The Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad is a

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

rail transport Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

attraction in

Hong Kong Disneyland Hong Kong Disneyland () (local nickname ''HKDL''; also known as HK Disneyland) is a theme park located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and it is owned and managed by Hong Ko ...

,. which opened on September 12, 2005, the same day the park opened. Its route is long and encircles the majority of the park with stations in the Main Street, U.S.A. and

Fantasyland Fantasyland is one of the "themed lands" at all of the Magic Kingdom-style parks run by The Walt Disney Company around the world. It is themed after Disney's animated fairy tale films. Each Fantasyland has a castle, as well as several gentle ...

sections.

Ride experience

Main Street Station is the first station seen upon entering Hong Kong Disneyland in Main Street, U.S.A. From there, guests can start their journey around the park, with a recorded narration commenting on visited landscapes. Just right after the train departs

Main Street Station Main Street station may refer to: Canada * Main Street station (Toronto), a subway station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada * Main Street–Science World station, a SkyTrain station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada United Kingdom * Main Street r ...

, the train travels through Adventureland and the rivers of the Jungle River Cruise. After passing through the jungle, the train arrives in

and makes a stop at Fantasyland Station. Passengers who wish to visit this land may disembark at this station. After dropping off and picking up passengers, the train then departs Fantasyland Station. Upon departure, passengers are able to see the Fantasy Gardens, Mad Hatter Tea Cups, and the walkway to

It's a Small World "It's a Small World" is a water-based boat ride located in the Fantasyland area at various Disney theme parks worldwide, including Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California; Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida; Tokyo D ...

. The train also travels underneath the queue line of Mickey and the Wondrous Book. The train then leaves Fantasyland and passes through

Tomorrowland Tomorrowland is one of the many themed lands featured at all of the Magic Kingdom styled Disney theme parks around the world owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Each version of the land is different and features numerous attractions t ...

, where passengers can see Space Mountain (currently themed as Star Wars: Hyperspace Mountain), along with other attractions in the area. It also passes through the showbuilding of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle!. After passing through Tomorrowland, the train finally arrives back at Main Street Station, bringing the journey around the park to a finish. File:Main Street Station HKDRR.jpg, Main Street station HK Disneyland Fantasyland Station b.jpg, Fantasyland station During peak traffic periods, the railroad offers only one-way trips where all passengers must disembark at the Fantasyland Station and re-board for the return trip to Main Street, U.S.A. (and vice versa).

Rolling stock

The Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad operates three

4-4-0 4-4-0 is a locomotive type with a classification that uses the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement and represents the arrangement: four leading wheels on two axles (usually in a leading bogie), four ...

steam-outline locomotives built by

Severn Lamb Severn Lamb, sometimes known as Severn-Lamb, are manufacturers of various forms of transport systems and equipment, principally aimed at the leisure market. They are based at Alcester in the English county of Warwickshire, but sell their produc ...

, which were named after past

Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

presidents. There are also two sets of train cars, each consisting of five coaches with a total seating capacity of 250 people per train. Unlike other railroads at Disneyland-style parks, where the trains are powered by actual

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...

s, Hong Kong Disneyland's trains are powered by steam-outline locomotives, which are

diesel locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving whee ...

s with the outward appearance of steam locomotives. This is due to Hong Kong's strict emissions standards, which also served as a cost-effective measure which obviated the need to build new steam locomotives, or the finding and transport to Hong Kong of suitable existing narrow gauge steam locomotives. As a result, in order to mimic the sound of an actual steam locomotive, typical steam audio (chuffing, steam whistle, etc.) are emitted from a set of hidden speakers installed on each locomotive. Despite the fact that they are not steam-powered, Dana Amendola, the author of ''All Aboard: The Wonderful World of Disney Trains'', describes the locomotives as "a representation of the golden age of railroading."

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{Disney rail transport 2005 establishments in Hong Kong Amusement rides introduced in 2005 Heritage railways in Hong Kong Hong Kong Disneyland Narrow gauge railways in Hong Kong Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Railways of amusement parks in Hong Kong Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions Western (genre) amusement rides

Ride experience

Rolling stock

See also

References

Bibliography

External links