Disneyland Railroad Dioramas

Disneyland Railroad Dioramas

One of Walt Disney's biggest passions was the railroad. He even had a model train built on the grounds of his house. When it came time to build Disneyland, he made sure to include a train as one of the opening day attractions.

Since the opening day, the railroad has grown to be a ride of its own, and a big reason for this is the two dioramas between Tomorrowland and Main Street USA.

First, you enter the Grand Canyon Diorama which showcases a western theme with wildlife spread throughout it like cougars and deer. Recently it had new effects added like a new lightning bolt in the storm scene.


You then leave the Grand Canyon and enter the Primeval World. This is the land of dinosaurs that actually have a history beyond Disneyland. The animatronics were originally made for Ford's Magic Skyway, a ride made by Disney for the 1964 World's Fair, the same place that produced It's a Small World, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and Carousel of Progress. When the fair closed the other two rides were moved to Disneyland, but all that was saved from Ford's Magic Skyway was the dinosaur animatronics.

This diorama would later serve as the basis for the dinosaur scene from Universe of Energy at Epcot in Walt Disney World. Several scenes, like the Stegosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Rex fight, appear exactly the same in both rides. 

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