Disneyland RR, riverboats to be shut down for a year

Update:

Today I just got back from my 3 day stay at Disneyland. Talking to engineers it appears everything will be a static display until reopening. It took me 3 hours to wait for a Cab ride totally worth it, video will be on my YouTube account, sometime this weekend or late week. Lily Belle reservations were not being taken due to the bookings night before.

I think shutting down is good idea and comes in the right time. 3 engines only work right now. #4 and #5 are in good condition for smooth operation but since #1 and #3 are down for overhaul, #2 had to run. #2 had a leaky packing gland and leaky cylinder cocks, as well as the tender needing to be completely replaced. #2 just by my dad and my expertise of live steam we knew it was doing to the station because the wheezing noise it made.

So what will happen is tonight the cast members will take a few rides around the old route because the route will have to be modified for Star Wars land. So if anyone remembers the scenes along the Rivers of America, that is going away, and the river will decrease in length again. 

Mark Twain and Columbia the boats, are gonna be stored in the dry docks has they will need to drain the river to shorten it and change the pyrotechnics of the Fantasmic show during the night hours.

Let me say this, there was more people riding the train than I have seen in along time.

But Donald Duck has a question about the railroads once they are done:  Is it scale?

Dominic Mazoch posted:

 

But Donald Duck has a question about the railroads once they are done:  Is it scale?

Both the Disneyland and Walt Disney World railroads were/are REAL railroads. What "scale" would you expect them to be?

Hot Water posted:

Dominic Mazoch posted:

 

But Donald Duck has a question about the railroads once they are done:  Is it scale?

Both the Disneyland and Walt Disney World railroads were/are REAL railroads. What "scale" would you expect them to be?

It's a reference to a Donald Duck cartoon, where he builds a railroad outside of his house (echoes of Walt and his Carolwood Pacific, to a degree, but Donald's is more like G scale).

Actually, it's a really funny cartoon!

smd4 posted:

You can't ride in the engine cab at Disney World. That's a privilege special to Disneyland.

At Disney World, there is a "Behind The (railroad) Scenes" tour that is FANTASTIC!  Takes about3 or 4 hours, staring way before the park opens.

Dominic Mazoch posted:

 

But Donald Duck has a question about the railroads once they are done:  Is it scale?

I got the reference, but to really answer the question, the original cars and two locomotives were built to about 5/8th scale (meant to be models of standard gauge equipment, running on 3' gauge track), while the three remaining Baldwins are full-scale (though small) narrow gauge engines.

The Los Angeles Times is carrying a first glimpse of the north end of the Rivers Of America with a long railroad trestle running along the river with a waterfall in the background. While it certainly will make a much more interesting ride, it will be a slightly shorter route. It will be interesting to see the speed of trains along this stretch. Most passengers were not aware of this, but the engineers got to achieve max speed on the DRR on this stretch.

I am still holding out hope Disney takes the opportunity to update the  Grand Canyon/Primeval World diorama.

http://www.latimes.com/busines...-20160108-story.html

Would be cool to see a scale life-like monorail set come out. All i've seen are the kid toys ones. 

The Disneyland railroad used to be the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad, as a kid I used to ride the train using my dad's Santa Fe rail pass.  If I remember right my mom told me the operators we Santa Fe employees and received union scale for pay.

Some amusement facilities, parks and zoos had a relationship with a railroad, usually to promote the companies' passenger train.  In San Antonio, the park  had the BRECKENRIDGE EAGLE.  It was painted in the two tone blue EAGLE livery, and the train name was placed in MP Lines type logos.

Dominic Mazoch posted:

Some amusement facilities, parks and zoos had a relationship with a railroad, usually to promote the companies' passenger train.  In San Antonio, the park  had the BRECKENRIDGE EAGLE.  It was painted in the two tone blue EAGLE livery, and the train name was placed in MP Lines type logos.

When I visited Disneyland in the spring of 1967, while I was assigned to the SD45 engine overhaul program for an oil company test, at the big San Bernardino Shops of the Santa Fe Rwy, they told me that if/when I went to Disneyland, my AT&SF RWy pass would be good on the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad. They were absolutely correct, as upon showing my Santa Fe RWY pass, I could ride all day on the Disneyland trains. They pass was also honored on the Knotts Berry Farm narrow gauge D&RGW steam locomotive powered railroad. 

Don GW posted:

The Disneyland railroad used to be the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad, as a kid I used to ride the train using my dad's Santa Fe rail pass.  If I remember right my mom told me the operators we Santa Fe employees and received union scale for pay.

Yes, the SF&DRR honored AT&SF passes. They actually honored passes from any American railroad!

While some of the engine crew were no doubt former Santa Fe employees, they weren't exclusively so. They were (and are) union members, belonging to Operating Engineers Local 501.

There were originally five engineers and four "Junior Engineers." The supervisor of the train crews, Earl Vilmer, used to be a foreman for a KCS roundhouse before the war. 

The salary for an experienced locomotive engineer at Disneyland in 1955? $2.65 an hour!

Do the Disney steam engines operate under FRA rules? Do they have to follow the same inspection and maintenance schedules as, say, 611 and 765, etc.?

SouthernMike posted:

Do the Disney steam engines operate under FRA rules? Do they have to follow the same inspection and maintenance schedules as, say, 611 and 765, etc.?

No, they do not fall under FRA jurisdiction, since the railroad is insular. The only entity they have to satisfy concerning safety is their insurer.

They follow a regular maintenance schedule as far as boiler washes and minor repairs go; the engines undergo major overhauls when required.

smd4 posted:

SouthernMike posted:

Do the Disney steam engines operate under FRA rules? Do they have to follow the same inspection and maintenance schedules as, say, 611 and 765, etc.?

No, they do not fall under FRA jurisdiction, since the railroad is insular. The only entity they have to satisfy concerning safety is their insurer.

They follow a regular maintenance schedule as far as boiler washes and minor repairs go; the engines undergo major overhauls when required.

But if they do have boilers, are there not OSHA (four letter "word") and state regs?

Dominic Mazoch posted:

smd4 posted:

SouthernMike posted:

Do the Disney steam engines operate under FRA rules? Do they have to follow the same inspection and maintenance schedules as, say, 611 and 765, etc.?

No, they do not fall under FRA jurisdiction, since the railroad is insular. The only entity they have to satisfy concerning safety is their insurer.

They follow a regular maintenance schedule as far as boiler washes and minor repairs go; the engines undergo major overhauls when required.

But if they do have boilers, are there not OSHA (four letter "word") and state regs?

I'm sorry, I mis-spoke (mis-wrote?).  Yes, OSHA and California State regulations do govern pressure vessels.