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Photo by Charles R. Lympany, 1958, courtesy of Chris Taylor New station beyond the Richfield Autopia—and eucalyptus trees beyond it |
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It’s 1959 here at Yesterland. There’s a new railroad station, the Tomorrowland Station, which just opened in 1958. |
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Photo by Roger J. Runck, 1959, courtesy of Robin Runck Tomorrowland Station |
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You need a ticket to ride the train. If you have a ticket book, have your “E” coupon ready. Yes, the Santa Fe & Yesterland Railroad is one of the attractions that takes the new top ticket, introduced in June 1959. Out of “E” coupons? Or perhaps you entered the park with a general admission ticket instead of a ticket book? That’s not a problem. There’s a ticket booth in front of the station. Cash is welcome. |
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Photo by Roger J. Runck, 1959, courtesy of Robin Runck Conveniently located ticket booth |
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Board the train for a journey around the park. You can get off at another station, but to get your money’s worth, you’ll probably want to make the full circle. |
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Photo by Roger J. Runck, 1959, courtesy of Robin Runck Train arriving at the Yester Tomorrowland Station |
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Shortly after your train leaves the station, you’ll enter the Grand Canyon Diorama. It opened in 1958, and it’s longer than a football field. Do you want to see dinosaurs from the train too? Then you’ll have to wait until 1966. For now, enjoy a view of a backstage parking lot after you exit from the Grand Canyon Diorama. |
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Disneyland’s Tomorrowland Station was built in April 1958 as the fourth station of the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad. |
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Photo by Ron Yungul, 1956 No Tomorrowland station yet in 1956 |
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Disneyland opened with just two train stations and two trains in 1955. The Passenger Train provided full-circle, nonstop rides from Main Street Station. The Freight Train did the same from Frontierland Station. In 1956, the original Fantasyland Depot was added, and the trains began stopping at each station. |
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From souvenir map © 1964 Walt Disney Productions Tomorrowland station on the 1964 souvenir map of Disneyland |
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The Tomorrowland Railroad Station did not change much for more than four decades. The New Tomorrowland of 1967 did not touch the station. The ticket booth disappeared when tickets were no longer needed. The Santa Fe logo disappeared when the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway dropped its sponsorship in 1974. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 1995 Tomorrowland station in 1995 |
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The photo from 1995 could just as easily be a photo from earlier decades, except for changes in the colors. The station received a new look as part of the New Tomorrowland of 1998. Actually, the change involved little more than a new sign and new lights. Otherwise, it’s still the station from 1958. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2004 Tomorrowland station at dusk in 2004 |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2015 1950s modernism with 19th-century-style light fixtures and 1990s signage? |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 Under the Tomorrowland Station canopy |
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The steel beams that support the structure have large, round holes in them. Such holes in beams were a popular architectural feature of the 1950s. The old-fashioned lights look out-of-place on the structure from the 1950s. If the lights were supposed to give the station a Jules Verne look, the result was unsuccessful. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2009 Tomorrowland Station at night |
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Photos by Werner Weiss, 2015 Sign showing destinations using old-fashioned technology |
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The short-lived Viewliner (1957-1958) streamlined train attraction had a very similar station, complete with the same type of beams with round holes. With the Viewliner ending service in 1958 and Tomorrowland Station debuting in 1958, does that mean the Viewliner station was moved a short distance to become the new Tomorrowland Station of the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad? The answer is “No” according to Steve DeGaetano (author of Welcome Aboard the Disneyland Railroad!). In a MiceChat thread, Steve wrote, “Tomorrowland Station is a different station than the Viewliner station. The two stations existed simultaneously for a short period, and both can be seen in certain photos of Tomorrowland. However, the mistake is an easy one to make: They were both virtually identical in design.” |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2017 Tomorrowland Station in 2017 from Autopia powered by Honda |
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© 2012-2017 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated August 18, 2017. |
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