Questions about the railroad!!

[TeamSy]

This is our first time going where it will actually be open! Seems like a relaxing way to take a break — am I wrong about that?

My plan is to park stroller at the storybook circus train entrance and just ride it all the way all the way around and back to the stroller.

I’m sure people have done this before, any thoughts? Is it a bad way to take a break? How long is the whole loop?

 

[DWillowBay]

LOVE the train and SO happy to have it back. Yes, very relaxing...fun to see the sights along the tracks. I don't see any reason why you couldn't park your stroller and then return to it after the train. That would be just like any other ride. I'm so excited for you to ride the train. Simple fun!!

 

[scrappinginontario]

We’ve done that many times in the past and no problems going back to our stroller. I believe a full loop takes between 30-40 mins but that’s purely a guess as I’ve never actually timed it.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Most people park their stroller vs fold it down and onto the train. It's my three year olds favorite ride so we ride it a lot right now and I can't remember seeing anyone with a stroller on board, honestly. There is stroller parking near each station.

We always park ours and come back to it later. Sometimes we ride round and round, multiple times, before finally getting off.

It can be relaxing, though isn't a long ride - only 20 minutes with 3 stops. It can get HOT (esp when stopped at stations) so carry on a fan or water bottles if going in the summer.

 

[yorkieteacher]

Touring plans gives the time as 20 minutes . Although I didn’t time it in February we rode the loop from Frontierland. It seemed 20-30 minutes and was very relaxing. We enjoyed the “engineers” commentary.

 

[CynBeth]

We love the train. We are adults who do not go on roller coasters and that along with the riverboat are some of our favorite things to do.

 

[mn51]

Love the train. It's relaxing and a good break.

 

[Lady Hiss]

It’s a nice break, but not as interesting as it could be. I wish they’d add some more scenes or something to make it more engaging.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The train is a great way to get off your feet and take a break, give a tad less stimulus but when you are stopped at the stations to unload and load new people it can get uncomfortable at times due to the weather (as someone touched on) from heat to sunlight so just keep that in mind. I'd still do it if you have a chance

 

[erinch]

If you are looking for another great break, the monorail to Epcot and back is also loads of fun. I remember when my daughter was 7 mos old, we rode around about 4 times while she had a nap.

 

[nw6675]

Does it close earlier than the park/before dark or in the rain? It wasn't running last month when we were there, but it was dark and sprinkling.

 

[choirbird]

I did this last week, trying to get my 12mo to nap. He would get close to sleeping but as the train stopped to unload, he’d wake up we decided to do only one loop. The stroller parking is behind the station, not next to The Barnstormer just FYI. I blindly parked mine next to 4 others without reading the sign and returned to find them gone!!

 

[scrappinginontario]

Does it close earlier than the park/before dark or in the rain? It wasn't running last month when we were there, but it was dark and sprinkling.

Yes, the train has shorter hours. Today’s hours were 9AM - 7PM even though the MK was open 9AM - 10PM.

 

[MamaMermaid]

We love the train! A great break spot. Highly recommend doing the loop - maybe a few times!

 

[wfjny]

My son and I did the steam train tour probably close to 10 years ago. I have a few notes to share...

"The Loop", starting and ending at the same station, takes about 20 minutes.

There are four trains, so, depending on how many they have running on any given day, the trains may run every 20, 10, 7 or 5 minutes.

They do follow the "national rail rules" (not sure of the proper term), even though they do not have to as they are not connected to the national network. That include the long, long, short, long whistle when approaching a crossing that you may be familiar with if you live near trains or ride a commuter railroad, or are just a train buff.

There are signs up in the ground floor of the station that talk about the history of each of the engines. They were all "real" steam engines doing real work before being bought back in the 1960s by Disney. IIRC, some of the engines are approaching or just over 100 years old.

Painted surfaces on the engines are really hot, unpainted surfaces are much hotter.

There is a indentation on at least one of the locomotive where engineers would put a coin. Those coins partially melt and are now fused to the engine (see the unpainted surface comment above). It is crazy hot in the cabs, i don't know how the engineers handle it. They also have the coldest break room on property...

If you are a train buff, it was a great tour if they still do it. Also got a great picture of my son and I on a completely empty Main Street.

One of the "Tips" I give friends going to WDW, use the train as transportation, and not just a ride. When you are walking 9-12 miles a day, you can use the break. A great way to take you back to the front of the park, or from one side to the other.

 

[georgina]

We love the train. We are adults who do not go on roller coasters and that along with the riverboat are some of our favorite things to do.

This comment takes me back to my childhood. In the late 60’s and early 70’s we would stay with my aunts for a visit in the summer and they would take us to Cedar Point. They stuck mostly to the train and riverboat rides there while we did other rides.

I like the train at WDW and occasionally ride the riverboat, but still do roller coasters too!

 

[soniam]

It can have long lines as people are heading out of the park. It’s never terrible, but you may have to wait for the 2nd train.

 

[Stormypetrel]

We parked our stroller in Frontierland and hopped on when we had some time to kill before our next lightning lane not realizing quite how long it takes to do a full loop. It stopped and idled for a long time at several stops waiting for a critical mass of passengers to board, I guess. We ended up having to jump off and run back to Frontierland to get our stroller and make it to our next LL. So I would recommend bringing the stroller or planning for a long time without it — I think a previous poster said 30-40 minutes.