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Ain't That a Kick in the... Rear, Part Two (continued)
Looking past the cupola, we can see out the rear door of the caboose, and
admire the passing scenery.
Two additional seats, facing each other, can be seen
on either side of the rear door.
Photo courtesy Matt Walker.
After looking around we turn back and take a seat along the right wall.
Through the glass windows and door at the front of the car, we take in the
fluttering red-and-white striped awnings of the car in front of us. It tends to
be warm in
here--even with the windows open--and one can really get a sense of what it must
have been like to ride in Disneyland's first passenger cars.
This photo gives a good indication of how crowded the car is most of
the time.
Photo courtesy Matt Walker.
Matt Walker recalled this of his recent experience riding in the caboose: "I
thought it was quite comfortable, actually, with the padded seating. You
could really get a view of some of the backstage areas by looking out the left
windows that you wouldn't normally. This is going to sound a little weird, but I
was sitting at one point looking out the windows at NOS station and it just felt
like I was on a 'real' train (not to belittle the DRR as a real railroad). But I
just felt like I was taking a trip somewhere. And I felt the same during the
ride through the backstretch around the Rivers of America. Just a pleasant way
to travel."
After riding around the line, you get off at New Orleans Square Station. As
you stand on the platform and the little caboose makes its way past you and into
the tunnel, you notice the little red and green lamps at the upper corners of
the car. These are called "marker lamps," and they "mark" the rear of the train
(old-time train rules specified that a trains wasn't technically a "train"
unless these lamps were displayed). We also see an old Adams & Westlake Co.
railroad lantern hanging on the chain at the car's railing, lending a nice "railroady"
touch to the car.
The caboose, properly displaying red marker lamps to the rear,
departs New Orleans Square Station. Photo courtesy Matt Walker.
Former Disneyland Railroad Engineer Al DiPaolo and his crewmate liked to ride
on the rear platform of the caboose as it made its way around the park on its
last run of the evening. "It was nice and quiet because you couldn't hear the
spiel," Al remembers fondly. "All you heard was the 'clickety-clack' of the
wheels and rails, and the distant sounds of the Park... It was neat."
The journey continues... Photo courtesy Matt Walker.
"Just a pleasant way to travel." Matt Walker summed up a ride in the
caboose perfectly. So, the next time you're in the Park, and that
much-dreamed-of ride in the Lilly Belle remains tantalizingly elusive,
consider the next-best thing: A ride in the little red caboose of the Disneyland
Railroad. It may not feature potted palms, brass lamps and marble tables, but
the caboose offers a glimpse into Railroading history, into Walt's fascination
for trains, and a wonderful ride.
Plus, that Naugahyde is a lot more comfortable
than the hard wooden benches in all the other cars!
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