More from Steve Stuart!
Today I am happy to present two more scans from the personal collection of Steve Stuart (who you know by the nom de plume "Nanook")! I think they are both very nice, although that first one is a doozy.
Here's Steve:
It’s kinda hard to top a great image showing the engine of the Mine Train thru Nature’s Wonderland, unless you happen to be riding in it-! Flanking me are childhood friends (also brother and sister) Judy and Gary – again with the captain’s hat-! (With apologies to Steve DeGaetano). Add this image to the number of others on the internet, confirming the fact guests’ could indeed ride ‘up-front’ while beholding all the sights Nature’s Wonderland had to offer – just not easily those to be found over one’s head.
Here, my mom appears to be standing adjacent to the pond surrounding the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship. You can spy part of a sign and a wooden walkway near her right arm. She seems to be sporting her own hat, and not one obtainable at The Park. Popping-up in the background is the roof of the “Fan Two” eatery, adjacent to the Matterhorn and the Skyway.
Why isn't there a photo of a young Major Pepperidge sitting in the cab of a Mine Train? WHY?? But I'm not jealous.
Thanks to Steve for sharing these great photos! The next installment might be a slight deviation from what we've already seen. Stay tuned....
12 comments:
Nanook, Your photo images are just getting more awesome by the day or week or whatever frequency it is. Who ever the photographer is in your family they sure know how to great pictures.
I was envious that you saw pre-Matterhorn Disneyland and now I see you got to ride 'up-front' in the loco. You have experienced some pretty unique stuff at Disneyland. Again thanks for sharing your family photos. They are 'Five-Star' all the way.
Judy appears to be ringing the bell or blowing the whistle. I guess it looks more like that cord leads to the bell out front. These are great, Nanook! Keep 'em coming (please!)....and thank you!
Nanook, you have had some amazing experiences and the photographic evidence to back it up. Ken is right - these just keep getting better. Looking forward to a picture of you riding on Walt's shoulders or helping Cordelia Knott in the kitchen.
Thanks again for sharing!
No apologies necessary, Steve! I'm just happy to see a great shot of the locomotive cab. My goodness, look at the pin striping--and all done by hand! Look at that bit of Victorian flourish just visible under the cab roof. The quality evident just says so much about what Disneyland once was...
And yes, Judy is ringing the bell--you can see that the bell is angled back as she tugs on the cord.
Jeez, Nanook, the Disney Corporation could have saved a bundle on Advertising just by buying your family pictures and showing them to everybody! They all look like illustrations from the instructional manual How to Be a Happy Family at Disneyland.
Hee hee. Great stuff, Steve.
Yep, a small family...no more than 4 and that was a squeeze...could ride in the cab. The surprising thing to me is that very few asked to do so. So on occasion, I'd invite a family to ride 'up front'. The 'freshness' of these shots is stunning. KS
These are wonderful, thank you Steve and Major.
Like my own memories.
JG
Ken-
I suspect it was my dad who was wearing the hat of the photographer for most of the images seen in my "collection". And he was awfully good at capturing 'people', as opposed to the surroundings. So it's especially nice he managed to grab a bit of both the engine and Rainbow Ridge in that first image. Clearly, my mom was the intended object of the second image, and parts of Fantasyland just happened to be standing-in for the background.
TM!-
I see Steve DeGaetano answered your question about the bell. While I can’t guarantee all the upcoming images will be as swell as this one, there are more to come from “The Happiest Place On Earth”. And you are most-certainly welcome.
Chuck-
Wouldn’t it be great to see me on Walt’s shoulders-? (We might wish to check with his shoulders first, however). ‘Fraid not, though. It’s definitely safe to say I HAVE had some great (dare I say amazing-?) experiences at Disneyland – although (thankfully) not the only one to be able to make such a statement. Gotta share the wonder with as many folks as possible. Too bad there wasn’t more photographic documentation to keep those memories alive-! But more sadly, also in spite of many visits to Knott’s, I never found a single image in our slides. Harrumph-!
Steve DeGaetano-
Thanks for the info about the bell. As many times as it has been [and still continues to be - more or less -on display], the level of detail to be found at the Disney parks is still astounding. One can only imagine the level of amazement first-time guests felt when initially laying their eyes upon the wonders Walt and his Imagineers had unhatched. It still boggles the mind.
Melissa-
Actually I think the manual you refer to merely suggests always having on-hand some sort of ‘spirited libation’ for the wee folk, if you catch my drift… Happiness is virtually guaranteed.
Patrick-
Thanks; but I still think your ‘clan’ has the upper hand when it comes to fabulousness.
KS-
It seems so unreal [back then] folks wouldn’t feel some sort of “entitlement” to ride inside the cab, and would be asking, and then some, for that exalted trip Thru Nature’s Wonderland. That attraction was so magnificent, it’s still hard to believe how long it’s been gone from the landscape.
Anonymous-
You’re welcome.
Dear Nanook (Steve), These photos are amazing! Everyone has said it already! But may I ask a favor? Is it possible to zoom in down the tunnel into Beaver Valley to see, what appears to be, those first AA figures are visible by the tracks edge? Just thought that was in interesting detail.
Always your pal,
Amazon Belle
@ Amazon Belle-
It would appear the object just beyond the curve in the track in the distance is a trestle supporting additional tracks farther up in the ride. I don't believe there are any AA figures just beyond the track. It would appear to be a rock or two - or do you know something else-??
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