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27-734: The Dreamworld Express is a 2 ft ( 610 mm ) narrow gauge railway located at the Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast , Queensland in Australia . The Dreamworld Express opened with Dreamworld on 15 December 1981, as the Cannonball Express . At the time, the railway only featured a single stop in Main Street . A steam locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1917

54-429: A Queensland sugar mill, was purchased and put into service on the railway. Until the late 1990s, the railway operated with both steam locomotives in peak periods. The railway then shifted to operations on a rotational basis, with one train being serviced while the other would operate normally. The two locomotives could each tow carriages to cater for up to 160 passengers at a time. A set of covered cars were mostly used on

81-764: Is Central Park Station located at the end of Main Street at the bottom of the hill. The railway then crosses between Steel Taipan , Motocoaster and The Giant Drop before passing the former Rocky Hollow Station located near the former Rocky Hollow Log Ride in Gold Rush Country . The railway then travels alongside the Murrissippi River and passes part of the Dreamworld Corroboree area before arriving at Corroboree Station with entry and exit via Prestos Training Cafe and Bunya Trading Gift Shop. The train then passes

108-609: Is slightly based on the Disneyland Railroad , with the Baldwin locomotive resembling the #4 Ernest S. Marsh locomotive (appropriate enough, it also uses #4), the cars designed with the Excursion III design, and there being four station stops. Prior to the 2021 refurbishment, the railway travelled in an anti-clockwise direction, servicing four stations (Central Park, Billabong, Corroboree and Rocky Hollow). From Rocky Hollow Station,

135-513: The 1 ft  11 + 3 ⁄ 4  in ( 603 mm ) gauge Brecon Mountain Railway . ABC Kids World ABC Kids World (formerly known as Wiggles World ) was a themed land at the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast , Queensland , Australia . The area was dedicated to the shows and characters from various shows that air on ABC Kids . The area was originally opened as Wiggles World on 17 September 2005 replacing

162-584: The Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado . World War I trench railways produced the greatest concentration of 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) gauge railways to date. In preparation for World War II , the French Maginot Line and Alpine Line also used 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) gauge railways for supply routes to

189-679: The South African Class NG15 2-8-2 locomotives started their career on the 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) gauge. The Otavi Mining and Railway Company in South West Africa (now Namibia ) were transferred to the 2 ft gauge railways in South Africa and currently some surviving locomotives reside in Wales on the 1 ft  11 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 597 mm ) gauge Welsh Highland Railway and

216-472: The Baldwin locomotive as a one-off event. Subsequently, it was announced that the steam locomotive would operate on the first Saturday of every month and on other occasions. During late 2020 and 2021, the Dreamworld Express was temporarily closed for a re-routing of the tracks in order to make way for Dreamworld's new Steel Taipan roller coaster. Tracks near The Giant Drop and Rocky Hollow Station and

243-883: The Unicorn , Dorothy the Dinosaur , Wags the Dog , Henry the Octopus and Captain Feathersword from The Wiggles . From time to time, live presenters from Play School and the ABC Kids strand (alongside The Wiggles ) make appearances and performances at the park to advertise the area. On 12 December 2006, American-based amusement park operator Six Flags released plans to partner up with The Wiggles to add Wiggles World themed-areas to some of their parks. In 2007, Six Flags Great Adventure , Six Flags Great America , and Six Flags New England all opened

270-510: The area was the first of several to be installed at theme parks around the world. On the first anniversary of the opening of the area, Dreamworld added Dorothy's Rosy Tea Cup Ride. In mid-2012, Dreamworld announced that they would be adding a new ride to Wiggles World. It was later revealed to be the Big Red Boat Ride. The ride was officially opened on 14 December 2012 with 7 members of The Wiggles in attendance. In May 2015, following

297-536: The fixed border defenses. Australia has over 4,000 kilometres (2,500 mi) of 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge sugar cane railway networks in the coastal areas of Queensland , which carry more than 30 million tonnes of sugar cane a year. Many 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge and 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) gauge railways are used in amusement parks and theme parks worldwide. The interchange of rolling stock between these similar track gauges occasionally occurred; for example,

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324-475: The opposite direction. Since reopening in July 2022, the railway has been modified with a shorter layout and a reversed (clockwise) travel direction. Currently, only two of the original four stations are inactive. The remaining stations have been modified to include raised platforms for enhanced accessibility. There are four stations located throughout the park, however, only two stations are currently active. The first

351-399: The previous Gum Tree Gully section. During July 2005, Gum Tree Gully was closed to aid in the construction of Dreamworld's second children's area, Wiggles World. Only a narrow corridor remained for pedestrian access during the construction period. On 17 September 2005 Wiggles World officially opened to the public with a performance by The Wiggles. Based on the musicians of the same name ,

378-479: The railway operated with both steam locomotives in peak periods. The railway then shifted to operations on a rotational basis, with one train being serviced while the other would operate normally. The two locomotives could each tow carriages to cater for up to 160 passengers at a time. A set of covered cars were mostly used on the railway, with a set of uncovered carriages, now disposed of, being rarely used unless both trains were operating. A carriage with disabled access

405-561: The railway, with a set of uncovered carriages, now disposed of, being rarely used unless both trains were operating. A carriage with disabled access was always added to the end of at least one of the operating trains. The steam locomotives were replaced with a diesel replica in 2013. The Perry Locomotive was relocated to the Australian Narrow Gauge Railway Museum Society (ANGRMS) at Woodford, Queensland , where it remains under restoration. The Baldwin locomotive

432-780: The rest of the Dreamworld Corroboree area and the Dreamworld Woolshed before passing a set of boom gates. The train then passes the former Billabong Station which is located between the Corroboree and ABC Kids World , next to the Billabong Buffet Restaurant. The train then navigates between Tiger Island , ABC Kids World and the former building for the Tower of Terror II before passing through another set of boom gates and arriving back at Central Park Station. This railway

459-533: The ride also included various simulated hold-ups, in which comedic bushranger characters would attempt to hijack and rob the train before being arrested and detained by police. The Baldwin locomotive was originally used during the First World War in France before being relocated to Queensland for use on the cane fields . A second steam locomotive, built by Perry Engineering in 1951, which had also seen service at

486-526: The ride would not be reopening. In addition to the attractions, ABC Kids World was home to a merchandise shop, food outlets and a photo store. The merchandise stores were: The food outlets were: ABC Kids World gave guests the chance to meet with many costumed characters from the different shows featured in the area. Characters who can be seen in the park include B1 & B2 from Bananas in Pyjamas , Giggle & Hoot from their titular show, and Shirley Shawn

513-456: The successful ten-year partnership with the band, Dreamworld announced that Wiggles World would oversee a complete overhaul, expansion, and would be renamed to ABC Kids World . Alongside a majority of the Wiggles attractions, brand new attractions based on Giggle and Hoot , Play School , and Bananas in Pyjamas would be added. The "Wiggles World" name would be kept for the Wiggles section of

540-572: The themed area, with its sign being moved nearer to the Wiggles attractions. The newly refurbished area opened on 27 June 2015. On 24 November, Dreamworld announced that Rivertown , the land that previously occupied the space, would replace ABC Kids World in Late-2024, with ABC Kids attractions moving over to Kenny and Belinda's Dreamland , a re-theming of the previously-occupied DreamWorks Experience attraction that would include ABC Kids-themed attractions. ABC Kids World would close sometime in 2023 and

567-569: The time of its opening, the Cannonball Express was said to be the Longest privately owned railway in Australia . However, this was clearly incorrect. It is not even the longest privately owned passenger railway. A second steam locomotive, built by Perry Engineering in 1951, which had also seen service at a Queensland sugar mill, was purchased and put into service on the railway. Until the late 1990s,

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594-599: The track passed around the former location of the Blue Lagoon water park as well as Dreamworld Studios where Big Brother Australia was filmed. It then returned to Central Park Station in Main Street after passing the railway maintenance sheds. The route also previously featured a tunnel and waterfall near the Billabong Station. Remnants of the tunnel are still in-situ and include indigenous-themed artwork. At times,

621-592: The train sheds were removed due to the close proximity to Steel Taipan's construction site. The ride was initially marked as temporarily closed due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic . On 17 July 2021, Dreamworld announced $ 1,000,000 refurbishment on the Dreamworld Express. The refurbishment included the acquisition of new custom train carriages built by a world-class train manufacturer. which feature fold-up seating to allow for better wheelchair and pram accessibility. The ride reopened on 1 July 2022 and now runs in

648-492: Was always added to the end of at least one of the operating trains. After Easter 2013, Dreamworld began operating the train only on weekends and school holidays. The park subsequently replaced the two steam locomotives with a diesel replacement. The diesel masquerades as a steam locomotive and was built by ride manufacturers C&S in Italy. The ride now operates as the Dreamworld Express. On 26 January 2016, Dreamworld reintroduced

675-572: Was demolished to make way for Rivertown. The area closed on 8 October 2023 to make way for the construction of Rivertown. While the Bananas in Pyjamas Fun Maze and the Play School Wheel were relocated to Kenny and Belinda's Dreamland ; the rest of the area was demolished with remaining rides all scrapped. On 12 August 2020, Dreamworld removed the attraction from their website and announced that

702-405: Was purchased and 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) of track was said to have been laid to develop the ride. This figure must relate to the quantity of rail used as reference to maps show that the line is only about 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) in length. The Baldwin locomotive was originally used during the First World War in France before being relocated to Queensland for use on the cane fields . At

729-484: Was retained by Dreamworld and is currently on display outside Central Park Station, albeit with the tender removed. New passenger carriages with accessible seating were introduced in July 2022, following the refurbishment of the ride. 2 ft and 600 mm gauge railways Most of these lines are tourist lines, which are often heritage railways or industrial lines, such as the Ffestiniog Railway in Wales and

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