Disney’s California Adventure

Guests will now enter the newly expanded Disney California Adventure® Park through a completely redesigned entrance. Like never before, the spirit of Walt Disney is present on Buena Vista Street. Immersed in a locale reminiscent of Los Angeles in the 1920s, when Disney first arrived in California, guests encounter the Red Car Trolley, one of four new attractions at Disney California Adventure® Park.

Inspired by Los Angeles’ historic Pacific Electric Red Cars from the 1920s and ’30s, two Red Car Trolley cars operate daily, traveling from Buena Vista Street to the Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror through Hollywood Land. The trolleys make several stops along the way.

Inside the interiors showcase the soft green and cream colors of the time period. Vintage-looking ads hanging inside highlighting food locations and shops inside the park. The Red Car Trolleys are 26 feet long and seat 20 passengers with an additional space for a wheelchair.

Each of the Red Car Trolleys have a number. The 623 car, with “23″ as a nod to the year 1923 when Walt Disney arrived in California, is based on the 600 series of trolleys built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1922. The 717 car is inspired by the 700-750 series manufactured by the J.G. Brill Company in 1925. 7-17 also refers to the birthday of Disneyland® Park, July 17, 1955.

The trolleys are powered by onboard 12-volt batteries that fully recharge at night. The catenary lines running above the cars are just for authenticity – they provide no actual power. If necessary, the trolleys are able to recharge at one of the stops using inductive power transfer, the same technology used to charge your cell phone!

The Red Car Trolleys are rockin’ when the Red Car News Boys roll into town. Inspired by the spirit and style of Disney’s movie and stage musical Newsies, the group performs tunes authentic for the time period like “California, Here I come” and delivers the news from the Buena Vista Daily Bugle. Of course the show wouldn’t be complete without an appearance from Mickey Mouse, the cartoon star who got his start in that period!

More than just “another attraction” in “another land,” the Red Car Trolleys and Buena Vista Street pay tribute to the optimism and opportunity Walt felt when he first arrived to Los Angeles.