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The Red Car Trolley was a
The line had two trolley cars, 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 .
Unlike the original Pacific Electric trolley cars, which drew their power from an overhead wire, the "Red Car Trolley" cars were battery-operated. The onboard batteries were fully recharged overnight in the car barn, and the battery was periodically "topped off" through non-contact charging using 
Official site (Archive)
{{Disney rail transport 2012 establishments in California 2025 disestablishments in California Amusement rides introduced in 2012 Amusement rides that closed in 2025 Buena Vista Street Disney California Adventure Heritage railroads in California Heritage streetcar systems Hollywood Land Metre-gauge railways in the United States Narrow-gauge railroads in California Pacific Electric Railway Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Railroads of amusement parks in the United States Streetcars in California Former Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions
tram
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
way and transportation attraction at Disney California Adventure
Disney California Adventure is a theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. The park is themed after Disney's interpretation of California ...
at the Disneyland Resort
The Disneyland Resort is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California, United States. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Disney Experiences, Experiences division and is home to two theme parks (Disneyland and Dis ...
in Anaheim
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most ...
, California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. 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 featured cars inspired by the Pacific Electric Railway
The Pacific Electric Railway Company, nicknamed the Red Cars, was a privately owned mass transit system in Southern California consisting of electrically powered streetcars, interurban cars, and buses and was the largest electric railway system ...
's "Red Cars" that once traversed much of Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
. It provided transportation between the park's main entry at Buena Vista Street and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood Land.
In August 2024, it was announced that the Red Car Trolley would close in early 2025 as the backstage trolley barn will be removed to make way for expansion plans for Avengers Campus
Avengers Campus is a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)–themed area located at Disney California Adventure and Walt Disney Studios Park in Disneyland Paris, and being developed for Hong Kong Disneyland under the name Stark Expo. The Marvel-t ...
. In December 2024, it was announced that the final day of operation for the attraction would be February 8, 2025. A trolley will remain parked on Buena Vista Street for photo opportunities.
Operation
Frequency
Trolleys ran approximately every 8 minutes while the park was open. Unlike the Main Street Vehicles at neighboringDisneyland
Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...
, the Red Car Trolley ran all day, briefly pausing service when a parade traveled down Hollywood Boulevard.
Vehicles
The line had two trolley cars, 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 .
Unlike the original Pacific Electric trolley cars, which drew their power from an overhead wire, the "Red Car Trolley" cars were battery-operated. The onboard batteries were fully recharged overnight in the car barn, and the battery was periodically "topped off" through non-contact charging using induction coil
An induction coil or "spark coil" ( archaically known as an inductorium or Ruhmkorff coil after Heinrich Rühmkorff) is a type of transformer used to produce high-voltage pulses from a low-voltage direct current (DC) supply. p.98 To create the ...
s in the ground where the cars rested at the Sunset Boulevard stop. The trolley pole
A trolley pole is a tapered cylindrical pole of wood or metal, used to transfer electricity from a "live" (electrified) overhead line, overhead wire to the control and the electric traction motors of a tram or trolley bus. It is a type of current ...
s on the cars and the overhead catenary lines through the park are not energized and were added to enhance authenticity.
Stops
The Red Car Trolley line had four stops throughout Buena Vista Street and Hollywood Land: * Buena Vista Street at Buena Vista Entry Plaza * Carthay Circle at the Carthay Circle Theater * Hollywood Boulevard at Animation Academy (Sunset Boulevard-bound only) * Sunset Boulevard across from the Hyperion TheaterFormer stops
* Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! *The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
''The Twilight Zone'' Tower of Terror, or simply Tower of Terror, is a series of similar accelerated drop tower dark rides located at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Tokyo DisneySea, Walt Disney Studios Park, and formerly located at Disney Californ ...
See also
* 2012 in amusement parks * List of former Disney California Adventure attractions *Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Rail transport can be found in every amusement park, theme park resort property owned or licensed by Disney Experiences, one of the three business segments of the The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney Company. The origins of Disney theme park r ...
References
External links
Official site (Archive)
{{Disney rail transport 2012 establishments in California 2025 disestablishments in California Amusement rides introduced in 2012 Amusement rides that closed in 2025 Buena Vista Street Disney California Adventure Heritage railroads in California Heritage streetcar systems Hollywood Land Metre-gauge railways in the United States Narrow-gauge railroads in California Pacific Electric Railway Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Railroads of amusement parks in the United States Streetcars in California Former Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions