Background On Calico Railroad: Opened on January 12, 1952, it features genuine 1880s rolling stock acquired from the historic Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad and Rio Grande Southern Railroad in Colorado. Calico Railroad Experience: The scenic loop circles the park and is famous for its lively, interactive, and funny "bandit holdup" performances along the route. They'll come out of the caboose and ask passengers on the train carts if they have any valuables. Visitation Rights: Been on this ride couple of times. Location: Located inside Ghost Town. Ambiance/Decor: It's a nice train ride to re-calibrate your mind, body, and soul. It has train carts that are either closed coaches and open-air. Calico Railroad For Thought: Would love to take a ride on the train again. read more

Wait times for this ride go by super quickly as its super high capacity. Around 120 guests per ride and the ride goes around the park which is very nice. There's a really short interactive part where the train is "held up" by some gun touting robbers. They crack some jokes and are quite funny. It's a nice way to rest your feet a bit and enjoy the sights. There's a lot of views and props that you can't see unless you are on the train, such as some set pieces, a fancy parked train car, the Galloping Goose and much more. A must for people who enjoy the western theming of the park. read more

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We rode in the other car this time, not the train part, the wooden part of the train. Bench seating along each side. To offset the long wait times, due to the 20 bus loads of teenagers, we went to the less popular attractions. This was one of them. There were more families like us. The App was not accurate on the Wait Times. Hubby kept checking it. It's a fun family friendly ride. There were cowboys. You get to see the other parts of the Park without you and your footsteps. read more

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Fun for kids scary for ME! A bunch of bank robbers who were looking for our valuables ...eeek! Other than that it was a great view through the park and climate inside was perfect! read more

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This gem of a railroad goes around Knott's Berry Farm and is an actual working steam locomotive that has been in the park since it opened in 1952. Before that, it was in operation on the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad and Rio Grande Southern Railroad. I really like this as I use it as my "rest ride". This train pulls 5 cars all together. My favorite is the second to last car, which is the open car so I have a view of everything. What I love about this car in particular is that I am in full view of the "train robbers" that pop out of the caboose as we are somewhere near Prop Shop Pizza. They come out yelling funny things such as "all right! Hand it over! We take gold bars, silver bars, candy bars! Whatcha got?" I tell them that I am married and am also a teacher and they immediately respond with "oh wow. Here, take this money bag. You need it more than I do!" They are comedy gold! Their interactions with the forward cars are hilarious and they also take time out with silly conversations with kids as well. I love this historical piece and believe it or not, I live in Cypress and can hear the train whistle from my house! read more

Calico Railroad - This logo is on the side of the locomotive. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Buena Park, California

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Seriously... I thought I had already reviewed. But, alas. My old rapidly approaching senile as$, realized I did the calico mine train ride. My bad... We typically get on this to chill, when our legs are about to get out and I need another beer. That said. This gives me the wagon train / rifleman vibe, (dating myself again) but it is too cool. If, and it's a big if, there were a complaint, it would be that it's just too short of a ride. The littles love it, especially when the " robbers" come in and " harass" you. The kiddos love it, I love it and to be honest, I'd love to be in my way to Salt Lake, adult beverages in hand and enjoying the view. Ah... the good old days. read more

My friend and I were at Knott's this past Sunday. She loves extreme rides. I'm a baby in a grown up body so I go for the tamer and more gentler rides LOL. Calico Railroad is a train that goes around the park. It's about a 15 mins ride which isn't too bad. They even provide some cowboy talk entertainment during the ride LOL. I sat near the window and my friend sat on the opposite side of me also near the window. I liked the breeze that came through the window. This ride gave me 15 mins of my life to reflect on my life LOL. Nice calm train ride! Enjoy! read more

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The Calico Railroad near Ghost Town at Knott's Berry Farm is a real blast from the past treat. We wanted to see basically the whole park in a final farewell before we left for the evening on 4/18/22. This was the perfect way to do so. The wait time was only about 10 minutes. Long enough for me to finish the Dippin' Dots ice cream we had just purchased to cool off. :) Note that food and drinks are not allowed aboard the train. The employees were super friendly. The bandits were cool too... of course, I got a kick out of the robbery schtick because my dad introduced me to the old TV show "Rawhide" when I was little. The four of us were able to find a nice little space to ourselves. My 7 and 8-year-olds appreciated this slow ride in an original history maker as Knott's describes it as an "authentic Denver and Rio Grande Narrow Gauge train used in the early 1900s." Ask about wheelchair accommodations. read more

Very slow ride, with very little to look at, mostly the back stage areas and the outside fence for the park, it's nice to sit and rest on for a few minutes out of the sun, but other than riding around in very short trip around the park its not something to wait in line for. If you are expecting something like the Disneyland train ride you will be disappointed, if you just want a place to sit and rest for a few minutes you will get what you are looking for. read more

[Review #496] 2019 Yelp 100 Challenge (156/100) All aboard!!! Step right up... Every trip to Knott's, our family always take a ride or 2 on the Calico Railroad (1: Low Thrill). My kids love the train... they're big fans because of the non-profit org that operates steamers trains on a monthly basis (1st Sunday & 3rd Saturday) in our neighborhood, & they rarely missed a ride since they were babies. They also love the familiarity because one of the engineers that run the local steamers train is also an engineer here. =) Initially, both kids were mildly frightened when we were held up by the bandits, but gradually they found it fun & funny due to the outrageous overacting. My son & daughter now anticipate getting robbed & waiting for their "Taco Tuesdays" reward. Hahaha... LOL =D I enjoy riding this train because it's one of the longer rides that travels around half the park, particularly during the hot summer when I need a break from the sun with some shade & a quick breeze to cool off. There isn't much in terms of scenery along the route of the Calico Railroad... so just take a breather, sit back & relax. Recommended: Calico Railroad... chugga-chugga choo-choo! read more

Nothing beats a trip down the old Calico Railway for the circle tour of Knott's by train! The engine and train cars themselves are the original ones that would travel around Colorado's Rio Grande Southern Railroad and Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad back in the day to get fine folks where they needed to go. The Calico Railway is always a great way to relax after many hours on the farm grounds as there is an abundance of seating on the train some inside and some outside. When your sitting outside you get a cool little breeze if it's not too hot of a day so it definitely helps you to stay cool! On slower days the park runs the Galloping Goose which was used many many years ago as a quick transport for miners who were looking for a quick way to get back to the mine. More or less a workhorse to get them from the camp to the mine or in this case a workgoose! Hahaha When you step on to the Calico Railroad your in for a history treat as the trains themselves are full of it! Also don't forget your in the old west and bandits might just jump out and rob you at any given moment so hide your valuables or risk loosing them to the thieves! See you around the farm! read more

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First time on this train ride and it did not last that long. 2 performers showed up at the end doing a pretend robbery haha. It departs every 15 minutes. read more

Date of visit: August 20, 2016 Since we hadn't been onboard the Calico Railroad before, we decided to hop on the train and see where it takes us. It's one of the original rides from Knott's Berry Farm still in operation since the '50s (January 12, 1952, to be precise) and is an authentic Denver and Rio Grande Narrow Gauge train used from the early 20th century. It looks cool, it's got that sense of history... but there's only one station with no stops, and most of the scenery during the tour is of the backstage area of the park - meaning you won't see much of notice. The one thing I will like about this ride are the two train robbers that make their way forward through the cars. They have a great sense of improv - for example, when they saw a kid with a stuffed Charmander, they had to ask him, "So, you brought a fire Pokemon onto a steam engine with a wooden track?" When they saw another little guy who was celebrating his birthday, they asked him the following: - Train robber: "Did you get any birthday money?" - *kid shakes head no* - Train robber: "You want to go make some?" *offers his gun to the kid, much to the laughter of the riders* Overall, if you want to rest your feet for a while and you haven't been to Knott's, hop on the Calico Railroad - otherwise, if you're a park veteran, mosey along... read more

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I remember this train ride back when I was little but I was a bit disappointed this time I remembered back in the day they had bad Cowboys come on and hold up the train you know a little show on that he train but that didn't happen I wonder if they changed that. read more

Calico Railroad - Amusement Parks Near Me - Buena Park, California

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Want a long relaxing ride, well this ride is for you. It is usually 10 minutes and goes around half of the park usually through the Boardwalk and the western area, well half of it and the Mexican area as well. You will skip camp snoopy though. Anyways there is entertainment as there are usually 2 robbers that come on the train. The line can get long, but can seat a lot of people though which is good. If it goes out the door, you are most likely going to get in, but not a good seat like outside. read more

Fun little train ride, it was over before long it's an real train narrow gage. It's a blast from the past.

This is dumb, da, dumb, dumb, dumb. What a waste, in my opinion. Sorry, not sorry. The train looks so cool, too! There are various cars to sit in; some covered and some not. The steam is neat to watch, the whistle fun to hear, and the deep noises of the engine are hypnotic. Ok, it's kinda funny and cool that train robbers mess with you, but that's it! The tour around is so quick and not as aesthetically pleasing as one would hope. Can we revamp this a little, Knott's? How about stopping it altogether and using the train to house a wine bar, or something? Probably not. Okay, go ahead and do this ride once in your life, but if you board it a second time, I'm clueless as to why you'd even consider that. There are even better places to sit in the shade, elsewhere in the park. SMH. read more

Calico Railroad - Amusement Parks Near Me - Buena Park, California

I always love live steam locomotives since childhood. It my childhood enthusiasm for 30 plus years and as adult ,I still love steam locomotives that I make a point that I ride Calico Railroad every time I visit Knott's Bery Farm. read more

Calico Railroad - Calico Railroad. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Buena Park, California

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Very cool train ride around the grounds. We were there early so there weren't many people riding the train yet. We had the caboose all to ourselves...well, until the train robbers busted in through the back door nearly giving me a heart attack..haha. Fun way to relax and keep cool when the sun is beating down. read more

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All Aboard the Calico Railroad for a relaxing tour around Knotts Berry Farm. In operation for 64 years, since January 12, 1952, it is one of the oldest attractions in the park. The train is an authentic narrow gauge Denver and Rio Grande train used in the early 1900s. You board the train at a station in Calico Square near the replica Ghost Town which Walter Knott, the original owner of the park, built in the 1940s. There is a real sense of history here. The train travels in a slow circle around the park, allowing you to see many of the attractions. Just to spice up what could have been a bland ride around the track, the train is held up by bandits midway through. The bandits are fabulous at ad-libbing as they interact with various guests on the train. One of the gentleman in our party offered them a nickel which he claimed was all the allowance his wife allowed him and they quickly expressed deep sympathy with his situation, even suggesting he join their gang and share in the profits. I don't know what improv class they scrounged these guys up from, but they are GOOOOOOD. After the train returns to the station and while the next group of passengers is boarding, the bandits pose for photos with passersby outside the station. Yes, we posed with them and they chatted for a minute or two in quite an entertaining fashion. This is definitely a not to be missed attraction. Use it to break up your day of running from coaster to coaster and you'll find pleasure at a slower pace. read more

Interesting ride... Yes the train is cool. Yes the "robbery" act is great. But the view during the ride is of the Maintenance areas. The entire rail ride is run down with weeds and trash as the view. One would think that these areas would be spruced up for the train ride? read more

If you just give me some time...I can open up your mind! Meh... this shit was sooo boring...just waste my time! if i were you i would not go on the calico railroad ride...i just don't understand it.... its hot and musty when your inside this train...the wait to get on this train and for the train the start moving took like thirty mins...this train takes you to the other side of the park with a mini stunt act...which is cool...but it takes about forty five mins to just get to the other side on this train...i suggest just walking....it will make u sleepy since this train is extremely slow but it helps if you wanna take a break from the rides and the dizziness of the sun....the smell in this train is nauseating! anyways i guess try it and see...have fun! read more

Great for kids and a nice train ride around the park if you are in need of a break. Watch out for the train robbers (note: not real ones)!

Worth the money!! You go around and get to see the whole area. Our train conductor on Thursday was very nice and informative. Definitely worth the few bucks read more

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I think the railroad ride in Camp Snoopy is much more amusing. If you want to sit back and relax for a bit, this is fine... But don't go out of your way to ride this. It is fun that they have a pretend stick-up. read more

Great ride. Cool how they had a little excitement with the robbers. It should be a little bit of a longer ride though but I guess that can't really be changed. Workers are very friendly and the line isn't very long bit even the wait if there is a line because the train holds so many people. read more

This one is pretty simple all is does is take you around the park. And at the end cowboys rob you so that's pretty interesting