This Channel is RIDICULOUSLY underrated 11/10 quality content

One comment I would like to make, never in human history has a bus ever provided a better service than a train, cheaper maybe, but never better!

Honestly if anyone is ever unsure about why something was never built by Disney just assume it was because of Disney Paris😂

My parents took my sister and I to Disney World in 1976, July 4th 76 to be exact. (America was 200 years old, and it was a very big deal back then ) We met up with my cousins and had a terrific 3 days rambling around the park. I remember riding that RR, pretty neat if I remember right, I was only 11 at the time... Saw the best July 4th fireworks display ever at that park, we were on a boat headed to the Magic Kingdom to see the display when the boat operator stopped the boat in the middle of the lake, I was so disappointed till the show started, we had the best seats in the kingdom for the show!!! I remember trying to outrun that train trying to cross the tracks b4 he did... I wasn't a very bright kid, but things were different then ;-) Great video, thanks for the memories :-)

Okay. As a train nut, I smiled the hole way though the video. While I’ve never been to the fort wilderness camping area, I’ve heard about the train and I always wondered the history behind it. Thanks a lot for putting this out there, friend! Love your videos and all the best!

Wow. I remember River Country and Fort Wilderness as a kid, back when the middle class could actually afford a vacation to Walt Disney World. We went in 1975 for a day. Then camped at Fort Wilderness in 1977. As I recall, River Country was almost brand new. The view of the campground brings back pleasant memories. Wow.

Yes! I've wanted to know more about this railroad! Plus, it's about trains!

Wow that brings back memories. My parents took us to Disney World in early 1972, just a few months after it opened. We stayed in the campground and absolutely loved it. We were on Big-Bear Little-Bear Path. At that time, they didn't have buses (as far as I remember) but trams that picked you up and took you down to the lake so you could get the boat over to the Magic Kingdom. At that time, there was no 'day pass' and yes you had to stand in line to get your tickets for the rides. One of my favorite was the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride which is no longer there. And the only places they had where you could stay was the campground, the Contemporary and the Polynesian Village. That was it. You could also stay a MAXIMUM of 1 week since they were booked solid for months down the road. In fact, when we packed up, my dad made reservations for us for the next year on the way out. I remember riding the train around the campground a couple of years later. We loved it and were so sad when they got rid of it. Although after watching the video I can understand why they did. Everyone should see Disney as a child. The memories stay with you the rest of your life. :-)

"I guess I'll have to stay at the Grand Floridian" *scrolls down* "OH" 🤣🤣🤣 You cracked me up with that one. Another great video. Now I'm heading to Matt's video.

I had no idea this railroad existed, this is really cool! Although I can see why it was closed, it would be neat if Disney brought it back. Maybe they could have a railroad connect Fort Wilderness with the resort that’s being built on the River Country site like what was planned in the early 90’s. Either way, great episode!

You make some of the best videos. The intro music followed by the enthusiastic what's up guys just makes me happy.

Great job on this video. The last I saw of any remaining trains was at Christmastime 1992. One of the coaches was parked off to the side of the sidewalk not far from where the water tower used to be. It was in very good condition and we took several pictures of ourselves and our young trainhead son. We also found a car while on a bike ride. There was a maintenance area between Fort Wilderness and Osprey Ridge Golf Course. We were cutting through the area to get over to the course and saw one that appeared to be used for a cast member break area next to the maintenance/recycling building. This was also 1992.

I freaking love these videos. Great job as always. You can always tell when you do your research.

I’ve always loved how professional your Abandoned videos are! They’re even better-made than some TV shows.

Very informative Jake. I remember riding on the train as I went to Disney a couple of years after it opened. Before epcott. That video brought back fond memories of childhood for me. I went back in the nineties when Epcott was built and realised the train was gonna along with the people mover. Still a great time was had by all. Thanks for the memories.

As a kid my family vacationed in Disney during the 70’s. We stayed in Fort Wilderness and I remember riding that train. Iconic is a good description for this forgotten railroad. Many great family memories there.! I just wish it was there for my kids. Bring back the rail road.!

I have never clicked on an episode so fast!! Keep up the awesome work Jake!!!

Got lucky enough to ride the railroad as a child. Remember riding it up to the general store to get a thumper toy from the movie bambi, which was still in theaters. They were in huge rustic barrels stuffed with thumpers, and bambi's. It was my prized possession. Also got many record/book combos from haunted mansion, 20,000 league's, etc. Used to sit in my room listening to my record player and imagining I was in Disney. It's my happy place to this day. I can always remember being there with my parents in a perfect time and place when the world around me is in chaos. Thanks Walt

I'm so happy that you covered this as I was going to ask if you could do a video on this. By the way, I always love your abandoned episodes.

The history of this railroad is really cool. Like the fact that fort wilderness had a railroad blows my mind!! I’m definitely gonna have to go hunt down the old railroad remnants if I ever decide to go back to Walt Disney World. Great video man 🤙🏼

This channel is a breath of fresh air.

Thanks for posting this!.. I was born in 1970 in Jacksonville Fla... We had a large pull behind camper that we kept at the beach but a couple times a year my parents would pull it to Disney to camp at Fort Wilderness.. I was 4 when the train began running and riding it was just amazing to me.. I had all but forgot it until you posted this.. This was an amazing time in my life.. So thank you for this trip down memory lane.. I had not known all the details before and as always, I really appreciate your research and all of the history you share in your videos...Many Blessings to you.. :)

The location of the California farm that has one of the locomotives is called Hillcrest Tree Farm which is located in Reedley, California. The farm is open during the Spring, Fall, and Winter. In Fall, they sell pumpkins for Halloween. In Winter, they sell Christmas trees. The main attraction of the farm is a 15” gauge railroad called the Hillcrest and Wahtoke Railroad. I’ve visited the farm a few times and have seen this train, but didn’t know it was from a Disney campground.

As always, the BEST. Your research and delivery is impeccable!

I don't even have to watch this video to know it's good

The locomotive at the California farm is at a farm called Hillcrest Tree Farm near where I grew up. It’s a shame to see it in that state of rust and decay, but they do have 15” gauge steam railroad there that’s open to the public.

best series on KZfaq by far. Excellent work as always.

I’ve been going to Fort Wilderness for as long as I can remember. My family comes from Miami and my grandparents took my dad and his brothers to Disney the year it opened. I’ve heard so many stories about this railroad, especially considering a lot of the tracks are still there(or were the last time I went). My uncle told me that he was riding the train one day and it hit someone and they immediately began escorting people off the train. He said it wasn’t until about a week later when he saw it in the paper that he even knew what had happened.

Jake, your cadence and pacing have improved so much. You’ve come such a long way, and your hard work has really paid off. This content looks great. I know I’m just a person on the internet, but dude, I’m proud of you!

It’s always a good day when it’s Friday and BSF uploads shortly after TPP. It’s a good day for history and documentation.

As someone who has stayed at fort wilderness many times and heard about the train, I loved learning about this! The last time I was there (2018) a cast member told me that they will soon be tearing down the land at river country and are closing Mickey’s backyard BBQ to make space for a new resort. The resort is suppose to be similar to the themes of fort wilderness and wilderness lodge.

Ohh music to my ears when I hear the way you say ABANDONED 0:15 Your channel is getting better and better!

Hey - thanks for the video credit!! My father in law took that video long long ago. He'll be tickled to know that many people are enjoying his video. :)

When it showed the old Disney tv logo at the bottom right of the screen, I was like “Now that’s a memory I haven’t seen in a long time”. That logo was from the late 80s/early 90s.

At 8:55 the narrator states that "some engines were just left to rot" with a quote saying that the engine was located on a farm in California. The engine is in fact on the grounds of the Hillcrest Tree Farm and Hillcrest & Wahtoke Railroad, where I work. The railroad's shops build and restore steam and diesel locomotives for different theme parks and municipalities. The former Fort Wilderness engine is not rotting away, it is privately owned and slated for a full rebuild someday. The engine and car pictured in a backyard were rescued and now belong to a fine gentleman named Michael Campbell in southern California.

Love your videos . Well researched and put together. Fascinating to watch. Well done Jake

Another amazing video! Shared with my groups!

Trains are magical. Walt loved them. Abandoned rail lines are sad somehow.

I was both a Resort Front Desk Host at Fort Wilderness (for 3 great years) and a lifeguard at River Country back in the mid-‘80’s and stayed “connected” to Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground for years afterward. We used to ride bikes from the costume/changing rooms at the main employee parking lot near the Fort Wilderness Guest check-in desk, all the way up to River Country’s backstage area to start our shifts. On my own time, I would often veer off the normal path and explore the paths that the defunct train used and the abandoned tracks and trestle bridges that crossed the waterways and canoe canals. I can confirm what the video states, that a common rumor in the early ‘90’s was that once a moderately priced Ft. Wilderness Resort Hotel was built near Pioneer Hall (site of the Hoop-De-Doo Revue) Disney would restore the train system, but only use it only to link the 2 resorts along the Bay Lake shoreline, the newly constructed Wilderness Lodge & upcoming (but in the planning stages...) Fort Wilderness Resort Hotel...not using it within the Campground area for continued back & forth transportation between River Country and the Fort’s check in area and main guest parking lot. Anyway, now decades later, there are substantiated rumors that Disney IS developing a new Fort Wilderness Resort Hotel on the old River Country property, one that will accompany the Wilderness Lodge, but it is rumored to be much different than the “western themed old town” shown in your video. This will likely be much more upscale and pricey, likely to appeal to Disney Vacation Club members. But still, a small scale train linking that property to Wilderness Lodge would be an excellent idea, and a great convenience to guests wanting to explore the “sister” resorts... I always thought that busses were much noisier and more polluting than that beautiful old train. They also don’t theme very well with the “Great Outdoors/Western Wilderness” motifs. It would behoove Disney to revisit this wonderful idea, and give guests a bit more value for the amount of money they spend, staying at their pricey resort properties...

I am 45 years old and have been camping (RV-ing) at DFW since I was about 5. I remember the trains. Now as an adult with kids we have a travel trailer that we take to DFW on a regular basis and I still miss the train. We have walked the train tracks in the woods. If you look close you can see the rails right by the road and even protruding through the asphalt road in some places.

Can you do a video about the abandoned Disneyland clones? Pleasure Island in Wakefield, MA was the best known. The guy who designed them was disendowed by Walt Disney himself. Or even Edaville Railroad.

The steam locomotive are still in use at the Magic Kingdom! They are such a beautiful attraction with all the polished bells and whistles!

There is a shopping mall near me and it had only 5 stores- 2 open on New Years Day. Those stores were Asda (Walmart), Poundland, Heron Foods (Wth is Heron Foods), EE (T-Mobile) and Peacocks. Peacocks had a GIANT sign saying closing down due to landlord negotiations. A lift used to be there but when this café got demolished inside, R.I.P lift. It is called the Cornbow Shopping Centre. The location is as followed: Great Cornbow, Halesowen B63 4AB. People who live near it, it has changed.

I miss working at WDW Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge. I started as a college program lifeguard, and later hired to stay on full-time lifeguard / recreational coordinator / "friends of" Chip & Dale at the campfire show. It was such a great place to work, in 2002 - 2004. I remember seeing the tracks, and the car at P.I. At the fort, I met a guest who had seen one of the train accidents. To the extent of the accident, because at that time "no one died at Disney"; he and his family were given lifetime tickets and complimentary stays at either of the three resorts (Poly, Contemporary "the toaster" and the Fort). Thank you, Jake, for this magical video! 💚

We literally stayed in the cabins at Fort Wilderness last week! I wish I had seen this video before we went because we would have walked on Trail 700. The watercolor painting of the engine crossing the bridge was in our cabin and I was wondering what the deal was. Awesome video 👍🏽

I road that train back in 1975. It was cool!

I remember staying in Fort Wilderness campground and riding the train. We got complimentary use of it the whole time we were there in Summer 1975.

Its crazy how much more composed his newer videos are. Ive been watching his abandoned series from 2014, and the early videos are so hard to watch. He stutters, goes back on himself, horrible editing, and yet he figured it out and these newer videos are so good and professional

We have a similar thing to Buffalo Junction here in Disneyland Paris, it’s called Hotel Cheyenne and it’s set the exact same way, with different buildings set in a western town with old west decorated exteriors and hotel rooms indoors. It’s an interesting concept and it would’ve been interesting to see how it would’ve played out in the larger resort of Walt Disney World

I've been waiting for a new video!! This is my fav KZfaq series

I loved the water park and all of the alligators that would come out and greet you while you were out in the water !

I’ve been watching this channel for years and I have yet to be disappointed in any of your content.

10:21 Goofy is a fine fellow, but he had no business operating a rail road. No wonder it failed!!

BSF has done it again!! Love it!

We rode it when Disney World opened and were really disappointed when we heard it was being retired. Primary reason ... we heard... was people would try to get off or on between designated stops, therefore the lawyers claimed liability! I read that this was one of Walt's favorite rides for DW if not his favorite ride. He was a model train buff and kept a large scale one in his back yard at his home.

so many awesome pictures in here! I first became obsessed with abandoned Disney back in 2016 when I first saw your river country video. the other day, I was going through old photos and found some of my mom at river country when she was younger, I had no idea she went!

yeah, just yeah, dont really have anything else to say because im so happy for a new episode.

Track layed in unstable soil. Unguarded crossings with lots of children playing. Gee... what could go wrong?

This video made me sad, but I did enjoy learning this bit of Disney history.

I was taken to Disney World the year that it opened and stayed at Fort Wilderness. I remember seeing the tracks and hearing about the plans for the train. Several years later I came back again, stayed a Fort Wilderness again and went to River County. I can't specifically remember riding the train, but if it was operating at that time I'm sure that I did. My best memory of Fort Wilderness is the camp fire program they had a night on the beach, teamed with a Disney movie. Doesn't seem like a big deal now, but in a VHS or DVD time, seeing the a Disney movie each night was a big perk of staying there.

Ok, so a kid not paying attention ruined one of Disney’s best attractions.... good job brat.

I'd forgotten about this train; I rode it as a kid.

We camped at Fort Wilderness in 1977 when I was 9 and my brother was 6. Our campsite was on Quail Trail. I remember the railroad. Such a great trip. Thanks for the memories!

This video was great. I'm glad you shared this tidbit of Disney History. Your vids are amazing and I just want to remind you that we your fans love you bro!

Idea for next video: Land Of OZ theme park located in Beech Mountain, North Carolina

It would be amazing to see it come back connecting Wilderness Lodge with the new Reflections Lakeside Resort. I doubt Disney would do it though as it seems money is much more important than charm and experience now 😞

I love this type off content,im a anual pass holder and everytime my family goes to Orlando they get annoyed off me of always talking about everything abandoned Disney related,this is one off them,you could still see the tracks over by trails end,the cool thing is 2 years ago we rowed a bus from the front off fort wilderness to trails end wich is in the back off the property,i always ask Disney cast members if they been around long enough to experience any off these attractions,turns out the gentlemen driving that bus we rowed in actually drove that steam train,i instantly got goosebumps all over it was an amazing feeling and i didn't shut up about it till this day lol,thanks for sharing bud 👋

I rode that train so many times as a youngster.....thought it was the best ever. Family was staying in motorhome in the FWR. That was back when only the Golf resort, Polynesian, and Contemporary were on property.

Please do the Ryugyong Hotel, it would be interesting to do something in my country for once

I have one of the rocks from the track

I went to Disney World a number of times in the 1980s as a kid and we stayed at Fort Wilderness since my grandparents had an RV. My parents said that the last time they remember the train running was one time in the late 70s. I saw the train cars out back in the 80s and even went in them back then. I didn't go back to Disney until 2005 after 1989 so the trains were already gone. I also remember that the bus station at the outpost is the old station, just on the other side of where the bus takes you and the Settlement station was there until the late 2000s as a golf cart parking lot.

These are all great videos, good job Jake!

All I could Think about was alligators in that water

Binge watching your channel while sick. Thank you for all the hard work that went/goes into making these videos. Appreciated 100+%

Ft. Wilderness is 750 acres. With a full load on the train, it would literally run out of water and trip the blowdown valve and stop. Then they would get the truck and come pull the train into the station water it and refire the boiler, than two to three hours later it would be running. They never used a rail bender to lay the rails on the curves, so it was always trying to straighten out and resulted in numerous derails and they did not use tie plates between the crosstie and rail, so the rail was always chewing through the crossties that you can plainly see at 0:46. I rode it once in 1976. My dad was an engineer for the Southern Pacific railroad and said it was too unsafe and that was that for me riding it again. When we were there again in 1981 it was abandoned with grass growing between the rails and small trees.

The Engineer runs the train. The conductor takes tickets and smiles.

I love your work. I've never got to experience the railroad but this really puts it into perspective. Love your work.

My family stayed at the campground right after the railroad was built. Loved the train, it was the coolest campground I ever stayed in as a kid with forts, tepees, canoes, a train and outdoor movie nights with characters showing up for the kids. I seem to recall young deer wandering through the campground as well that weren't shy to approach people, but I could be imagining that bit.

That's about right Cap'n Obvious. The version I saw talked about the Fort Wilderness Train coming in late, and the tracks were laid fast and haphazardly. They had constant derailments because the track would move or flex over because of the shoddy work. They struggeled with the track, even re-attaching the track to the wooden ties but it still had a problem with derailments. The engines were not without problems as well. These were Saddle tank engines, the water was stored in the Saddle Tanks and had to be filled everytime they were at the station where the water tank was. The problem they were running into was the cast members would forget to fill the Saddle Tanks with water and somewhere along the track, they would run out of water and the train would stop. Between the derailments and the Saddle Tank water storage limitations, and some of the stuff you mentioned, the trains were a bit of a problem to run. Money wise, The Magic Kingdom usually covered expenses, the Fort Wilderness Camp ground didn't make that much money and DISNEY would usually take care of the train with resort money. The accident was a key example of problems that DISNEY did not want to get into and they shut the train down and brought in the busses. By this time the tracks were deteriorating badly and needed to be replaced with new ties and rail. WIth the problem with the saddle tanks and the chance of accidents happening, they decided to suspend operation of the train. It later became a permanent suspension. As you know, or you should, when DISNEY puts something in storage, they don't do anything to it, it just sits and deteriorates. When the resorts idea came up they did tickle the brain with the idea of rebuilding a safe track way and restore the trains and cars for the run between the resorts. But the cost to bring the trains back was the end of the idea. the trains were left to rot and as you said, some DISNEY collectors were either given or sold to be restored in their own collections. Most of them had the Fort Wilderness logos grinded off the engines and the cars. Those restored cars and engines had the Fort Wilderness logos hand painted back on.

I stayed here yesterday and I got home yesterday. I Also ❤ your channel

11:06, "now something i can encourage you to do "

I remember during the '80s, they were using parking lot trams to get people around the campsites. I liked that much more than busses. They take less time to get on and off, and it's a nice open air ride.

I remember riding this train many times when I was a kiddo at FW. We went several times a year. Dad was a camping nut and I (early on) was a bed with clean sheets fanatic. Looking back with this video, wow. Didn't realize what could have happened on those joyful rides on the train. Yikes! Awesome video ... thank you!

Wow to think there has not been a bad abandon yet

Love ur freaking videos!!!

I remember back in 1980 when I visited as a child asking where the trains were when I saw the track. 38 years later I learn the truth. Thank you.

Omg my tweet got mentioned in the introduction!!! Thank you Jake, this is so cool!!!

8:33 Where the locomotive and cars ended up.

One of the trains and a ton of track are at the Brevard Zoo in Brevard County Fl about an hr away.

I always get so excited when I hear the intro! My mom and I love your exploration videos. I've always been so interested in abandoned and forgotten things, and you bring that all back to life! Everything is so knowledgeable

Never saw that bus you keep posting pics of, but Ft W used trams for years after the train was shut down. It was so fun to ride the back car on those through the twisty campground roads while the driver would make jokes. Best memories ever.

I always wanted to know what happened to that train you can still see some of the tracks around Fort Wilderness

Do showbiz pizza place next pleas

loved it. i actually brought a tent and camping gear... all those silver trailers using air conditioning kept us up at night. liked the fire-pit area and sing songs. The splash and discovery island was great too. stayed at contemporary, Polynesian, tree-house golf and outside the park as well. beautiful place. my fortune didn't keep pace with rising cost.

So cool. I live in Florida & have been going to WDW since I was a kid; we used to ride in the front of the monorails with the conductor/controller, they had a wrap-around bench seat & curved glass windows- an unforgettable view. I'll have to check out that pet walking trail & railroad tracks next time I'm over by Bay Lake. Keep up the great videos buddy.

7:42 LIT🔥🔥🔥

Man you got to do an abandoned on the astrodome

I stayed a couple of times in the campground as a young girl in the 70s and remember riding the train. I loved river country too. We camped a lot across traveling across the US and always compared campgrounds bathrooms to Disney’s. They were soo clean

I went to Fort Wilderness over the summer, what a time that was! It was completely free to go walk around the resort and I went to the outskirts of River Country. I had a conversation with a worker about River Country and they gave me their experiences with it and it was a great time. If you're ever in that area I highly recommend walking around the campgrounds.

*Wakes up past two days feeling like a horses ass* *Sees new BSF video* "I feel like a god"