Having grown up in the Mid-West and followed his dreams to California, Walt Disney developed a fascination with trains that has been well-documented. In fact, the railroad has been part of the California experience since about the very beginning, so it's appropriate that a train motif factors into the entrance area of Disney's California Adventure.
Just past the Golden Gateway, the child-like entrance to Engine-Ears Toys transitions the postcard style of the main entrance to the railroad story told inside.
Beyond Engine-Ears Toys, the structure to the right is architecturally inspired by the historic Mission-style train stations in California, including the Santa Fe Depot in San Diego. The information kiosk (below) was taken directly from the tower at Santa Fe Depot, while the interiors of Baker's Field Bakery and Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream take their cue from Union Station in Los Angeles.
Pulled into the station is the California Zephyr, a classic passenger train that traveled the route from Chicago to San Francisco from 1949 to 1970. The front of the train is an actual 1954 EMD F-9 engine which Imagineers located in Moline, Illinois and had moved to the park.
Walking back along the train through the station, you encounter railroad signs announcing the bakery, ice cream shop and a secondary entrance to the toy store. You'll also discover plenty of other fun details, from directional indicators toward Pullman and Coach sections to names on the sides of the stainless steel cars (Silver Platter, Silver Crescent, etc.). Although the engine at the nose of the train is authentic, the cars are actually facades inviting us to step inside and discover the treats within.
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