Heading from "Hollywood" to "Buena Vista Street" is "Pacific Electric" trolley 623, about to pass the Elias & Company store.
Why the quotation marks? Well, none of this is real. This is near the entrance to the Walt Disney Company's California Adventure theme park in Anaheim. Two of these meter-gauge trolleys provide transportation between the park's main entrance at Buena Vista Street and Sunset Boulevard in the park's Hollywood Land.
Construction began on January 4, 2010, and the attraction opened on June 15, 2012, as part of the re-dedication of the park. The attraction features two cars inspired by the Pacific Electric Railway's "Red Cars" that once traversed much of Southern California. Theses cars were built by Brookville Equipment, a manufacturer of diesel switcher locomotives and a rebuilder of classic trolley cars. The design of the Red Car Trolley rolling stock are inspired by the Pacific Electric "Hollywood" class cars, built in the 1920s.
Car 623 is inspired by the 600-series trolleys built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1922, and wears a paint scheme similar to the one used when the "Hollywood" cars were first delivered. The "23" in the car's number is a reference to the year 1923 when Walt Disney arrived in California.
Car 717 is inspired by the 700-750 series trolleys built by the J. G. Brill Company in 1925, and wears a paint scheme similar to Pacific Electric's iconic Art Deco "wings" design. The car's number "717" is a reference to the opening date of Disneyland (July 17, 1955).
Unlike the original Pacific Electric trolley cars, which drew their power from an overhead wire, the "Red Car Trolley" cars are battery-operated. The onboard batteries are fully recharged overnight in the car barn, and the battery is periodically "topped off" through non-contact charging using induction coils in the ground where the cars rest at the Sunset Boulevard stop. The trolley poles on the cars and the overhead catenary lines through the park are not energized and were added to enhance authenticity.
In August 2024, it was announced that the Red Car Trolley would close in early 2025 as part of expansion plans for Avengers Campus, necessitating the removal of these trolleys' car barn. (Anaheim, California – November 24, 2024)
From the vineyards of Napa Valley to the canyons of the Coastal Range to famed theme parks like Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm, California's tourist railroads and museums offers a wide variety of experiences for the rail enthusiast.
