The Walt Disney World Railroad has been closed since December 2018 to allow for construction on the TRON Lightcycle Run attraction at the Magic Kingdom. New railroad track was laid at the Fantasyland station recently, including a new type of railroad ties. These new railroad ties can now be seen in Frontierland as well.
The new railroad ties are now visible behind the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction.
Instead of using traditional wooden railroad ties, it seems as though they are now mostly synthetic across the entire route around the park.
Wooden railroad ties are the more authentic option for a narrow gauge railroad, however they are more susceptible to rot and insect infestations. While the change from wooden to synthetic railroad ties is disappointing, we are glad that this may mean the Walt Disney World Railroad will begin operating sooner rather than later.
The Walt Disney World Railroad has not been operating for over two years. The iconic attraction is receiving a refresh in all of this downtime, and is even being rerouted through a small part of the park because of the new TRON Lightcycle Run attraction.
Are you excited for the new changed being made to the Walt Disney World Railroad? Let us know in the comments below.
I don’t see how using synthetic ties means anything will open sooner. Wood ties or synthetic all install at the same rate. I agree wooden tied decompose but they should have been used in Frontierland to keep with theming.
We’re referring to the fact that they are actually working on the railroad, that is a good sign. It sat with no activity for a long time.
The chemical additives used in wooden ties offer rot and insect resistance, but have some nasty contaminates that are not very environmentally friendly. These synthetic ties are made from discarded vehicle tires and don’t necessary last longer, but are far “greener”.
YES, I Missed it during my last 2 vacations. It’s a WALT DISNEY era attraction that many of us hold dear to our hearts!