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Disneyland Railroad Main Street Station
"Final call for the Disneyland Railroad..."
Facing the Victorian splendour of Disneyland Hotel, Main Street Station is an icon of Main Street, USA; a lavish and ornate statement of the wealth and prosperity the railroads brought to the heartlands of America.
Lines traversing the continent shipped out goods and brought in new townspeople, transforming economies — and cityscapes — in their wake. Originally just a small town square, Main Street has the railroad to thank for its rapid growth out toward the gardens of Central Plaza and the construction of the grand hotel behind.
As soon as you enter Disneyland Park, the imposing facade of Main Street Station welcomes you to a bygone era. As a railroad engine steams on the tracks above, you head through the courtyard of flowers and trees and underneath the station itself, through a maze of concourses and passageways lit by thousands of small electric lightbulbs and adorned with colourful posters advertising the wonders which lie beyond.
You've stepped out onto the cobbles of Main Street, U.S.A., but there's no time to lose — the engine is blowing its whistle, the guard is announcing the "final call"! Hurry up the staircase on the East side of Town Square and onto the balcony of the station. Head past the ticket booth and take a quick read of the "Tourist Information" signs announcing special trains to the distant lands of Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Discoveryland - also depicted in circular stained glass on the four front windows of the station.
As the final travellers board the train, take a moment to notice the details around the enclosed platform - an ornate red orchestrion for announcing arriving trains, luggage waiting to depart, red fire buckets in case of emergency. The railroads were an icon of money and wealth — visitors would judge a town by the lavish quality of its railroad station. Effort and attention to detail was therefore poured into every corner.
"All aboard!" You're on your way — steaming out of the station, headed for the majestic Grand Canyon and adventures beyond.
Disneyland Railroad station stop. Take a grand circle tour of the magic kingdom!
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Opening Date
12th April 1992
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Attraction Type
Railroad station
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Departures
Every 10-15 minutes
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Duration
30 minutes (full circle)
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Capacity
250 Guests per train
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Category
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Wait Time
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Suitablility
- Children 3-7
- Children 8-12
- Young Adults
- Adults
- Seniors
Trivia
- This version of Main Street Station is completely unique to Disneyland Paris. At the other magic kingdom parks, including Hong Kong Disneyland built after this park, the station itself is the main entrance to the park — there is no Disneyland Hotel above the gates and not even a lavish Fantasia Gardens to draw guests gently into the magic. Trains can be seen steaming by from outside the park, with the Mickey Mouse flower bed positioned in front of the station as guests enter via two tunnels on either side. Indeed, despite the station being cast somewhat in the shadows from the huge Disneyland Hotel in Paris, it is the most beautiful and exuberant of them all; sensationally detailed and evocative of the period. The entire line, platform and waiting area is under cover, with the track covered over by a glass canopy and at the rear of the station a huge, ornate clock and a balcony looking over Town Square. Custom-made ironwork fills every nook and guests can walk the full length of the station at ground level, greatly improving the flow of people into and out of the park.
- Besides countless props and noticeboards, one of the station's favourite details amongst fans are the four stunning stained-glass windows sitting across the tracks, facing the entrance of the park. Each represents a different land — Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Discoveryland — with a maroon red band organ sitting at the centrepiece of the station. Originally this played a pre-recorded swelling fanfare as each train arrived. Though all of its horns and musical parts are real, the "Orchestrion" itself is a piece of cabinetry made to look like an organ, the inspiration coming from a cabinet seen by Imagineering at the Smithsonian Institute.
- Countless elements of the station building, its signage and surroundings are still adorned with the initials EDLRR to this day - standing for Euro Disneyland Railroad, the original name of the line before the park changed to Disneyland Paris in late 1994. Though the railroad carriages displaying Euro Disneyland Railroad were eventually repainted with simply "Disneyland Railroad", the station is unlikely to ever lose these more permanent, unique pieces of history.
- It is traditional for a plaque to be placed above the tunnels under Main Street Station reading "Here you leave today and enter the world of Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Fantasy", however in Paris the plaque reads somewhat differently due to the park's differing lands, announcing "Here you leave today and enter worlds of history, discovery and ageless fantasy." Or in French, "A partir d'ici, vous quittez le présent et entrez dans le monde de l'histoire, des découvertes et de la fantasie éternelle."
- An atmospheric and sometimes hilarious loop of monotone station announcements written and recorded by Main Street's Imagineering show producer Eddie Sotto can be heard around the station. They range from the regular "Last call for the Disneyland Railroad," to the slightly unusual "Travellers must refrain from buffalo hunting, spitting ... and the consumption of alcoholic beverages, other than for medicinal purposes," to the plain silly "Will the person who lost a roll of 20 dollar bills in a green rubber band please come to the ticket office. Good news... we found your green rubber band."
Disneyland Railroad's 91.44 centimetre narrow-gauge loop runs for an impressive 2,200 metres right around the park
Tips
- Main Street Station will often have the longest wait time of any of the Disneyland Railroad stations, particularly in the first half of the day. In the evening, however, you may find it quicker to board a train as people catch the railroad back to Main Street before leaving the park.
- This station is often the only one on the line to open at park opening time, with the others opening later at 12.30pm. It's advisable, though, to use your early morning energy to walk to your first destination, and instead wait at one of the other stations to be first in line after midday to ride the railroad.
- Part of the station balcony was opened as a public viewing area in the early 2000s, allowing guests to get a stunning view over Town Square without clogging the station's queue line. Today it opens somewhat infrequently, so you might still need to climb the stairs to the railroad queue to see the view (it's worth it!).
