Friday, December 07, 2012

More Instamatic Pix

I think this first photo was snapped from the Skyway, shortly after the bucket left the Tomorrowland station, on its way toward the Matterhorn. The bright-yellow Monorail must have caught the photographer's eye, or maybe it was the evidence of some sort of construction going on down there. Check out that very tall ladder that almost looks like it is magically standing without anything to lean against. Witchcraft!


Taking a closer look at the Autopia track, we can see that piles of dirt have been unceremoniously dumped for some reason. I wish I had a specific date on these photos, it would be helpful in trying to figure out what was going on down there.


Here's a very nice shot of the Opera House (taken from the Omnibus?), bathed in golden sunlight. 


And I love this shot of Main Street Station, mostly because of the people in the picture; especially the group in the foreground, with the two little girls in their pink dresses.


11 comments:

Daveland said...

That Monorail shot is a gem!

Nanook said...

Major-

There was a re-design of the Tomorrowland Autopia in 1964. But if all the shots were taken on the same day, that would contradict my thought, as Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln would have yet to open. Hmmmm.

K. Martinez said...

I'd guess that since this is a Mark II Monorail Gold and there is no PeopleMover yet, it would be the year 1965. This was when the new center guide rail was being installed on the Autopia.

K. Martinez said...

Either that, or it's the beginning of the PeopleMover constuction.

Rich T. said...

At the train station, Veruca Salt's stomping around on the stairs; she wants the park!

Anonymous said...

The enlarged second photo looks like a model train layout...kind of a cool effect!

Bill in Denver

Major Pepperidge said...

Davelandweb, well, it is different anyway, which at this point makes it a gem!

Nanook, these Instamatic pix are from a number of years... they were all mixed up in several envelopes.

K. Martinez, it sure looks like there is a center rail there already, beneath the piles of dirt. I think that the Peoplemover guess is a good one!

Rich T, I liked her better when she was blue.

Bill, I guess it accidentally achieved a kind of "tilt shift" effect, which I see now that you pointed it out.

Nancy said...

Monorail Yellow....it doesn't get any better than this!

Dean Finder said...

That ladder was part of the short-lived Werner Ladder "Ladder of the Future" exhibit (the first "climb-up" walk-thru) built as part of the testing for the new Tomorrowland.
Too many people fell from it, and it was replaced by the Crane "Bathroom of the Future."

Anonymous said...

My first guess on seeing that photo was that the "ladder" is part of a drill rig.

I wish we could get a cleared shot on the base of it, but there is definitely something (machinery?) around the base.

Wouldn't be autopia cars, since the track is blocked with soil.

So, based on the 1965 date estimate, I'm going with construction of the people mover track. The track beam is supported, like the monorail, on concrete piers, which must have used deep drilled foundations (not the flat, spread out kind) in this constrained location between all the existing construction, that would be the only way to do it.

So if this is not the drill rig, then it might be the pumping rig used to place the concrete in the hole.

If you recall, we saw one of these from the reverse angle in another shot several weeks ago from over the top of the construction wall.

Just a guess.

JG

Major Pepperidge said...

Nancy, just wait, there ARE even better things from this set of Instamatic pix!

Dean, yes, now that you say that, I am sure I read that somewhere! ;-)

JG, you could very well be right. Unfortunately these Instamatics are not clear enough to zoom in much further, but that might be a concrete pumping thing or an auger. It looks awfully spindly in the photo, but I have no idea. I do recall that other view that you mentioned, which was from 1966.