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Disneyland Railroad Frontierland Depot
"This is Frontierland, Frontierland Depot!"
Where the rivers still run free and anyone's dream can turn to gold, the engines of the Disneyland Railroad steam into Frontierland Depot to take on water for the wild and untamed route ahead.
If you're joining a railroad train here, be sure to check the departures board for the right engine. The gold rush of nearby Thunder Mesa may have slowed in recent times, but there's still plenty of express trains steaming through these parts! From the Golden State Coastliner to the Disneyland Hotel Express, the railroads have unlocked new destinations and trade routes across the vast expanses of land.
Frontierland Depot also serves as a watering and refueling location for the four, hard-worked Disneyland Railroad engines, having just steamed right through the Grand Canyon and about to enter the perilous jungles of Adventureland. The depot features a trademark water tower along with a siding track, the only one on the entire route.
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
- Hear that tapping as you wait at Frontierland Depot? Walt Disney's famous Disneyland opening day speech from 17th July 1955 is forever being relayed in Morse code down the station's telegraph! This long-distance communication system was the only way stations like this could keep in touch with each other over the vast, untamed plains. The speech reads: "To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here, age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world."
- Frontierland Depot is an almost exact replica of the famous Frontierland Railroad Station building at the original Disneyland in California. Though the building still remains in California, it was superseded in 1966 by a new railroad station for New Orleans Square, which had then taken over the area formerly a part of Frontierland The station building was unique in that it was situated across the tracks from the park, and remains there as an ornamental feature with New Orleans Square Station built on the inner side.
- Incidentally, the original Frontierland Railroad Station was based on Ward Kimball's historic Grizzly Flats depot. Ward Kimball (1914-2002) was an Academy Award-winning animator for Walt Disney Animation Studios, sharing Walt's passion for railways with his own 184mm-guage Carolwood Pacific "backyard" railway set in three acres, one of the key inspirations for Walt's own railroad at Disneyland. in 2005, the new number 5 engine of the Disneyland Railroad in California was named the "Ward Kimball" in his honour.
- The railroads of the United States of America were a key factor in shaping its growth and development, bringing in new citizens and trade to quiet areas such as Main Street USA and providing a real "rush" for the gold rush, bringing folks in and transporting their valuable gold away. The first transcontinental railroad in North America, the Union Pacific, joined together from East Coast to West Coast in 1869 at Promontory Summet, Utah. The departures board at Frontierland Depot reflects this historic acheivement, proudly listing departures to both coasts from the humble town of Thunder Mesa.
7,570 litres of water can be held in Frontierland Depot's water tower, refreshing the engines after every three loops
Tips
- Wait times at this railroad station will be noticably longer when characters are out at Woody's Roundup Village and during and after shows at The Chaparral Theater next door. However, it is still one of the best places to join the Disneyland Railroad thanks to its secluded location and wonderful themeing.
