We visit Disney World every single day…yet we’re constantly finding things that are new and interesting to us.
Whether it’s new merchandise and a new snack or a detail that we’ve never noticed before, there’s pretty much always something to discover in the Disney parks. And recently, we noticed a nod that Disney history buffs will really love!
If you walk under the Walt Disney World Railroad train station on Main Street, U.S.A., you’ll find a quaint little exhibit on trains and how they relate to Disney history. Walt Disney was famously a train aficionado, and there are plenty of photos and informational plaques under here that give you the details.
We’ve talked about the history that you’ll find hidden underneath the station before, but today we’re here to draw your attention to a few, more specific, details.
Along the walls you’ll find signs with lists of routes and destinations, which at first glance, seem normal. But when you take a closer look, some of these names are very significant.
On the first sign, here’s what the names mean:
- Grizzly Bear Flats — The Grizzly Flats Railroad was the first full sized backyard railroad in the United States, owned by Disney animator Ward Kimball. It helped Walt Disney rediscover his childhood fascination with trains.
- Marceline — The town that’s often considered to be Walt Disney’s hometown, where he spent many of his childhood years.
- Medfield — Walt Disney reportedly had several friends who lived in Medfield, Massachusetts, and would visit them often. Because of this, Medfield College became a fictional university that was used in several Disney movies.
- Beulah — Beulah, Maine was the town that featured in the 1963 Walt Disney feature film, Summer Magic. In the film, one of the main characters is named Osh Popham, who fun fact, is listed as the proprietor of The Emporium on Main Street, U.S.A. (Find his name on one of the windows!)
- Carolwood Park — This was the nickname for the train station area in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom. It’s based on the Carolwood Pacific Railroad, which was a small, ridable railroad that Walt Disney had in his backyard.
- Chicago — The city where Walt Disney was born.
- Rainbow Caverns — Rainbow Caverns Mine Train was an attraction that ran at Disneyland Park from 1956-1959 and was later rethemed as the Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland (which closed in 1977). The caverns themselves had colorful pools of water among stalagmites and stalactites.
The second set of destinations features some obvious Disney references like Frontierland and Fort Wilderness, but also a few more that are obscure. Here’s what we’ve got:
- Kansas City — Walt Disney’s family moved to Kansas City when he was nine years old.
- Rutledge — Remember how we mentioned Medfield College? Well, one of the movies that it appeared in was Flubber. In that film, the rival university was Rutledge.
- Western River — Likely a nod to Western River Expedition, a western-themed boat ride that was planned for Frontierland in Magic Kingdom, but never built.
And then over on the train bulletin, we spotted some train cars with very interesting names! In addition to some references we already mentioned, there are several train names that are ACTUAL Disney train cars. E.P. Ripley and C.K. Holliday are both trains at Disneyland, while the Lilly Belle is one of the engines at Magic Kingdom (and the name of an original train car at Disneyland).
There are also train cars that are nods to people, like D. Crockett (Davy Crockett), Ward Kimball, and Roger Broggie. And of course, the Whispering Canyon Line is a nod to the restaurant, Whispering Canyon Cafe, at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.
So the next time you’re in Magic Kingdom, you can wow your friends with this knowledge and the plethora of Disney references! There are plenty of hidden secrets in the parks, you just have to discover them.
Click Here to Uncover MORE Secrets of the Train Station!
Have you ever explored this exhibit before? Tell us in the comments!
Walter Knott’s Calico Mine ride at Knott’s Berry Farm was a copy of/inspired by Disney’s Rainbow Caverns Train ride. So if you visit Knott’s Berry Farm you can get a sense of what the Rainbow Caverns was like. Walt and Walter were friends and visited each other’s parks.