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Wildlife Express Train

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Coordinates: 28°21′35″N 81°35′28″W / 28.35972°N 81.59111°W / 28.35972; -81.59111
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Wildlife Express Train
Entrance sign at Harambe Station
Disney's Animal Kingdom
AreaAfrica
Coordinates28°21′35″N 81°35′28″W / 28.35972°N 81.59111°W / 28.35972; -81.59111
StatusOperating
Soft opening dateApril 21, 1998
Opening dateApril 22, 1998
(original)
July 11, 2019 (reopening)[1]
Closing dateOctober 21, 2018 (original)[2]
Ride statistics
Attraction typeHeritage railway
ManufacturerSevern Lamb
DesignerWalt Disney Imagineering
ThemeAfrican railway
Length6,336 ft (1,931 m)
Vehicle typeTrain
Vehicles
Riders per vehicle250
Rows2
Duration12 minutes
Track gauge3 ft (914 mm)
Disabled access Wheelchair accessible

The Wildlife Express Train is an African themed 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge heritage railroad at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World, which opened on April 22, 1998. Its route is 1.2 miles (1.9 km) long and takes guests on a trip between the Africa and Rafiki's Planet Watch sections.

History

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Early plans for Disney's Animal Kingdom called for a railway that would have taken guests through the Savannah plains. This idea was modified, however, when concerns about the safety of the animals was raised. Instead, Disney decided to create a railway that would take guests from the Village of Harambe in the Africa section of the park to Conservation Station in the Rafiki's Planet Watch section of the park. Imagineer George McGinnis came out of retirement to design the locomotives for the attraction. They were designed to give guests the impression that the trains had been traveling through Africa for a hundred years, collecting grime and rust along the way. According to imagineer Joe Rohde, the idea was to create a look for vehicles "that would be seen today in Africa and Asia, long after their original use in Europe in the late 1800s."[3]

The locomotives and rail cars themselves were built in 1997 by Severn Lamb, Ltd. in Alcester, England.[4] Production of the locomotives was overseen by Imagineers Bob Harpur and Joel Fritsche.[3] On April 22, 1998, the Wildlife Express Train opened with the rest of Disney's Animal Kingdom. The Wildlife Express Train and Rafiki's Planet Watch were both temporarily closed on October 21, 2018, and reopened on July 11, 2019.[1][5]

Experience

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Wildlife Express Train
Legend
Rafiki's Planet Watch
Roundhouse
(not open to public)
Africa
Bus and parking lot tram transfers
(via short walks outside park)
enlarge…

The Wildlife Express Train is themed to the fictitious Eastern Star Railway, running between Lusaka, Nairobi, and Kisangani. Like most other Disney rail attractions, the railway is built to a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge, which is smaller than the 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge currently used on East African railways.

The train takes guests from Harambe Station in the Africa section to Conservation Station in the Rafiki's Planet Watch section. One full journey takes about twelve minutes to complete: seven minutes from Harambe Station to Conservation Station, and five minutes from Conservation Station to Harambe Station. During the ride, portions of the Animal Kingdom backlot can be seen, including animal holding buildings for rhinos and elephants, among other animals. The roundhouse where the trains are stored is also visible.[3][6]

Rolling stock

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The Wildlife Express Train operates three 2-4-2TDH steam-outline locomotives built by Severn Lamb in 1997 before the park's opening the following year.[3][6] The locomotives are based on the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway's Class 5 and Class 6 locomotives in England, designed by John Aspinall and built in 1898 at the railway's Horwich Works. There are also two sets of train cars, each consisting of five coaches with a total seating capacity of 250 people per train.

All rolling stock for the Wildlife Express were built brand-new, but are painted to look dated and weathered, in order to give the impression that the trains have been running for many decades.[7] The two train sets are decorated with various bins and items on the roof, simulating the luggage that passengers have brought aboard the train.[8]

Wildlife Express Train rolling stock details
Number Image Wheel arrangement Date built Builder Date entered service Status Notes
00174
2-4-2T 1997 Severn Lamb April 21, 1998 Operational –
02594
2-4-2T 1997 Severn Lamb April 21, 1998 Operational Named R. Baba Harpoor in honor of Disney Imagineer Bob Harpur.
04982
2-4-2T 1997 Severn Lamb April 21, 1998 Operational –

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Terrell, Scott (June 10, 2019). "The Animation Experience at Conservation Station begins July 11". Disney Parks Blog (Press release). Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  2. ^ "BREAKING: Rafiki's Planet Watch to Close Permanently Next Month". Blog Mickey. September 21, 2018. Archived from the original on January 14, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Broggie, Michael (2014), Walt Disney's Railroad Story: The Small-Scale Fascination That Led to a Full-Scale Kingdom (4th ed.), The Donning Company Publishers, p. 385, ISBN 978-1-57864-914-3
  4. ^ Smith, Thomas (November 1, 2010). "Where at Disney Parks Can You Find…". Disney Parks Blog (Press release). Archived from the original on October 25, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  5. ^ Tuttle, Brittani (September 29, 2018). "Rafiki's Planet Watch to reopen in spring 2019 at Disney's Animal Kingdom". Attractions Magazine. Archived from the original on November 12, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Surviving Steam Locomotives in Florida". Steamlocomotive.com. February 14, 2017. Archived from the original on February 14, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  7. ^ Amendola, Dana (2015). All Aboard: The Wonderful World of Disney Trains (1st ed.). Disney Editions. pp. 158–159. ISBN 978-1-4231-1714-8.
  8. ^ "Historic British Trains Live Again on Wildlife Express". Walt Disney World News (Press release). December 11, 2006. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
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