Wildlife Express Train

The Wildlife Express Train transports Guests of all ages between the Harambe, Africa and Rafiki's Planet Watch areas of Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park. Ride the rails aboard this rustic African train for a behind-the-scenes journey through several animal housing and care areas of Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park. Travel the savanna and see where rhinos, elephants and other animals spend the night and obtain the care they need.

On the ride, guests get the chance to see a little of the Animal Kingdom backlot, including animal holding buildings for rhinos and elephants, among other animals. It takes about seven minutes to go from Harambe railway station, Africa to Rafiki's Planet Watch and an additional five to return.

Touring Tips

• The Wildlife Express Train is the only way to get to Rafiki's Planet Watch, an area dedicated to the preservation and conservation of animals. Here you can get an up-close look at the inner workings of Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park and take part in fun-filled, educational activities that help create awareness of animal issues.
• While aboard the Wildlife Express train, pay close attention as you pass the first animal housing area.

Facts

• The full journey is 1.2 miles (1.9 km) round-trip
• The railway is part of the fictional Eastern Star Railway, running from Lusaka to Nairobi and Kisangani.
• Disney is unusually strict about people standing up while the train is moving. They monitor it closely and will stop the train if they see anyone standing.
• The train capacity is 50 passengers.
• The Maximum speed is 10 mph (16 km/h).

Locomotives

There are three diesel-hydraulic, steam outline locomotives, built by Severn Lamb of Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom in 1997 before the park's opening the following year. They have a wheel configuration of 2-4-2 and are based on John Aspinall's 2-4-2T engines built for the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway of England in 1898 at Horwich locomotive works, Lancashire. However, the builder's plates of the locomotives tell a different story, saying that the engines were built in 1926 by Beyer Peacock of Gorton Foundry, Manchester. Their numbers are 02594, 04982 and 00174, the former also being named, R. Baba Harpoor, in honour of Imagineer Bob Harpur. The railway is built to a narrow gauge and this is 3 ft 4 in (1,016 mm) , a little wider than the metre gauge that was used on East African railways. There are two sets of coaches forming the passenger rolling stock, each with five vehicles and each seating around 250 people. These sets include a series of bins on the top of the train that simulate cargo that passengers are taking with them. One set of coaches has these bins green and the other red. This is away for easy identification between trains.