The Magic Kingdom Railroad Kinda Sucks

[@bobmclennan1727]

Dear lord, that reveal of the plain back wall of the Tron building borders on offensive. It's the antithesis of what's made Disney parks so special for 70 years.

[@Happymali10]

Just some blue and green paint could've helped.

[@Rexini_Kobalt]

​@@Happymali10Literally could have done anything, and they did nothing. Absolutely gross

[@colbystearns5238]

Walt would be rolling in his grave seeing the immersion broken like that.

[@VestedUTuber]

One could interpret it as being the IRL building housing the Encom mainframe that MCP runs on, or ran on depending on what time period Tron Lightcycle takes place in. But even so, would it have killed them to make it actually look like a corporate datacenter at the very least?

[@tayshaywats]

I agree with the video. Disney has moved away from the small details that separates them from the competition. It seems like budget cuts have ruined the Disney image I knew growing up. They don’t do promotional vacation planning dvds, VHSs, or stream them in Disney +. They don’t make fun Disney sing a long videos that promote the parks anymore either. The devil is in the details and Disney outdid any competition back in the day. Now not so much. It’s a money machine. I wish Disney would go back to original ideas, instead of copy and pasting stories, rides, etc.

[@meganruchwatercolors7186]

Oh, you said this perfectly!!! Just exactly what I was thinking! It is a shame that they have lost their magic!!! It just is so shocking to me that not one imagineer noticed this! I am a successful artist and it just frustrates me to no end about what they have taken away in the parks, and they keep re-doing the same stuff over and over. Since Joe Rhode, Tony Baxter, and the late Marty Skylar are gone, the magic has dramatically disappeared.

[@bustercherry2054]

Well times are different now we live in a different world. Disney has gotten themselves in a whole lot of debt with Disney+ and after all they need to make money and are obligated to look out for the shareholders. That doesn’t mean I agree with every decision but it is what it is and I don’t see it changing and this is not just a disney problem a lot of companies have make changes and cut backs having said that no theme park comes close to Disney world at this moment

[@clintonharvey2384]

They will again at some point but that’s probably when a millennial is in charge, which may not be for another 20-30 years

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I finally rode Tron the day I went to film the MK railroad and I hadn't seen much video of the queue. It's just so remarkably boring inside these black and boxy hallways and I thought it was a good example of how Disney went from ultra-detailed to minimalist for the sake of cost cutting. I've seen the Tron films, I know that they could do a lot better.

[@tp2487]

I have the complete vhs sing along songs... but my daughter(2½ yrs old) loves Fliks musical adventure at animal kingdom dvd... also what you said about the dvd planner is true i still have like 3 of those it really made you want to go lol

[@RobColeFilms]

Walt Disney had his own little railroad in his backyard, which was highly detailed and even went through his wife’s garden. When Disneyland opened, the Disneyland railroad was supposed to be the ultimate dream for any steam train fan. Seeing how the magic kingdom version has been so underutilized by modern corporate Disney just fuels my hatred for the corporate side even more, since they aren’t celebrating Walt’s vision.

[@thebluetarp]

Exactly ! Why in the hell are theme parks not doing simple transportation rides any more?!? Epic universe needs a transportation monorail or people mover style ride!!!

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

While not a fan of contemporary Disney, I have to say that older leadership didn't really bother much with it either. What was the last addition made to it before the Tron tunnel? Splash Mountain?

[@RobColeFilms]

Fair point. It’s just that over the years, very few feasible additions have been added to it

[@dannielz6]

​@@thebluetarpTo be fair Universal did build the Hogwarts train allowing for park hopping from within their parks. I agree though that large Epcot sized parks should have some kind of transportation.

[@frankeramooframranproductions]

The Disney Company sold out, there was NO reason to Re theme SPLASH MOUNTAIN. Adding Tron and Star Wars attractions is like throwing up. Even back to the beginning of WDW and after Walt’s death, the concept of EPCOT changed. Walt’s dream could’ve been executed, but the bottom dollar won over the dream. I like Disney when it was in it’s simplicity.

[@mountainrico]

The issue I feel is that the invisible "wall" between Disneyland and the outside world is not ever really broken: there is nothing to suggest you are anywhere in the world besides Disneyland, whereas at WDW, one can gaze out at the distant cars on roads, drainage ditches, service roads, etc. and consequently one's mind drifts towards the outside world. The spell is broken, thus breaking that magic self-containment that is so perfectly and completely achieved at Disneyland.

[@EricMontreal22]

Yeah I can only imagine they worried less about this because they owned so much property around MK when it was built. But it's become really frustrating.

[@MrSchmae]

Well said. The idea of being transported to another world was such a huge part of Disneyland and it's lacking in Magic Kingdom for sure, especially in the train.

[@colbystearns5238]

That's part of the genius of Disneyland's berm, it separates the sober reality of entering show buildings from the immersive fantasy of venturing forth into an ancient temple or trepidatiously wandering into a haunted mansion.

[@TransRightsTrains]

The one counter-point for this is that some areas of Disneyland are really close to roads, and you can hear the traffic, and especially hear sirens from emergency vehicles. But otherwise I was always perplexed when I had visited WDW and saw a lot of things that just broke immersion as you said.

[@kalzium8857]

I think one underrated aspect of transport attractions is that they also act as a decoration. Its add movement and can bring life to a static area. The worst thing is to hide a transport attraction as if you have to be ashamed of it. You are in a western themed section of the park? Of course there is a old western train driving around. I think areas like marvel campus and galaxy edge suffer, because their is no visible movement in the area. Take the Yoshi ride at nintendo world. It may be boring for some people, but it adds movement and acts also as a decoration.

[@aboutrainbow8614]

Yes!! movement adds life!! You've put into words what I've been debating in my head for so long. I totally think that's also why Velocicoaster has the waiting line wrap around the actual track; it made it a little more enjoyable to hear a new cart of people screaming by.

[@watchmevisit]

Attempted to ride the Disneyland Railroad last month. Made it from New Orleans to the Tomorrowland station where our locomotive broke down (was a theme for my visit- ride maintenance seems to me lacking somehow with the number of breakdowns we experience compared to an average day at a WDW park). I was disappointed that I missed the dioramas, but alas, only so much time in a theme park day. Not sure how I felt about their seating arrangement on the DL trains. While the focused views were nice, it seemed to cut into capacity that the trains could definitely use.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Kintecism was always important for both Frontierland and Tomorrowland from the beginning. It's time for Disneyland to bring back the Peoplemover lol.

[@electricar9]

I used to work at Star Tours in Disneyland in 2004, just months/weeks away from the 50th Anniversary and in the last few weeks of the failed Rocket Rods ride. I grew up and currently live in Southern California and rode the Disneyland people mover as a kid and was deeply saddened that they replaced it with Rocket Rods and then abandoned it completely. Rocket Rods was a maintenance nightmare with software problems and constant tire replacement every other day. When I rotated to the outside, I would always look up periodically at the abandoned PeopleMover Track, remembering it in operation. I do know that foot traffic was tight through that area of Tomorrowland, and people used to ride it just to get a 10-minute break to sit down, relax, and get off their feet while they rode with their kids for a safe aerial overview of Tomorrowland and parts of Fantasyland and Main Street USA. The people Mover with it's extremely high throughout and ride capacity used to get bodies off of the walkways below, giving guests more elbowroom to maneuver through the land. Bob Gurr had proposed at one time to extend the PeopleMover over to Fantasyland with a station there. Since Disney installed Galaxy's edge, they should put a new magnetic/maglev automated PeopleMover from Tomorrowland PeopleMover station and extend it from Tomorrowland , along the outside edge of Fantasy land with a station stop either inside Galaxy's Edge or at the most Eastern outside entrance to both Galaxy's Edge and Fantasyland walkways.

[@catpella]

I love the WDW Tomorrowland Transit Authority ride and I didn't realize that 'land didn't have one. (I've never been out there.) I think it'd be cool to have it extend from Tomorrowland to other locations! @@electricar9

[@VSpoodle]

The theory that dinosaurs make everything better is entirely on point.

[@LoveFineArts]

Yeah, I couldn't agree with that more!

[@MannyEmm]

I have never been on the Magic Kingdom train. Growing up in So Cal, Disneyland was my home. I have been on the Disneyland RR more times than I can count. It’s quaint, relaxing and does have quite a bit of visual elements. It’s the only attraction where you don’t have to get off. I totally enjoyed your take on the Magic Kingdom version. My favorite part is going past BTMRR. My least favorite is that dull looking tunnel through TRON. Disney could have done more to it. Thank you for this vid. It was very entertaining!

[@BrerOswald]

Even doing something as simple as theming the tunnels in Adventureland and Tomorrowland (say, a Pirate cave with skeletons and a Tron light tunnel) would go a long way to making the railroad more enjoyable. It’s just so disappointing as is.

[@boojersey13]

Dude yeah all they need is Space Mountain vibe moving neon light fixtures that move with the train and it would immediately alleviate the straight up disappointment from a plain black wall. At least you can only say a light fixture isn't enough, a black wall is just Nothing

[@ralfmaximus4295]

I too anticipated they'd recycle the dinosaurs from UoE into a new diorama for the railroad. Seemed so obvious! A slam dunk, especially since they were closing it for 4 years. Was totally shocked at their excited reveal of... tunnel. So what DID happen to all those animatronic dinosaurs?

[@MichaelSar12IsBack]

I think most if not all of the dinosaurs were destroyed, except for the pterodactyls, which were sent to Disneyland as backup animatronics for THEIR railroad.

[@ralfmaximus4295]

@@MichaelSar12IsBack Horrifying. Thanks for the sad news.

[@shawnryan8345]

You’ve touched on the wonderment of the DL RR. I’ve certainly noticed a disparity between the two attractions. Absolutely intriguing to see all the details between the two. DL seems generally well themed and put together due to its geographic location and size. It does leans toward a much more intimate setting. I feel as though there is something to look forward to around every bend in the park.

[@blowba]

I don't think it's just the railroad. I noticed a few other attractions that seem like cheap half-assed versions of their Disneyland counterparts. Pirates of the Caribbean comes to mind as does "It's a Small World." Admitedly there were plenty of attractions that WDW does better Star Tours, the Jungle Cruise, maybe the Haunted Mansion. Personally I can't decide which version of Space Mountain I like better. I definitely prefer WDW Space Mountain trains to Disneyland's, they're much more comfortable.

[@al.109]

Regardless of all of this, I feel like other parks (Disney or not) would really benefit from a system similar to the Railroad that takes you to different parts of the park. For example, I feel like Epic Universe will have the same issue as Epcot of it being too big and tiring for people to walk through the whole park. A system to take you through the lands would be great.

[@IJustAnimateThatsTheJist]

Epcot does have transportation (boats), but there needs to be a more effective system to get people around easier because those boats only cover about 30% of the park compared to other methods of transportation Disney uses.

[@davidgaston7334]

Peoplemover is the answer, not sure why more parks haven't taken advantage of them. Other than the fact guests that use their feet burn more energy and eat more food/drink, thus more profit.

[@Knightowl1980]

@@davidgaston7334 definitely something to get from the back of the park to the front would be nice. My mom had a hard time doing it after a long day, we had to run ahead and find a random wheel chair and bring it back for her. If they could clean up and theme the road back stage that they use, you could have a tram circle the entire park with stops at the seas Canada/France , US, Mexico , guardians ,

[@jason_kucera]

They want you thirsty and hungry while walking by every food and drink stand. EPCOT definitely wears you out.

[@3Gads]

It's a shame too since the MKR can take high occupancy. Magic Kingdom definitely needs something to ease up guests on the walkways.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Tron didn't help. I finally rode it and even with VL, it was still an hour wait.

[@Thoralmir]

The Adventureland portion of the MKRR could really do with an animatronic jungle animal or two, say, a leopard or a jaguar.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

While I agree, I do think parks should be cautious with outdoor animatronics because of how badly they decay in weather. I can't believe how bad the River Adventure is right now. However, I would be fine with static figures along the track if used effectively.

[@Danzilla1996]

I've only ever been to Disneyland (born and raised in Cali), so it's really sad to see how barebones the version in Florida is. Such a huge wasted opportunity considering the train in Disneyland is one of my favorite relaxing attractions.

[@shinetilly]

When I was at Disney World in March I was so excited to ride the railroad again. I expected to see/ go through Tron on the way through Tomorrowland. I was so disappointed that it was just a tunnel where you couldn’t see the coaster. It was a huge missed opportunity

[@TheOneTrueDragonKing]

I feel like the Tron Tunnel issue could easily be fixed by using those light fixtures (at least I think they're light fixtures?) along the tunnel's upper corners to display bright green lights in a progressive sequence running alongside the train, to give the illusion of being scanned. I notice that those lights are not currently on, so perhaps that feature is planned but not yet implemented.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

It was odd to me that they weren't on either. I don't know if it's just for night, or if they're just currently not working at all.

[@TheOneTrueDragonKing]

@@PoseidonEntertainment So they could still have that feature, just not yet implemented. Your criticism may be slightly too early in that regard. Other than that I agree with what you've stated.

[@LetsbeFrank38]

I always look forward to your video essays about these attractions. Many times I learn so much history about these rides or parks. Thank you for putting so much work into these.

[@stangace20]

The “telegraph office” at Disneyland is actually one of the original train stations that has since been decommissioned

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I feel like the DLRR has a lot of history I'm probably not aware of.

[@stangace20]

Enough for an hour long documentary kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5WTqqCbfth5n8k

[@SamHartwell420]

I recently rode the magic kingdom railroad for the first time since I was a kid. I really love trains and was already riding high because all of the miniature trains were running at Epcot earlier in the day. I was ecstatic when my wife and I walked into magic kingdom and I saw the train actually running. We both were feeling pretty tired as it was well into the afternoon and she was also in her second trimester of her pregnancy. We decided to get on the train and ride it all the way around the park. I really enjoyed the coin machines at the station which luckily didn't seem to need coins to operate. We boarded the train and headed around the park. It was a little underwhelming to not see very much on the first segment. I would have loved to see the back side of something in jungle cruise, but it seems space couldn't allow for that. The second segment felt a bit more opened up and it was interesting to see the swampland behind the park. It really made me think about how much the land must have been developed to make it what it is today. The decoration was fine, but a bit underwhelming. At this point I looked over at my wife who was starting to drift off to sleep. The last section felt like it should have had more. I wish I could've seen Tron running or anything related to the ride, but all you get is audio in a dark tunnel. Overall I enjoyed the train ride because I really love trains and it was a nice experience to show down for a bit and relax as the world went by, but I do wish there was more to it like Disney Land has.

[@ct6852]

You gotta do it. It's iconic. That Grand Canyon/dinosaur section is weirdly one of my favorite memories from the parks when I was young.

[@DavesLosinIt]

While the lower part of the station is like a museum, you don’t have time to see it, because you’re hauling ass to get to your next lightning lane ride and staring at your phone to book the next thing.

[@no0nefamouss]

I actually don't mind the foliage-only sections of the MK railroad because it feels like a nice escape from the hustle and bustle. Agreed that the stretch from Fantasyland to Main Street is really bad though. The open view of everything going on outside the front gate just snaps you out of the immersion.

[@MostlyInteresting]

I remember way back in the 70's (yea I am old) there was a canoe paddling in rapids experience. Real boats and everyone paddled. But I have seen no recent reference to it. IIRC you could see that from the train.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

The canoes are Disneyland are still a highlight of that park. Everyone always seems to avoid it, but I was surprised by how fun it was the first time I tried.

[@MostlyInteresting]

@@PoseidonEntertainment I have never been to Disneyland much less set my foot in California. I am talking about Orlando. I'm thinking the one in Florida has been long gone...

[@alextirrellRI]

I was slightly nervous at the start -- Once I knew you were comparing it to Disneyland it was an "Oh, okay!" because that's easy to agree to. I've actually never been on the WDW train -- it was down for Tron on my first two visits, and I didn't get to it on my most recent trip. I guess I wasn't missing much, though that Big Thunder section looks great.

[@ralphpootawn6772]

Great video! Could you do one on the sad state of entertainment at WDW? Examples of eliminated or reduced entertainment: MK: no citizens of main street, no main street trolley show, no muppets show in liberty square, no frontierland band, no nighttime parade, no sword in the stone show, half-assed daytime parade with less performers and floats running post-covid, main street theater plans eliminated DAK: no daytime parade (jammin jungle), no nighttime show (rivers of light), half-assed nemo show still running post-covid, no pandora drummers or mech suit DHS: star wars fireworks at studios replaced with a projection show, no citizens of hollywood, no streetmosphere in galaxy's edge, half-assed fantasmic with less performers, no jedi training academy EC: half-assed fireworks show compared to illuminations, no chinese acrobats, no french acrobat, no norway vikings Resorts: no luau show at the polynesian, no grand floridian band I'm sure there's more I missed.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Entertainment at WDW is pretty bad. Even the standards for how characters perform is pretty poor as well. Comparing them to DLR, their character performers are allowed a lot more agency and it shows in the interactions. It continues to surprise me how much better the streetmosphere is at Universal. The parks on both coasts are always full of interactive characters and street shows.

[@ralphpootawn6772]

@@PoseidonEntertainment Absolutely! Not only is the quality better at DLR vs WDW, but there is also much more of it. Would be interesting to compare and contrast, and think about why its this way when WDW makes way more money.

[@TweetsieRailroader]

As a train buff, I personally really love the Walt Disney World Railroad, especially the shared history between all 4 steam locomotives, but I do agree that the Walt Disney World Railroad could use some more unique touches. I’d also argue that Disneyland’s rolling stock is more interesting as well, with more varied rolling stock (The Holiday 2 and the Lily Belle Parlor Car in particular.) The Walt Disney World Railroad is definitely my personal favorite of the 2, but I also can’t deny that the Disneyland Railroad is a far more interesting experience overall.

[@Robb1977]

i feel the biggest thing that made disney parks feel unique were those small details. I imagine the disney "difference" would be how they would dress an office: Disney would make the office feel like you're peaking in when the office owner was on a bathroom break. The desk would have a newspaper, folded open to an important section, maybe even a note or two on it. The paper would likely say something about a natural disaster, missing boat/plane, or be a reference to a book about adventure. there would be a pair of glasses, with one arm folded in a bit to keep the newspaper from drifting off in a breeze. there would be a half-drunk cup of water, with faux-condensation on the outside to imply it was still cold. there would be some old luggage in the corner, implying the office belonged to someone who travels, and this could be reinforced by a map with some pins of various colors and there would be a few newspaper clippings relating to those locations. there would be a birdcage with an exotic bird, or some other strange creature inside. and finally, there could be portrait of the offices owner, looking regal or timid behind some lush jungle or barren desert, and they may have that pet/companion with them. the entire scene would be lit through a shaded window, via some unseen lamp, and the viewer could imagine a bit of dust as the rays cast long shadows onto the desk and floor. Modern Disney would display a desk, with the characters name tag on it. have a few pieces of paper on it, likely containing a reference to the latest movie, or directly to the character it belongs to. there would also probably be a tv screen on the wall, giving updates as to the locations of other characters on a flashing digital map. finally, the whole scene would be well lit and feel a lot like a cleanroom.

[@aaronprewitt344]

An underrated detail: every one of the passenger cars on the Disneyland Railroad is different in a unique way, two are passenger, another’s freight, and two are side facing gondolas that allow you to actually see the scenery. A small but I think important thing.

[@LoveStallion]

Fun trivia: the section near Big Thunder is the only part of the Disneyland RR that turns to the left (and I think the only part of any Disney RR that does so of those that encircle the park).

[@heckinjonah]

Isn't it funny that Magic Kingdom was supposed to be Disneyland but expanded with a bigger budget and more land. But now is just massively inferior to Walt's original creation in almost every way?

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Ironic for sure. However, I will say that MK does do certain things better like the Haunted Mansion. While I also prefer Disneyland's Space Mountain, I appreciate that the MK version is very different.

[@heckinjonah]

@Poseidon Entertainment Is there significant differences between the Haunted Mansions? I always thought the only difference other than the facade was that Disneyland has the hat box ghost, but I also haven't been to MK as recently as I've been to Disneyland so maybe my memory is hazy.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

@@heckinjonah The Magic Kingdom version has three additional scenes which include the portrait hallway, the library and the endless staircases. I also prefer the loading station with the floating candelabra as opposed to the weird void in the Disneyland version. Aesthetically, I prefer the WDW façade as well.

[@heckinjonah]

@Poseidon Entertainment wow i just looked up a video of it and you're absolutely right, didn't remember those at all😅. You know I think it would be interesting if you did a video comparing versions of attractions that are at multiple parks. I know it's a little different than your normal content but I would be interested nonetheless. Just a suggestion though of course😁

[@luiscomic5138]

Dude, i cant understate how much I love your videos. Your takes, your editing, amazing. Thank you for the content!

[@lohphat]

13:47 This crossing is the parade float crossing from backstage to the Small World step-off gate. It’s also the spur tracks for the railroad and monorail to the roundhouse buildings for both.

[@bjvincent8786]

Great video and I totally agree with all your points concerning why did the Magic Kingdom Railroad open without any new additions or any new improvements; the railroads in both parks was essentially Walt Disney's pride and joy. But seeing the Disney Co. just open without any extra for lack of a better phrase "bells and whistles" is not a big surprised. I feel at this point when it comes to Disney as a whole we should be happy that they got it up and running at all this point. Sadly if this was done during the Walt/Roy Disney and Michael Eisner/ Frank Wells era things would have been different. Because creativity and theming in parks is gone from this new Bob Iger/Bob Chapek/Bob Iger 2.0 era.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

To be fair, the MK railroad wasn't ever really that remarkable during those eras either. What's frustrating is that after 4 years of closure, absolutely nothing was added, especially after the DL railroad just received a massive thematic expansion through Frontierland.

[@briansieve]

Right off the start I agree. I love the calm transport rides. But I could not believe after all that time they didn't even design anything for the Tron tunnel. Disgraceful.

[@briansieve]

I think showing the Contemporary is cool because it's in theme with the park. And far better themed to Tomorrowland than the Tron tunnel

[@chompythebeast]

I really like the idea of vids comparing different versions of (essentially) the same ride at the different parks. I'm sure there are a fistful more attractions that could merit a vid like this one that you haven't yet gotten to. Well done once again

[@haileybalmer9722]

I think the ideal mode of transit for the Disneyland Parks is the goth AF underground pirate tunnels Walt initially wanted in the park. Would it be expensive? Yes. Would it get crowded and hot? You bet! Would it ferry people from one place to another? No, most people have feet for that. But would it be cool? Yes. Yes it would.

[@Oddyisodd]

I’m glad I finally have a place to vent my Disney World frustrations lol, I kinda hate how they’ve been doing park expansions recently, what they add only vaguely fits the park they’re in, if at all, and they all feel tacked on (for example, Hollywood Studios getting immersive Star Wars and Toy Story areas for some reason, EPCOT getting a Guardians of The Galaxy ride)

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

That's exactly my problem. Disney does not care at all about theming anymore, except at a superficial level. The parks are becoming billboards for Disney+ with a lot of half-baked rides that are somehow always irresponsibly expensive.

[@Anynom]

More striking as rode the Disneyland one in March and struck by how much better is from dinosaur section to better bits of Frontierland and just amazed Florida never boosted their version over the years.

[@ryanwiersema7251]

We really agree. We always enjoyed the relaxation of the railroad in Magic Kingdom, but were taken back with how much better it is in Disneyland. We rode the Magic Kingdom raliroad earlier this year right after it opened up again. We enjoyed the relaxed sit back vibes, but when we went through the Tomorrowland section we were SO disappointed. They might have as well just nailed up plywood walls like in EPCOTwall land and called it good. As you said, they had SUCH an opportunity to do something amazing to plus it but failed to do so.

[@CynicalBeard]

I enjoyed the video. Disney deserves criticism for not doing anything with the railroad when it was closed for so long. Sadly if they didn’t make any changes during this closure, I’d imagine they never will. It was the golden opportunity.

[@demetreasandrews]

I always make sure to do a grand circle tour in Disneyland, but can take or leave the Magic Kingdom train. It was still closed when I went last and didn't miss it

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

If I'm at Disneyland multiple days, I'll do a full tour every single day.

[@fusionspace175]

I haven't ridden it in over 20 years, but in the old park the magic kingdom train was kind of meant to be boring, a mom ride where it just replicates riding a train for a bit, and you don't have to look around for fear of missing anything. It's a de stressor, and in a park where your highlight might be Peter Pan (not counting Space Mountain), it fit right in. It sticks out as odd given the current park designs though.

[@thefalsekingslayer3717]

I still love the engines, that have awesome history and just seeing them and hearing their horns (which I heard almost daily for over a year) brings love to my heart

[@Shag471]

They had 5 years to add something worth looking at on the train while passing Tron but just left it as it was. A simple themed fence and lighting fixtures would’ve been better than just looking at a retaining wall, a enormous building from backstage and a flat black-painted tunnel.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I don't even understand what they were trying to do with painting the building the way they did. They're clearly not trying to hide it.

[@DisDrewShow]

It’s so true! I did a video last year theorizing how Disney could plus up the railroad when it reopened. Super disappointed that NOTHING was changed. We actually had a lot of similar ideas to what you mentioned!!

[@rockym9981]

The Disneyland Railroad in Anaheim is so much more interesting and fun. The dioramas are really cool, and the redesigned Rivers of America is awesome too.

[@criixt]

I like how even the landscape pulls off the force perspective.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

That's a good point!

[@AmusementVision]

I've been telling my friends this for years and they all thought I was crazy for saying this. After riding the Disneyland railroad last year, this fully furthered my point on the potential the one in Florida could have. It's great to see someone (especially you) get on a topic that I've been waiting for someone to cover for years now. Never thought it would take this long for someone to make a video on this. 😂 Edit: To add to this, they really could have repurposed those UOE animatronics and make it a part of the railroad.

[@michaeltaylor1603]

While the dinos are unique to both Disneyland + Tokyo Disneyland, I DID think they'd recycle the AA Dinos from UOE. Tron light tunnel transporting guest back in time to the dinos. Plenty of room to do so in s slightly different way since it excluded the diorama. I also LOVE the whistles in Fla.+ # of grade crossings. The approach to the tunnel has that lovely Loooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnng, short blast! Disneyland has a variety of tunnels. I DO like the wig wag @ DL + the billboard in Tomorrowland. I did the steam train tour and they explained about the trees. I STILL would like to see more done to the layout though. Disneyland seems to have MORE pride in its park since it IS the original. WDW seems content to rest on its laurels.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I don't think the Tron tunnel has room for any expansion, but there is certainly plenty of room past Space Mountain.

[@michaeltaylor1603]

Yep! I meant the area past it. the 1st part would be the "light tunnel" part. I also like the coin op machines.

[@davidbaker1243]

I've been to Disney Land Paris many times, considering I'm European, and this perfectly explains why I prefer the Disneyland Paris Railway over the one in Florida. The one in Paris appears to be very similar to the one in Anaheim, the major difference being whether the diorama comes before or after the Main Street USA station.

[@electricar9]

I used to work at Star Tours in Disneyland in 2004, just months/weeks away from the 50th Anniversary and in the last few operational weeks of the failed Rocket Rods ride and when the Tomorrowland Train Station was permanently closed. I grew up and currently live in Southern California and rode the Disneyland people mover as a kid and was deeply saddened that they replaced it with Rocket Rods and then abandoned it completely. Rocket Rods was a maintenance nightmare with software problems and constant tire replacement every other day. When I rotated to the outside of Star Tours, I would always look up periodically at the abandoned PeopleMover Track, remembering it in operation. I do know that foot traffic was tight through that area of Tomorrowland, and people used to ride it just to get a 10-minute break to sit down, relax, and get off their feet while they rode with their kids for a safe aerial overview of Tomorrowland and parts of Fantasyland and Main Street USA. Without it running, the entrance area to Tomorrowland was always jam-packed, and the existing Disney park management started getting rid of most of the old timers and safety minded employees that cared about the guests, it was around this time after Bob Iger took over as CEO. He neglected and got rid of a lot of the good employees and kept the dumb, uncaring, and unsafe/undertrained employees. The people Mover with it's extremely high throughout and ride capacity used to get bodies off of the walkways below, giving guests more elbowroom to maneuver through the land. Bob Gurr had even proposed at one time to extend the PeopleMover over to Fantasyland with a station there. Since Disney installed Galaxy's edge, I suggest that they should put a new magnetic/maglev automated PeopleMover from the Tomorrowland PeopleMover station and extend it from Tomorrowland, along the outside edge of Fantasy land with a station stop either inside Galaxy's Edge or at the most Eastern outside entrance to both Galaxy's Edge and Fantasyland walkways as it will give both a new, real transportation mode/ride to help move people around parts of the park and be a replacement for removed aerial Skyway ride while adding ride capacity to move guests around.

[@brianna_lynch]

I’ve noticed that in general, rides at Disney in California are higher quality than rides at Disney in Florida.

[@deannabayless8025]

They should have reused the old World of Tron projections from the Disneyland Peoplemover in a larger tunnel. It was surprisingly effective.

[@otakubullfrog1665]

I've never gotten to try the Disneyland version, but I liked the Magic Kingdom one as a kid because it was a ride you could actually get on even if the park was fairly crowded. It would be nice if they did a little more with it.

[@KayleePrice21]

Park facing cars only pleaseee! 😩 It’s a completely different experience- long day in DL, grab a snack & ride around the whole park. Relaxing, site seeing, waving to people. Nothing compares to that!

[@iggyelle]

Tbh, I had no idea the train in MK was even still in service. I have not been on in decades. For one, there was a considerable amount of time that it was diverted for Splash Mountain's construction and ran backwards at times, and secondly, I got older and didn't need to rest my little legs, not to mention more accustomed to the Florida heat. Honestly, though, I agree with you. We never went on because it was entertaining. It was just a good rest and time in the shade while getting to a destination (maybe). I think my uncle went on it a few times because he was definitely one of those guys at Disney in the 90s with a camcorder on his shoulder. The Disneyland one looks very cool. I really hope plans to get out to Cali this year goes through. I've been curious about Disneyland for years. The Tron tunnel is awful. I don't understand, and while I'm not offended by the back of the attraction building for Tron being on open display, I get unreasonably excited about that sort of thing. I love when you're taking those boats to the back entrance of Epcot and see the Paris show buildings from behind and a highlight of one trip was when I accidentally found a stairway to the underground somewhere between Adventureland and Frontierland while searching for a bathroom. I'm definitely surprised that they didn't plant taller foliage to try to cover it up.

[@ludicrus32]

Dude, I'm a Florida kid and practically grew up in Disney World. We've been to Disneyland twice and both times I blew off the train because I thought it'd be just like the one in Magic Kingdom. I feel so robbed.

[@Nickelodeon_5_1_9]

It hurts me to see just how much better the MKR could be! I feel like the Frontierland section is fine, but they could add some static figures and low level animatronics of animals to the Adventureland section, and they could add some dioramas or effects to the Tron tunnel too!! Sadly this won’t happen with Disney’s current leadership tho 😞.

[@idontknowyet5942]

Omg I've never been so early..I love your vids Poseidon! I was born in the 90s and all my friends ride or die for Disney. But I grew up pretty poor so I didn't get to visit Disney until well into my 20s (the last 10 years). I much prefer Universal for both theming and experience, but I can't talk to my friends about it because they argue with me (but all their arguments are based off nostalgia I don't have lol) Your vids really put all my thoughts into well articulated words and I feel like I'm not crazy for not being a Disney person despite being a Floridian lol Great vid as always ✌️

[@Drockthe3rd]

There is an experience where you can tour the shop complex on the railroad, and the most interesting thing about the railroad itself are the locomotives (they were originally built for service in Mexico)

[@coachken6130]

Ok! You sold me on the train. Now I have to ride it. It looks relaxing

[@Sketch105]

Thank you for taking on a subject that has bugged me as well. I remember being charmed during the Mickey’s Birthdayland years because the Magic Kingdom railroad had dozens of little set pieces and cutouts of Disney characters all throughout the swamps, foliage and rock work. It was very simple but very effective in making the experience. Now, they rely on the narration to carry it and it just doesn’t work. A few static figures and some decor could go a LONG way, but since the railroad doesn’t directly draw revenue like other rides, it’s left in this state of suspended animation.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

I don't really remember Mickey's Birthdayland at all, so I'm completely unfamiliar with how it affected the railroad. I guess it tracks that the new Storybook Circus station is a lot less detailed than the others though.

[@danielvandersall6756]

I've always found the railroad underwhelming; hardly any views of existing rides, just a few small dioramas, and that utterly boring tunnel. Just some light effects could have made all the difference in there, and been perfect theming to go along with TRON. I mean, come on, how much would some LEDs cost, Disney? Like so so much lately, it feels lazy. Like only a bare minimum of effort went into the project.

[@LoveStallion]

Yeah, it's hard to replicate Disneyland's railroad elsewhere. The MK railroad just kinda goes around without any features or character, especially that back section when it's essentially an open meadow.

[@calebwilliams7659]

Let me tell you, if you've been at the theme park since the gates opened, it's now 2 pm and your feet hurt and you're feeling like a nap, the railroad is a God send! You can stay on as long as you want, but even just once around the park really helps to re-energize you!

[@queenmarsia]

who cares about the crybabies that disapprove of your disney criticisms, they are my favorite videos since you know exactly what needs to be addressed.

[@bc5441]

Both railroads are an opportunity to pause and relax. There is an energy throughout Disneyland that is created by its more confined space, and while the Magic Kingdom has the benefit of being spread over a larger area, it loses that excitement. I was 11 the first time I rode the DRR and I found the Grand Canyon and especially the Primeval World to be silly and underwhelming. I still do. Maybe building a connection to Fantasia would have helped!

[@STSGuitar16]

I agree with all of your arguments here, but I must say that just having the WDW RR back open again after an inexcusably long closure made the trip quite enjoyable for me personally. But yeah, they really should have taken that downtime to give the RR a bit of new life. Even simple show scenes along the track would make so much of a difference. But hey, at least WDW (my "home" park) still has a Peoplemover! I think I'd take a functioning Peoplemover along with a subpar RR over having a great RR and no Peoplemover like at Disneyland. A totally hypothetical and meaningless tradeoff, but true nonetheless.

[@mark-789]

Agree 100%!!!! - Glad you pointed this out and make a video about it!

[@Coolguyjason]

Totally agree! The disneyland railroad is a standalone attraction, especially when you could see into splash mountain as well. Essentially, disneyland took a poop on the people mover, and disneyworld did the same to the railroad (though the later is still open)! Just found the channel and I love going back to like and comment on old videos for the algorithm!

[@miked6335]

18:08 Straight ahead is the settler's cabin that at one time was constantly on fire due to an unfriendly Native American attack. You can still see the burn marks around the windows. Back in the day, the cabin at Disneyland came complete with a settler sporting an arrow in his back lying in front of the cabin.

[@bebopblue]

My main use for the MKRR was going from Main Street, when I first enter the park, to Splash Mountain, to ride Splash Mountain. Very rarely have I gone from Splash Mountain to Fantasy Land. And can never really recall going from Fantasy Land back to Main Street.

[@nicklepolaroid]

I've only traveled to Orlando, and have only used the railroad to get to different lands without walking. When I first saw the Disneyland Railroad my jaw dropped to the floor, I really don't know why they get cooler stuff

[@cherryberry7431]

Wouldn't it be nice to have a large painted mural inside of that bleak grey tunnel?

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

The steam would probably erode it, but I think they probably have other visual options.

[@Songdaddy]

Thank you for sharing this. I now know what I won't be riding when I visit there.

[@vectorwolf]

I'm still bemused that it took Disney 4 years to duplicate an already existing coaster (that is barely open yet already is showing signs of wear and damage) while Universal built an entire hyperthemed land in arguably less time. The theming (and I use the term loosely) around Tron is embarrassingly bland and minimal-effort. Honestly there probably was supposed to be some light tunnel thing in the corridor under Tron, but either it didn't work, or got cut for penny pinching reasons. Disney's been able to coast on nostalgia and people's habits for a long time, but they're going to get a really rude shock when Epic Universe opens. Hell, even Sea World's new coaster is better than Tron.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Tron has a few flashy effects in its queue, but I couldn't believe how boring it was otherwise. It's just black square hallways.

[@johnberntson1669]

Agree with what you said; there is a lot of lost opportunity here. I also thought they wasted so much time by NOT pushing hard on the renovation work during the pandemic closures - I'm sure the government would not have liked it, but there were all sorts of ways to continue the work while protecting the crews - very few construction tasks are done by people within spitting distance of each other. As to the railroad itself, while I enjoy the ride, it has for me always been a step-saver, getting me to the back of the park with lots less impact to my legs or to get to the exit if I am leaving midday. Even though I have always been a walker, I have always found it hard to stay on my feet all day, even in my twenties. Now, four decades later, it is even more important to save steps and keep out of the sun. I hope they manage to save this little - probably expensive - gem. Improving it would be far better.

[@dianne6399]

Wow! DLRR looks amazing, a solid A, DWRR was a B, but that Tron Tunnel… B- is generous… what the heck Disney? Tweetsie Rail Road in Boone NC could have done better imagineer-ing than that! It’s like they just gave up. Great video as always!

[@Mike__B]

When my wife and I took a trip to Disney World from the west coast it was around the time the Fantasyland expansion was going on, so the Fantasyland station was closed down, just a big green wall was there, and yeah we were thinking "well we at least will be able to get off at the Tomorrowland station, whoops didn't realize that didn't exist there... needless to say we didn't ride the train any other time during that trip.

[@rob5894]

I was stunned at how good the Disneyland RR was when I first went on it after I had been to Disneyland many times without going on it.

[@MrSporeaddict123]

Pretty disappointed that after all of this downtime, we didnt see any improvement(but also not surprised) they have so many animatronics and static props just rotting away, we have those dinosaurs from Universe of Energy, just straight up copy Disneyland for a scene. Anything would be an improvement if originality is too much to ask for. Regardless, love the video! Im sure criticizing Disney feels like shouting into a void, but its more than cathartic for me and surely many others who have grown tired of giving them a pass on everything.

[@timogul]

I think the Magic Kingdom Railroad is great. It's a nice, relaxing ride around the park, and lets you get to the far corners of it without having to walk, which is a godsend by day 5. Adding some dioramas and stuff wouldn't really add a ton to the value of the ride, and the view of Contemporary is actually pretty nice too. What I want is for them to add railroads to Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios, so that you can get from one end of the park to the other off your feet. Imagine if you could get off the monorail at Epcot, step onto [something], and then get off at the America Pavilion, or at least the International Gateway! And then another few minutes later you could be at the old Odyssey Center, or some other accessway through to the plaza in front of the space stuff. Imagine if you could catch a ride at the Hollywood entrance that would drop you off behind Toy Story Land, or next to Tower of Terror. I don't know that they could do a good train line, but maybe a gondola through Animal Kingdom that would fly you over the trees from the entrance to Everest!

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

The original plans for Epcot had a Peoplemover that would have went through Future World and through some of the core buildings as well. I don't think the Animal Kingdom train could be expanded, but I don't think its current route is bad. Like the Magic Kingdom, it just needs more along its route.

[@timogul]

@@PoseidonEntertainment I view it more from the perspective of a _transportation_ device than a "ride" though. The Animal Kingdom train is fine for getting people to and from that otherwise long hike location (I assume for animal logistics reasons), but there is still a ton of walking in the park, and a gondola that cuts straight from the entrance to the opposite side of the lake would both provide great views and save 10-15 minutes of walking. My perspective on the parks is that there is plenty to "do" there, and not everything needs to be jam packed with "content," I think all the parks could use more opportunities to just sit in a comfortable, cool place, and to be able to get to the opposite side of the parks without having to walk the distance. When you've been there several days in a row, having options to just relax are fantastic in and of themselves.

[@junglec55]

The fact that they didn't nothing to enhance the train during the long closure for tron is ridiculous. Look at the contrast with when the Disneyland Railroad was closed to accommodate the building of just not one ride, but an entire land with two rides, merch and dining locations. Disneyland railroad, along with all the river attractions closed in Jan of 2016. the train and river attractions reopened in summer of 2017. In that relatively short amount of time, they drained the back half of the river, built a damm so the water would stay in the front half of the river. They cut all the vegetation from the Hungry Bear to basically the Fantasyland theater. They removed all the figures and props from around the river. they tore down Big thunder Ranch and bar be que. they removed a huge chunk of Pirates Lair. They had to remove the back half of the tracks for Twain and Columbia and trains. they had to carve out and build a shorter river. They had to reroute the entire train track from hungry bear all the way to Fantasyland Theater. they had to reinstall new tracks for the boats and train. Then they built the new mountains, waterfalls and bridges. Then they refilled the river, took down the damm, replanted vegetation . Put back existing figures and added tons of new stuff. Trained or retrained engineers, conductors, and all the cast members who work the twain/columbia and canoes. Did test runs on all the attractions for a few weeks. In top of all this necessary construction, they took the time to refresh both the grand canyon and dinosaur scene. Plus they completely restaged Fantasmic. This was all in a year and a half! and both the train and rivercraft have beautiful new scenery that mostly hides Galaxy's edge. the walt disney world railroad went down in 2018 and reopened in 2023. Even taking into account covid shutting the parks for several months in 2020, in the six years it was closed, other than adding a bland tunnel, they did nothing in this long time to improve or make new experiences for the guests riding the train. In took them 6 years to slightly reroute the track and build a short tunnel, and nothing else. Like you said, they didn't even try and hide the ugly show building. It is truly maddening , and shameful.

[@Happymali10]

I was kinda puzzled by the service-road at 7:38, so...in case anyone else was: It's road-access to "it's a small world" and some shops. There's also a weird little parking lot in the middle of the woods right by the tracks, maybe that's for access to the native american scene/its tech.

[@tcepilot]

Those locomotives are incredible. Great narrow gauge history. That’s the most incredible part

[@phillyeagles5593]

What I love about disneyland is its designed for walt disney, so it's what walt liked not so much what we liked, but it also gives disneyland a soul that no other park can because well they can't it's more of a guess of what walt would have like opposed to this is what walt likes! And I love that although it's losing that every year that goes by, but it's still there none the less!

[@wally5413]

I'm a disneyland person born and raised in socal. finally got to visit wdw recently and I was very underwhelmed by magic kingdom itself. My partner and I attempted to take the train all away around the park but it was so disappointing we bailed at the next stop

[@YoMike91]

In regards to the Disney World version, they should add a viewing area that is themed to Alice in Wonderland (original film).

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

That's an interesting idea. What specifically did you have in mind?

[@YoMike91]

@@PoseidonEntertainment A garden with characters.

[@TSMGL_Youtube]

The WDWRR, or as you call it, the Magic Kingdom Railroad, always felt a little unloved. Even as someone who loves the WDWRR I can say that there could be more, especially since they have full scale trains compared to Disneyland's equipment

[@vectorhacker-r2]

Having recently been to Disneyland twice, I can solidly say that it's definitely the better version of the railroad, ride wise.

[@MCastleberry1980]

You'd think with a whole 4 years they'd do something like the Tron tunnel on the Peoplemover for the tunnel through Tron to at least give people something to look at. I've only been to the Magic Kingom once on my life, and the train was closed for it, so as usual it seems like the Disneyland version of an attraction at both parks comes out on top.

[@samhainabyss]

when the magic kingdom RR was closed I heard speculation that a diorama of some kind would be added to tomorrowland. I guess a regular service tunnel is more appropriate, a testament to Disney’s trend of half measures.

[@rebelalliance77]

I’m a big fan of the WDWRR and was about to defend it in the comments. However, upon reflection, you’re right in that Disney failed to bring the WDWRR up the DLRR’s standards. Just another example how poorly Disney’s management treats WDW and WDW customers.

[@EricMontreal22]

I admit, I did always wonder why they didn't bring over more of the Ford Magic Skyway (like the cavemen?)

[@raegangarlitz5313]

Lol thisis funny. I go to disneyland and the train is always one of the highlights! Just another reason Disneyland beats magic kingdom

[@thehobbsguy]

This commentary on the railroads could apply to their respective parks in general. Disneyland cares more about detail and sight lines (in general), as well as having more kinetic energy throughout much of the park. I understand that the latter point has to do with climate a bit.

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Eh, they've really stopped bothering. You can clearly see Galaxy's Edge from ToonTown which could easily be solved with a tree or two just beyond the service road.

[@Flsteamfan1990]

Oh man … but I still love the WDWRR lol

[@PoseidonEntertainment]

Nah I like it too, but why is it just completely untouched?

[@Trainlover1995]

To me, the Walt Disney World Railroad isn't underwhelming. The stretch between Frontierland and Fantasyland is my favorite part of the journey, because it feels like you're actually travelling through the American frontier.

[@DiegoMatos-u6u]

Here is how to fix the Magic Kingdom Railroad: I would add a rainforest diorama for Adventureland. I would add the Grand Canyon diorama for Frontierland. I would add a Dragon Dungeon diorama for the Upcoming Villians Kingdom. And Finally, I would add a E.P.C.O.T Diorama for Tomorrowland.

[@Happymali10]

There's an old-ish video where someone stepped off the train/walked along the tracks and went right up to that "old man and the dog"-scene/animatronic. Yeah he got banned for life.

[@MLGVorkScoper]

Going to the Magic Kingdom a few weeks ago, I really get the feel that the older attractions such as the Railroad, Carousel of Progress, and even the Rivers of America, are an incredible nusance to the corporate side of Disney, that wants to inject IP wherever possible. They seemingly don't care bout making anything original anymore. This theory is supported by the only major change to come to the railroad in its 4+ year closure, was a decidedly crap narration filled with IP. Whether its a Disney World problem, or that of Disney as a whole, it really stood out to me that the concept of original ideas isn't something they care about anymore.