Park teases return of Red Car Trolley
The Red Car Trolley, which added an essential burst of kinetic energy to Buena Vista Street and a nostalgic nod to the entry esplanade's 1920s Los Angeles theme, will soon return to Disney California Adventure after a threeyear absence.
Disneyland teased a summer return of the Red Car Trolley to California Adventure's Buena Vista Street on the official Disney Parks TikTok account.
The “Red Car News Boys” trolley show, which was canceled in 2019, will not return with the trolley.
California Adventure's Red Car Trolley closed in April 2019 to allow for the construction of Avengers Campus. At the time, the trolley was expected to return in 2020 — but the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench into those plans.
Disneyland and California Adventure closed for more than a year starting in March 2020 due to the pandemic, and the parks have slowly brought back attractions, shops, restaurants and entertainment since the April 2021 phased reopening began at the theme park resort.
The pandemic-delayed Avengers Campus opened in June, with the trolley track running through one corner of the Marvelthemed land. The trolley, a fan favorite, has made occasional stationary appearances along the track but hasn't operated with passengers in more than three years.
With the addition of Avengers Campus, the trolley creates a bit of a thematic challenge for Walt Disney Imagineering. The trolley was introduced in 2012 as part of a reimagining of the California Adventure entry promenade that paid homage to Walt Disney's 1920s Los Angeles.
When it debuted, the trolley traveled along a recreation of Hollywood and Sunset boulevards and past the Hollywood Tower Hotel, which once housed the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction. The trolley barn was tucked backstage between Tower of Terror and the former Bug's Land.
As fans know, Tower of Terror became Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout! and A Bug's Land was demolished to make way for Avengers Campus. The trolley track now travels past the futuristic Guardians ride building and into the high-tech Marvel campus — neither of which throw off much of a vintage 1920s L.A. vibe.
The trolley tracks cut through a corner of Avengers Campus near Pym Test Kitchen and pass through a hidden door built into the Avengers Headquarters building. When the trolley finally returns this summer, Marvel fans immersed in the superhero setting may be surprised to see the trolley occasionally pass through the high tech campus.
The trolley is modeled after the Pacific Electric Railway that crisscrossed Los Angeles from 1887-1961.
The trolley attraction serves as a transportation vehicle that takes riders on a scenic journey through Buena Vista Street and Hollywood Land — making stops near California Adventure's main entrance, Carthay Circle Restaurant, the Animation Academy building and the Hyperion Theater.