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Main Street Vehicles

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Main Street Vehicles
Two blue and red turn-of-the-20th-century-style cars on a brick road
Main Street Vehicles in Hong Kong Disneyland
Disneyland
NameMain Street Vehicles
AreaMain Street, U.S.A.
Coordinates33°48′37″N 117°55′08″W / 33.8102°N 117.9190°W / 33.8102; -117.9190
StatusOperating
Opening dateJuly 17, 1955
Magic Kingdom
NameMain Street Vehicles
AreaMain Street, U.S.A.
Coordinates28°25′00″N 81°34′52″W / 28.4167°N 81.5812°W / 28.4167; -81.5812
StatusOperating
Opening dateOctober 1, 1971
Disneyland Park (Paris)
Name
  • Horse-Drawn Streetcars/
  • Main Street Vehicles
AreaMain Street, U.S.A.
Coordinates48°52′16″N 2°46′44″E / 48.8711°N 2.7788°E / 48.8711; 2.7788
StatusOperating
Opening dateApril 12, 1992
Hong Kong Disneyland
NameMain Street Vehicles
AreaMain Street, U.S.A.
Coordinates22°18′47″N 114°02′38″E / 22.3130°N 114.0438°E / 22.3130; 114.0438
StatusOperating
Opening dateSeptember 12, 2005
Tokyo Disneyland
NameOmnibus
AreaWorld Bazaar
Coordinates35°37′59″N 139°52′47″E / 35.6330°N 139.8798°E / 35.6330; 139.8798
StatusOperating
Opening dateApril 15, 1983
Tokyo DisneySea
NameBig City Vehicles
AreaAmerican Waterfront
Coordinates35°37′28″N 139°53′14″E / 35.6244°N 139.8871°E / 35.6244; 139.8871
StatusOperating
Opening dateSeptember 4, 2001
Epcot
NameOmnibus
AreaWorld Showcase
Coordinates28°22′04″N 81°32′58″W / 28.3679°N 81.5494°W / 28.3679; -81.5494
StatusRemoved
Opening dateOctober 1, 1982
Ride statistics
Attraction typeTransportation
DesignerWED Enterprises
Must transfer from wheelchair

Main Street Vehicles is a series of turn-of-the-20th-century-style vehicle attractions consisting of 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge tramways with horse-drawn streetcars and free-roaming motor vehicles in Disney theme parks throughout the world. They usually operate in their respective Main Street, U.S.A. sections, transporting park guests between the Town Square at the park's entrance and the Central Plaza at the park's center. The original Main Street Vehicles attraction is located in Disneyland in California and includes horse-drawn streetcars and motor vehicles. The Main Street Vehicles attraction in Magic Kingdom within Walt Disney World in Florida has nearly identical offerings as its Disneyland counterpart. In Disneyland Park (Paris), the horse-drawn streetcars are billed as a separate attraction from its Main Street Vehicles and are simply named Horse-Drawn Streetcars. Only motor vehicles are included in the Main Street Vehicles of Hong Kong Disneyland. Omnibus in Tokyo Disneyland's World Bazaar section and Big City Vehicles in Tokyo DisneySea's American Waterfront section are similar attractions to Main Street Vehicles. In the past, omnibuses were present in Epcot within Walt Disney World.

Attraction concept origins

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Two black Ford Model Ts on a brick road
Greenfield Village (pictured) was one of the inspirations for including multiple transportation attractions in what would become Disneyland.

Walt Disney and Disney animator and fellow rail enthusiast Ward Kimball travelled to the Chicago Railroad Fair in Chicago and Greenfield Village, an open-air museum in Dearborn, Michigan, in the summer of 1948.[1] The historic vehicles that Disney saw at these locations led him to include several types of turn-of-the-20th-century-style vehicle attractions, including a horsecar, in a detailed description of a Mickey Mouse Park, which he first outlined in a formal Walt Disney Studios memo submitted on August 31, 1948.[1] The concept of Mickey Mouse Park evolved into what would become Disneyland.[2]

Disneyland

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A green and yellow open-air horse-drawn streetcar hitched to a draft horse
Horse-drawn streetcar in Disneyland
A red turn-of-the-20th-century-style fire engine
Fire engine in Disneyland

The Main Street Vehicles attraction in Disneyland in California opened with the park on July 17, 1955, and is located in the Main Street, U.S.A. section.[3][4][5] Attraction vehicles present in that section on opening day included horse-drawn streetcars, horse-drawn surreys, and a horse-drawn fire wagon.[3][6][7] In 1956, transport via horseless carriage (a.k.a: jitney) and omnibus were added.[8][9][10] On August 16, 1958, fire engine rides were inaugurated.[11] Bob Gurr of WED Enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering) developed all of the attraction's vehicles.[12][13] The fire wagon was retired in 1960 and put on display in Disneyland's Town Square fire station, and the surreys were discontinued in 1971.[3][6][7] A one-way trip on each vehicle between the Town Square at the park's entrance and the Central Plaza at the park's center initially required an A ticket or a fee of 10 cents.[5][14][15] Ride tickets and fees were replaced with a pay-one-price admission system in 1982.[16]

The draft horses used to pull the Main Street Vehicle's 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge horse-drawn streetcars consist of Belgians, Brabants, Clydesdales, Percherons, and Shires, and were originally housed on-site at the Circle D Ranch.[17][18][19] To accommodate construction of Disneyland's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge section in the late 2010s, the ranch was permanently moved 28 miles (45 km) away from the park to a facility in Norco, California, which had its grand opening on June 10, 2017.[18][19] At the Circle D Ranch, new horses go through specialized training for six to twelve months to deal with their future work environment in Disneyland, including becoming acclimated to balloons, bands, bubbles, strollers, and umbrellas.[19] Once training is completed, each horse employed with the Main Street Vehicles is transported to the park via horse trailer on its workdays, which consist of four-hour shifts three to four days a week.[18][20]

Beginning at the Town Square loop adjacent to Disneyland's entrance, an individual horse controlled by an onboard conductor will pull one of the four Main Street Vehicle streetcars along the attraction's single-track tramway at up to 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h), with all four streetcars capable of operating at once.[14][15] Each open-air streetcar vehicle, designed by WED Enterprises, weighs just under 2 short tons (1,800 kg) and has forward-facing bench seating that can hold up to 30 passengers.[15][21] Draft horses, which are larger than riding horses, usually weigh between 1,600 pounds (730 kg) and 2,000 pounds (910 kg), and can pull loads weighing 8 long tons (8,100 kg) on level rails.[22][23][24] The horse-drawn streetcar goes around the Town Square loop in a clockwise direction, runs along the line's main stretch, heads through the right side of a midpoint passing siding (allowing two streetcars going in opposite directions to pass each other), continues up the main stretch, enters the Central Plaza loop in a clockwise direction, and stops in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.[14][15][25] Prior to a major refurbishment of the tramway in 2018 in which new rails were installed and the pavement surrounding them was replaced with brick, the switch at the start of the Central Plaza loop would send streetcars around the loop in a counterclockwise direction.[25] Each time a streetcar passes through a switch on the line's main route, a spring-loaded mechanism is triggered that moves the switch to the opposite position.[15][25] Once the journey resumes, the horse-drawn streetcar moves around the Central Plaza loop in a clockwise direction, arrives back at the line's main stretch, rolls through the right side of the passing siding (the opposite side of the one used previously), continues down the main stretch, reenters the Town Square loop in a clockwise direction, and stops where it started, completing the line's 1,830-foot (560 m) route.[14][15][26] When the streetcar vehicles are not in use, they are stored in a car barn just outside Disneyland's interior.[27]

Main Street Vehicles
(Disneyland)
Legend
 Sleeping Beauty Castle
Central Plaza
Car barn
(not open to public)
Town Square
Steam train transfer
(via short walk inside park)
enlarge…

Magic Kingdom

[edit]
A building interior with a pair of tram tracks leading to individual gates and a small horse stable on the right
Car barn interior for the horse-drawn streetcars in Magic Kingdom
A red turn-of-the-20th-century-style car
Jitney in Magic Kingdom

The Main Street Vehicles attraction in Magic Kingdom within Walt Disney World in Florida opened with the park on October 1, 1971, and is located in the Main Street, U.S.A. section.[4][28] The attraction's present vehicle types are horse-drawn streetcar, jitney, omnibus, and fire engine.[28] Each vehicle transports guests between the Town Square at the park's entrance and the Central Plaza at the park's center.[28][29]

The draft horses used to pull the Main Street Vehicle's 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge horse-drawn streetcars consist of Belgians, Clydesdales, and Percherons, and are housed nearby at the Tri-Circle-D Ranch.[17][30][31] The ranch is located in Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground within Walt Disney World.[30][31]

Unlike in Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom's horse-drawn streetcars go in counterclockwise directions around both the Town Square loop and Central Plaza loop.[32] When the attraction's four (originally five) streetcar vehicles and horse tack are not in use, they are stored in a car barn at the end of a spur line connected to the Town Square loop.[32][33][34]

Main Street Vehicles
(Magic Kingdom)
Legend
 Cinderella Castle
Central Plaza
Car barn
(not open to public)
Town Square
Steam train transfer
(via short walk inside park)
enlarge…

Disneyland Park (Paris)

[edit]
A red and white enclosed horse-drawn streetcar hitched to a draft horse
Horse-drawn streetcar in Disneyland Park (Paris)
A blue turn-of-the-20th-century-style police van
Paddy wagon in Disneyland Park (Paris)

The Horse-Drawn Streetcars and Main Street Vehicles attractions in Disneyland Park (Paris) opened with the park on April 12, 1992, and are located in the Main Street, U.S.A. section.[35][36] The Main Street Vehicle attraction's present vehicle types are omnibus, fire engine, paddy wagon, limousine, and Mercer; it also has a delivery truck not available for rides.[36][37] The separately billed Horse-Drawn Streetcars attraction only includes horse-drawn streetcars.[35][38] Each vehicle transports guests between the Town Square at the park's entrance and the Central Plaza at the park's center.[37][38]

The draft horses used in the 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge Horse-Drawn Streetcars attraction are Percherons, and are housed onsite at the simply named Pony Farm.[17][38][39] The three streetcars that the horses pull can be differentiated from their counterparts in the American Disney theme parks by their enclosed cabins with wood-panel interiors and inward-facing seating arrangements that can accommodate 15 passengers each.[35] When the streetcar vehicles are not in use, they are stored in a car barn on Town Square.[27]

Horse-Drawn Streetcars
(Disneyland Park (Paris))
Legend
 Sleeping Beauty Castle
Central Plaza
Car barn
(not open to public)
 Town Square
Steam train transfer
(via short walk inside park)
enlarge…

Hong Kong Disneyland

[edit]
A red and black turn-of-the-20th-century-style taxi on a brick road heading towards a castle
Taxi in Hong Kong Disneyland

The Main Street Vehicles attraction in Hong Kong Disneyland opened with the park on September 12, 2005, and is located in the Main Street, U.S.A. section.[40][41] The attraction's present vehicle types are taxi, omnibus, and paddy wagon.[41] Unlike its counterparts in the US and France, Hong Kong Disneyland has never had horse-drawn streetcars.[27] Each vehicle transports guests between both ends of the Main Street, U.S.A. section.[41]

Tokyo Disneyland

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A green turn-of-the-20th-century-style double-decker bus
Omnibus in Tokyo Disneyland

The Omnibus attraction in Tokyo Disneyland opened with the park on April 15, 1983, and is located in the World Bazaar section.[42][43] The attraction only operates within the Central Plaza at the park's center.[43]

Tokyo DisneySea

[edit]
A black turn-of-the-20th-century-style car with no roof
Touring car in Tokyo DisneySea

The Big City Vehicles attraction in Tokyo DisneySea opened with the park on September 4, 2001, and is located in the American Waterfront section.[44][45] The attraction's present vehicle types are delivery truck, paddy wagon, tour bus, and touring car.[44][45]

Epcot

[edit]
A red turn-of-the-20th-century-style double-decker bus with costumed characters
Omnibus in Epcot

Omnibuses started operating in Epcot within Walt Disney World when the park opened on October 1, 1982, and were located in the World Showcase section.[46][47] They were eventually discontinued as transport options for park guests due to difficulties with navigating them through ever-increasing crowd sizes, and at least one omnibus was used as a parade vehicle in the park until the early 2000s.[47][48]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Broggie (2014), pp. 88–91.
  2. ^ "Disneyland History: Timetable of Events by Year". MagicGuides. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Eades, Mark (July 16, 2015). "Disneyland Opening Day: These Were the Rides and Exhibits in 1955". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Horse-Drawn Streetcars". D23: the Official Disney Fan Club. The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Disneyland Main Street Vehicles – official website". Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Surreys". D23: the Official Disney Fan Club. The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Fire-Wagon". D23: the Official Disney Fan Club. The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  8. ^ "Horseless Carriages". D23: the Official Disney Fan Club. The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  9. ^ "Main Street Vehicles: Jitney/Horseless Carriage". Daps Magic. Archived from the original on July 16, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  10. ^ "Omnibus". D23: the Official Disney Fan Club. The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  11. ^ "Fire Truck". D23: the Official Disney Fan Club. The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  12. ^ Leaphart (2014), p. 42.
  13. ^ "Bob Gurr". D23: the Official Disney Fan Club. The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d Broggie (2014), p. 229.
  15. ^ a b c d e f Broggie (2014), pp. 283–284.
  16. ^ Krosnick, Brian (February 23, 2015). "3 Reasons Why Disney Admission Prices Just Keep On Rising (And Why It's Not as Bad as It Seems)". Theme Park Tourist. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  17. ^ a b c "Trams of the World 2017" (PDF). Blickpunkt Straßenbahn. January 24, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  18. ^ a b c Eades, Mark (June 10, 2017). "Disneyland Opens New Circle D Ranch for Its Horses in Norco". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on June 11, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  19. ^ a b c Pavia, Audrey (January 19, 2018). "Horses of Disney". Horse Illustrated. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  20. ^ Eades, Mark (January 14, 2016). "Disneyland Ride Review: a Trip Back in Time on the Horse-Drawn Streetcars". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on July 4, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  21. ^ Gluck, Keith (July 12, 2012). "A History of Disneyland Transportation". Walt Disney Family Museum. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  22. ^ White, Susie (2024). "How Much Weight Can a Horse Pull? (You'll Be Surprised!)". Horse Rookie. Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  23. ^ "Horses - Disney Animals". Disney Experiences. Archived from the original on August 22, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  24. ^ "Horses: the Driving Power on the Towpath". Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Site. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  25. ^ a b c Fisher, Marla Jo (March 29, 2018). "The Horses Are Back to Pull the Trolley on Main Street USA at Disneyland". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  26. ^ Trahan (2005), p. 26.
  27. ^ a b c Leaphart (2014), p. 85.
  28. ^ a b c "Magic Kingdom Main Street Vehicles – official website". Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  29. ^ Eades, Mark (April 28, 2017). "A Former Disney Imagineer's Guide to Walt Disney World's Main Street U.S.A." The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  30. ^ a b Aguila, Ed (March 2, 2024). "Is It Time for Disney to Stop Using Horses at the Parks?". Inside the Magic. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  31. ^ a b "Tri-Circle-D Ranch – official website". Disney Experiences. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  32. ^ a b Leaphart (2014), p. 72.
  33. ^ Leaphart (2014), p. 80.
  34. ^ Leaphart (2014), p. 84.
  35. ^ a b c "Horse-Drawn Streetcars". DLP Guide. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  36. ^ a b "Main Street Vehicles". DLP Guide. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  37. ^ a b "Disneyland Park (Paris) Main Street Vehicles – official website". Disney Experiences. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  38. ^ a b c "Disneyland Park (Paris) Horse-Drawn Streetcars – official website". Euro Disney S.C.A. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  39. ^ Manceau, Catherine (November 20, 2015). "Des Chevaux Percherons à Disneyland Paris (in French)". SHPF. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  40. ^ "Hong Kong Disneyland". Parkz. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  41. ^ a b c "Hong Kong Disneyland Main Street Vehicles – official website". Disney Experiences. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  42. ^ "Omnibus". D23: the Official Disney Fan Club. The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  43. ^ a b "Tokyo Disneyland Omnibus – official website". The Oriental Land Company. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  44. ^ a b "Big City Vehicles". D23: the Official Disney Fan Club. The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  45. ^ a b "Tokyo DisneySea Big City Vehicles – official website". The Oriental Land Company. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  46. ^ Gavin, Michael (January 25, 2019). "Most Missed Magic – Five Long Lost Experiences From Epcot's World Showcase". Inside the Magic. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  47. ^ a b "1922 Omnibus Double Decker: Custom Built for Disney". Volo Auto Museum. Archived from the original on July 19, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  48. ^ "Disney Parade Vehicles". Volo Auto Museum. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2024.

Bibliography

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