Main Street Station is the entrance to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and one of three stations along the Walt Disney World Railroad in the Magic Kingdom, along with Frontierland Station and Fantasyland station.
The station’s exterior is modeled after Saratoga Spring’s old railroad station, a site that no longer exists today.
A tribute to Walt can be found on the window facing the entrance to the Magic Kingdom, declaring Walter E. Disney as the railroad’s Chief Engineer, Keeping Dreams on Track – a wordplay reference to Walt’s visionary leadership in the development of Disneyland, and subsequently Walt Disney World.
Passing under the tracks and into the ground floor of the station, check out the memorabilia on the walls – the Stroller Rental area is lined with photos of Walt with his Carolwood Pacific Railroad, a 1/8-scale railroad system he built in the backyard of his Holmby Hills estate, the inspiration for Disneyland’s railroad and all other subsequent Magic Kingdom railroads.
One particular photo of note depicts the caboose numbered 0-7734, a car which can be seen in-person by heading to the Carolwood Room in the lobby of Wilderness Lodge’s Boulder Ridge Villas as well as the number 711 cargo car, on display at The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.
The four trains of the Walt Disney World Railroad are each named in honor of someone who was instrumental in bringing Walt’s dream to life. These four people are honored with portraits and informational placards on the ground floor area:
- No. 1: Walter E. Disney
- No. 2: Lilly Belle – An affectionate name for Walt’s wife, Lillian.
- No. 3: Roger E. Broggie – Broggie was head of the Disney Studios machine shop and considered the first Disney Imagineer. His son Michael Broggie went on to found the Carolwood Foundation which helps preserve Walt’s train-related legacy.
- No. 4: Roy O. Disney – Walt’s older brother and lifelong business partner.
Bulletin boards in the station also make some obscure reference to Disney-train lure. Some examples include:
- Grizzly Flats: References the Grizzly Flats Railroad, a scale railroad system owned by Ward Kimball (see below), similar to Walt’s Carolwood Pacific Railroad.
- D. Crockett: Reference to Davy Crockett, legendary frontiersman that Disney turned into a TV miniseries in the 1950’s along with an earworm of a song.
- C.K. Holiday: The C.K. Holliday is one of the five trains on the Disneyland Railroad named after the founder of the Atchison & Topeka Railroad. We assume the misspelling is an oversight.
- E.P. Ripley: The E. P. Ripley is one of the five trains on the Disneyland Railroad named after fourteenth president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.
- Fred Gurley: The Fred Gurley is one of the five trains on the Disneyland Railroad named after the president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.
- Ernest S. March: The Ernest S. March is one of the five trains on the Disneyland Railroad named after the president of the Santa Fe Railway system from 1957-1966.
- Ward Kimball: The Ward Kimball is one of the five trains on the Disneyland Railroad named after one of the Nine Old Men, Walt’s original team of animators/artists.
- Rainbow Caverns: A reference to Disneyland‘s 1956 ride, Rainbow Caverns Mine Train.
Official Information: WaltDisneyWorld.com
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