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Unlike the other theme parks where you drive to a vast parking lot and then walk or ride a tram to the front gate, the only two ways into the Magic Kingdom from the parking lot are by ferry boat or monorail. On the morning of Thurday January 4th we opted to take the ferry, and were rewarded with this view as we approached the Magic Kingdom’s dock.  With the train station on the left and the spires of Cinderella’s castle on the right in the distance, on the water ahead of us is another ferry on the right and a launch catering to guests of the lakefront resorts on the left. 

After only a few minutes more we were walking up Main Street,  and I felt the same sense of excitement as when I had walked up Main Street in California’s Disney Land at age 12.  Soon we passed Cinderella’s Castle on our way to Fantasy Land.

Thanks to our having arrived early and obtaining fast passes, we were able to ride both the Pirates of the Carribean and Peter Pan’s Adventure without too much trouble.  Judy and I had ridden both of these as children, and were happy with the results of our goal to enjoy them again as adults.  We rode a few more attractions and had lunch before the park started to fill up and make things more difficult to enjoy.

We decided to relax for a bit with a ride on the Walt Disney World Railroad, and made a round trip from the station at Mickey’s Toon Town Fair.  The 36-inch guage,  1 and 1/2 mile loop with three stations at Main Street, Frontier Land and Mickey’s Toon Town Fair was opened in late 1971, and has been ready for business every day since then.  A 36-year history of daily operation with no interruptions is a feat this railroad should be proud of.  There are four steam locomotives on the roster with two or three in operation simultaneously depending on the crowds.  All four locomotives were built in the USA by Baldwin, and were acquired from the United Railways of Yucatan in Mexico by Disney in 1969 before conversion from wood to oil burners during a complete overhaul.  It is certainly to our benefit that Walt Disney loved trains and made sure they are a prominent part of his parks.

On this day two trains were out on the loop, and our train was pulled by 4-4-0 #4, built in 1916 and named the “Roy O Disney” after Walt’s Brother.  The little engine weighs between 25 and 30 tons, and had no problem with our five-car, 85-ton train.  When we arrived back at our starting point, I quickly walked ahead to get this shot before he left the station.

The pathway near the tracks had a nice jog in it that allowed me a good view of the train leaving the station.

Knowing the second train was only a few minutes behind, I walked back to this vantage point where the track were visible before the train would arrive in the station.  In a few minutes the other train arrived, now pulled by 4-6-0 #3, the ”Roger E Broggie,” named after the Disney employee and railfan who oversaw the purchase and rebuilding of all steam engines at Disney World and at Disney Land.

The track on the right is the lead running to the maintenance shop and storage building for both the steam engines and the monorails.  I walked on up for a side view as he made the station stop.  This larger engine weighs in at around 34 tons and was built in 1925.

It would have been nice to sit here for the remainder of the afternoon and watch the parade of steam however repetitive it might be, but since we had accomplished all our goals we decided it was time to head back to the resort and rest up.  Friday, our last day would be spent at the MGM Grand Studios park.