Disneyland Railroad Down For Track Replacement

[sourdough]

Per the usually reliable Fresh Baked channel on YouTube, the railroad was closed on August the 5th to begin a two year project to replace the track. It will be done in several stages to prevent a single prolonged outage.

Does anyone have any details that they can share ?

Disneyland without the railroad is no Disneyland at all.

[Steve DeGaetano]

I don't have any new info. The last time the track was replaced was nearly 20 years ago, shortly before the 50th, so I guess that gives you a rough life span for railroad track (actually, 20 years is about the lifespan of a wooden cross tie). Last time, railroad contractor Sharp & Fellows did the track replacement. Wonder if they've hired on again?

[sourdough]

The latest rumor update is that the railroad will be down for the next three months, completing the first quarter of the job.

When the track was rerouted for Galaxy's Edge, I was wondering if the existing rail which ran further north was reused for the new route or if that section has already been replaced with new rail.

[BaldwinsForever]

Track replacement is for regrading and less of a curve? I didn’t know the Kimball snapped its axel

https://x.com/mouskegamer/status/183254 ... FFJgjMhWbg

[S. Towler]

Engine 3 snapped a drive axle a few years before the railroad went down... and that was without the eventual new "tighter curves" of the 2017 project. In regards to them changing the curve radius, that would involve a lot more work since the right of way has reach envelopes, evac routes, and fall protection developed specifically for the radius. That would be silly, especially in the short downtime of a few months. One of the comments on that post is correct, that rail was welded, much like modern railways, and this could be addressing issues with that (ie potential rail kinks, like modern railroads... My Metrolink commute had to slow down due to extreme heat this week!).

[Steve DeGaetano]

Engine 3 snapped a drive axle a few years before the railroad went down...

And No. 3 snapped an axle at least one more time before that (photo look like from the 1980s). It happens.

[BaldwinsForever]

Bird’s (or monorail’s) eye view of the track replacement between the Autopia and Roundhouse
https://x.com/mouskegamer/status/183474 ... FFJgjMhWbg

[Locoboy5150]

Note that the camera person filming that video is sitting in the front car of the Disneyland Monorail. It seems that they are allowing guests to sit up there again after a few years of those seats being off limits.

[Steve]

Here is a news article about the track replacement. Not much that hasn’t already been said here, but I thought it might be worth sharing.

https://www.ocregister.com/2024/10/11/d ... ittle-tlc/

[Bruce R Pier]

I've seen reports and photos of the Marsh out with a train running the whole line this past week.