Porter) | 1991 | Kyosan Kogyo Co. | 10100 | Three red/blue passenger cars (400 series) | October 8, 1991 | Operational | The locomotive's number refers to the year 1920 when Walt Disney, along with his friend Ub Iwerks, founded his first company, Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists.[11] |
See also
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References
- ^ Broggie (2014), p. 347
- ^ Broggie (2014), p. 279
- ^ Broggie (2014), p. 346
- ^ a b Amendola (2015), p. 168.
- ^ a b c d Spence, Jack (May 14, 2010). "Disney Steam Trains – Part Four – Tokyo, Paris & Hong Kong". AllEars.Net. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
- ^ a b c Broggie (2014), pp. 395–396.
- ^ Broggie (2014), p. 350
- ^ Amendola (2015), p. 174.
- ^ Amendola (2015), p. 171.
- ^ Amendola (2015), p. 172.
- ^ Amendola (2015), p. 169.
Bibliography
- Amendola, Dana (2015), All Aboard: The Wonderful World of Disney Trains (1st ed.), Disney Editions, ISBN 978-1-4231-1714-8
- Broggie, Michael (2014), Walt Disney's Railroad Story: The Small-Scale Fascination That Led to a Full-Scale Kingdom (4th ed.), ISBN 978-1-57864-914-3
External links
