Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad [Title on Verso]

Promotional pamphlet for the Sante Fe & Disneyland Railroad, the year after the park’s opening.

Walt Disney was a tremendous rail enthusiast, even going so far as to install a backyard railroad in his Los Angeles home in the late 1940’s. He drew the triangular route for the iconic Disneyland Railroad himself, but a sponsorship with the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe led to the acquisition of naming rights for the attraction until 1974. In a partial effort to recoup their investment, the AT&SF prominently featured Disneyland in their promotional material, including this brochure (though interestingly, credit is attributed to Walt Disney Productions on the verso).

The quaint pictorial map shows a simplified overview of the company’s routes from Chicago across the Southwest to California. A border of Native American symbols adds to the regional identity, which is stereotypical and reflective of contemporary culture in the mid-1950’s. Twelve locations of interest along the lines are listed along the bottom. The verso features a stylized map of Disneyland shortly after the park’s opening, along with photographs and advertisements. “Highlight of your visit to Disneyland is a trip on the old-time trains of the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad. Exact 5/8 scale reproductions of early-day Santa Fe trains operate over the 1-1/8 mile railway that completely encircles the park. All aboard!” Further text describes Sante Fe’s new train cars, the Hi-Level El Capitan, first introduced in 1956.

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