Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Calico Mine Train Exterior, mid-60's?

The Calico Mine Train is my favorite attraction at Knott's Berry Farm. There, I said it! Someday, when I run for President, this scandalous opinion will come back to haunt me, but I'll just have to live with it.

Today's photos are from two strangely faded and discolored slides that I have attempted to restore.

The show building for the Mine Train is pretty huge, and even though the rockwork is pretty funky, I love it. It almost looks as if it has painted "snow" on it here, doesn't it? I'm not sure I've ever noticed that before. Maybe it's just the result of my half-assed Photoshop meddling.


Over the years, scenes have been altered and effects have been removed (or did they just stop working?), but it is still a fantastic attraction that not only takes me through the wonders of underground lakes, glowing stalactites and stalagmites, and hearty miners working under dangerous conditions for precious gold - - it takes me back to my childhood.


10 comments:

  1. Hey, there's a railroad handcar (from Kalamazoo?) parked next to the water tower. I don't ever remember seeing that before!

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  2. I hope the falling boulders and cracking beams at the end are still working. I love the eeriness of that chain lift that seems to go on forever in the dark. I'd love to get a look at the track layout sometime.

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  3. That does it...I'm gonna have to go to Knott's! (But not today because I'm going to Disneyland!)

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  4. TokyoMagic, I am pretty sure we've seen that handcar in other photos, but now you've got me wondering....

    Rich T., I'd love to see the layout as well; I've never seen blueprints for Knott's (Disneyland blueprints pop up all the time).

    Connie, have a good time!

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  5. Major, I love this ride, which should be no surprise.

    I remember being so scared by the dynamite explosions at the end, the blue-white arc light flashes seemed so realistic to a six year old.

    Thanks for the memories.

    JG

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  6. I enjoy the Calico Mine Train. But I have to admit that I do not ride it on every visit. When I was younger, it was always a must do (along with the log ride).

    One of my favorite parts of the attraction is actually outside, particularly at night. As you go up the queue along the backside, there is a water fall and some show lighting. When I visit the attraction at night, I always just gaze at the area. I guess because the feeling is a mixture of looking at that same area back in the 80's, something that might be found at Disneyland, and the old waterfalls at the Disneyland Hotel all rolled into one emotion.

    For years, I have always wondered how the track layout went. On Nov 12, the O.C. Register did an article that included a track layout rendering http://bit.ly/azSmi3

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  7. JG, when I rode the Mine Train recently, I loved it; but it seemed to go by so fast!

    MintCrocodile, THANKS for the link to that O.C. Register article!

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  8. I just noticed that source of the train layout is "Chris Merritt"!

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  9. Indeed, MintCrocodile, thank you!

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  10. @ Major - I sent them copies of the blueprints, which Knott's doesn't have, for some strange reason...

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