Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Monorail & Subs, June 1968

Sure, I'll go to Tomorrowland circa 1968. Thanks for offering! Those were good times - you still had the Carousel of Progress, the Skyway, and Flight to the Moon. Oh and Adventure Thru Inner Space! Notice the ticket booth (designed by Rolly Crump I believe). The lady in green has a mostly-used ticket book in her right hand.


Here's a familiar view, with only a few submarines over to the right, and no Peoplemover vehicles at all. This is almost how the lagoon looked for nine years after the original closure of the Submarine Voyage and before the opening of the new "Finding Nemo" subs.


15 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

Hey lady, I don't mean to be rude, but you're getting that cool, psychedelic shopping bag all wrinkled up! Knock it off!

Sorry Major, I couldn't resist borrowing your opening line from yesterday's post. That is my favorite Disneyland bag design of all time!

Alonzo P Hawk said...

It's hard to fathom (pun intended)that the "new" subs are already on the chopping block!!! Without the eastside body of water the park will loose it's balance and will surely start to sink in the west from the sheer weight.

The COP building hasn't been put to good use for some time but these recent talks of yanking out the subs, autopia, peoplemover track (for good)to make way for new E and D ticket attractions make my tummy hurt.

Why does it always come down to the profit $$$ from the parks division to support the rest of the company! Save Nemo!!!

Thufer said...

Wait....the new Nemo ride is up for closure? Please tell me this is a rumor.

Major Pepperidge said...

TokyoMagic!, that is a pretty great design. I like the red/pink striped bag from yesterday an awful lot, but you're right, that wavy design might be the best of all.

Alonzo, even when the subs were closed for years, I was glad to have that lagoon. You are the second person in the last week who has mentioned something about the Nemo subs possibly being on the chopping block; not sure where that info originally came from though. Al Lutz? I don't love the Nemo ride, but I'd rather have it than a big empty space with nothing.

Thufer, I wish I knew. Time for some web research!

dfan07 said...

The Peoplemover must have been closed that day. There aren't any vehicles in either picture.

Tom said...

June 1968: my favorite month/year combo. Must have been an off day, as static as the place appears to be. Wish there were about thirty more pictures of the area in this series; I could use a good look at the old Carousel of Progress and the show buildings.

K. Martinez said...

I first heard about this rumor from the Al Lutz article. It hints that the Subs, Autopia and Innoventions are targeted for removal and park renewal according to the article.

I have no problem with this as long as they don't close things until they are actually ready with a replacement. I don’t want a repeat of America Sings, Mission to Mars, Submarine Voyage or People Mover with the buildings and structures sitting empty or unused for years on end.

As much as I loved the PeopleMover I do wish they would demolish the tracks once and for all. It looks bad just sitting there empty. If they want to bring it back in some form, then I’d rather they start it from scratch.

As far as the Subs/Autopia/Motor Boat section of the “Disneyland ‘59” complex, my fondness for this area lies in its past, not as it currently is. Personally I think it’s time for something entirely new in this area.

Orange Co Native said...

I heard the same rumor about the submarines. I can't see them getting rid of it. They spent $$$$ with all the refurbishment and Nemo only opened in 2007. It would also be difficult perhaps to put another ride in where the subs are because of the pylons for the monorail.

The Carousel of Progress building probably should be bulldozed with something new. Captain EO definitely needs to be gutted and changed from a theater to some kind of new E ride attraction.

Autopia. I don't know if they would replace that attraction. It is a pretty popular ride. I could see them moving the Autopia perhaps to Cal Adventures next to Cars Land. Of course, they would need a few acres and I don't think they have it over there in Cal Adventures.

Perhaps they should bulldoze Space Mountain and put in Liberty Street :-)

Orange Co Native said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

If they do get rid of Nemo, they could still keep the
lagoon & turn it in to Discovery Bay with a full scale
Nautilus (...the other Nemo). ...Just wishful thinking-
it will probably be another princess meet & greet with
more souvenir merchandise...

Melissa said...

That ticket booth is a gem! I always loved the huge white spiky bits in the pre-1990's WDW Tomorrowland, and they're just as impressive on a small scale. Great use of negative space.

Nancy said...

I have just two words.....EYE CANDY!!

Photo 1 is spectacular, with so many things that I love, starting esp with Monorail Blue AND the New Tomorrowland sky buckets!!! Then there is the gorgeous ticket booth and a quick peek at the edge of the Tomorrowland Terrace Stage on the left.

Then we move into the fashions...look at those lovely straw purses and I want that lime green dress!! Rachel wants to know what ride they are going on with those tickets....

doing the happy dance here... thanks, Major!!!!

Nancy said...

Okay, so that was more than two words.....

Major Pepperidge said...

dfan07, it sure seems like I have a lot of photos in which the Peoplemover appears to be "101".

Tom, here's a shot (from the same lot of slides) showing the Carousel of Progress building.

K. Martinez, it figures that the rumor comes from Al Lutz! I find it hard to believe that the Autopia would be in any danger. While I agree that the subs are not a great ride anymore (at least not a "must see" for me), they'd better have something frickin' awesome planned if they are going to rip out all of those rides! As for the Peoplemover, I do keep wishing that it would come back in some form; if the track comes down, we probably will never see anything.

Anonymous, that's not a bad idea, I would certainly love to have the 20K Nautilus-style subs. But… don't hold your breath.

Melissa, you sound suspiciously like somebody who knows what they are talking about!

Nancy, you know me, I always consider Tomorrowland to be eye candy. I wish that first pic had a bit more of a sunshiny feel, but oh well. And I am not a fashion person at all, but it is fun to see how people looked 30+ years ago.

Nancy said...

You're right, David....the only thing missing besides you and me IS the sunshine!!