When it comes to Disneyland, it might go without saying by now that the trains are a focal point of our day at the park. Monorails, Disneyland Railroad, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (well when the boys are bigger), Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train, and Casey Jr. Circus Train.

So as we enter the park, we typically head straight to Fantasyland to try and knock out as many rides as possible before the crowds arrive. The hard part at our boys ages (3 and 1) is to convince them that we should ride all the other rides ahead of the Casey Jr. train. Even worse is when you walk under the Disneyland Railroad as soon as you enter the park. Try telling a three-year old that there is something better beyond the entrance. After knocking out the majority of rides that would have longer queues within hours, we headed over to the Casey Jr. train ride with great anticipation.

The Casey Jr. train ride was one of the original park attractions, opened in July 1955, a couple weeks after park opening due to testing. The scenery around the Casey Jr. train ride was quite drastic from today. Park goers back in 1955 saw little around the train ride, as the Storybook Land Canal Boats and surrounding scenery did not come along until September 1956.

We love the nostalgic factor at Disneyland that one does not quite experience at Disney World. Walt Disney himself once walked these parts of the park, and even rode these rides. The themeing around Disneyland is amazing and timeless.

The boys enjoy the charm of the ride as well as it being…a train. I particularly love how fast Bug picked up the Casey Jr. train song and continues to sing it weeks after the trip.

My favorite aspect of the entire Storybook area is the well manicured landscaping and miniature village scenes. I actually wish there was a way to be able to stroll and take in the villages at a slower pace instead of on a moving train or boat. There are so many intricate details that would be great to see up close, and with the moving trains and boats, a lot of the details get missed.

The Casey Jr. Circus Train ride lasts for about four (4) minutes, making its way through Storybook Land Canal Boats. Of course the favorite part everybody loves is when the train attempts to make its way up the hill, chugging “I think I can, I think I can…”

Can you name how many different village scenes you pass throughout Storybook Village?

For all of our rides on the Casey Jr. Train ride, we sat in the very back of the train, which provided excellent views of the entire area, as well as a perfect opportunity to film an unobstructed view of the ride.

Some excellent vintage photos of the Casey Jr. Train ride can be viewed on Think Disney.