February 2001 – July 2011
LOCATION
Sunshine Plaza – Guests arriving in California Adventure could find the California Zephyr in Sunshine Plaza, the park’s entrance point and largely open walkthrough land. After walking underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, guests could turn left at the center plaza and find the Zephyr on the right, roughly where the Fiddler, Fifer, & Practical Café stands today.
BACKGROUND
The California Zephyr was a famous passenger train in operation in the United States from 1949 to 1970. The train was known for its scenic route, classic vista dome cars, and charming hostesses, called “Zephyrettes”.
Given Walt Disney’s lifelong love of trains, it was no surprise when the brand new California Adventure park announced it would be installing a train of its own. Imagineers paid tribute to the iconic California Zephyr train by opening a replica in Sunshine Plaza, the park’s gateway land. The replica contained no parts from the original California Zephyr, but was a real train: a 1952 locomotive from the Canadian National Railroad.
Since Sunshine Plaza was much more of an open, quiet area than Buena Vista Street is today, its few attractions were walkthrough areas to explore or shops, rather than thrilling or boisterous rides. The California Zephyr was a combination attraction and shopping area, drawing in guests who would otherwise breeze through the plaza.
EXPERIENCE
Each of the Zephyr’s cars opened into a different shop or restaurant. At the front, right behind the engine, guests could grab a sweet treat at Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream. Next was the Baker’s Field Bakery, California Adventure’s largest pastry shop. And finally, the rear car hosted Engine-Ears Toys, a huge gift shop reminiscent of the iconic World of Disney store in Downtown Disney. Adjacent to the California Zephyr was the train station, which had displays of real California Zephyr artifacts, a conductor who shared stories about life on the rails, and a small seating area. The California Zephyr was always the busiest part of Sunshine Plaza, drawing guests of all ages into its shops and shiny cars.
CLOSURE
When Disney announced the major overhaul of California Adventure in 2007, the land that would see the most dramatic changes was Sunshine Plaza. This area was to become the iconic Buena Vista Street, and would resemble 1920’s Los Angeles. The California Zephyr was a train from the 50’s and 60’s, so it came as no surprise when the train did not survive the land’s transition.
The train’s station, tower, and train shed were removed in May 2011, and the train itself left the park in July. Disney donated the locomotive and California Zephyr memorabilia to the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, where it remains today.
TRIVIA
Today, an Amtrak train that travels cross-country bears the name “California Zephyr”, and is an updated version of the original passenger train.
The number on the cab (804A) was the number on the original California Zephyr when it made its last trip.
The California Zephyr’s Sunshine Plaza Station was built in the Spanish Mission Style, inspired by the Santa Fe station in San Diego.
The ice cream place that was in here was awesome. Memories!
I’ve never been on this. The one time I waited in line, they shut it down right when I was about to board. Never been back.
You might be confusing this with the Golden Zephyr. That ride is unfortunately VERY wind sensitive, so it’s common for it to temporarily close several times per day.