Friday, August 03, 2018

Skyway & Matterhorn, 1959

(Note: Starting today, I will be heading out of town for the weekend. Keep checking in for new posts! I'll try to respond to comments when I can, but computer access will be minimal until Monday).

It's Friday; perhaps you haven't noticed, but I generally try to post something a little nicer than usual on Fridays. Aaaah, who am I kidding? You guys are probably too busy playing video games and twerking to care. What a world we live in!

Anyhoo, this first photo is a doozy, taken from a Skyway gondola as we zip from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland. Normally we'd be facing the direction that we are heading, but Dad (manning the camera) wanted to take a photo of Mom and her daughter in that butterscotch-colored gondola right behind us. Presumably Horst (the son) is in Dad's Skyway bucket.

Thanks to a thick and chunky layer of various oxides, ozone, and particulate matter, Tomorrowland and the adjacent scenery has a soft, dreamy appearance that is quite lovely. 


It's hard to believe that the Matterhorn was brand-new - it looks so massive and geological, as if it had always been there - a single Alp, formed by the mysterious actions of plate tectonics and glaciation.

I hope you'll agree that this is a swell picture, with details such as the Yacht Bar, the Astro Jets, that "General Dynamics" conning tower, and the Skyway gondolas, strung along the cables. I've noticed that the colors of the buckets changed over the years, starting with metallic bronze, copper, silver, pearly blue, red, and green. Butter-yellows and bright oranges were added later on. 


Have a nice weekend!

14 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

Super nice pics today, Major. I don't remember ever seeing that glass structure (second pic) underneath the Monorail beam before. Is it a ticket booth? It almost looks like one of the Busch Gardens "hanging" monorail cars that you posted a pic of a couple weeks ago. It also looks a little bit like a trolley car that is about to climb up that speedramp.

Scott Lane said...

I don't start twerking until 9 so I have plenty of time to check your blog, Maj.

stu29573 said...

Soon they were "lemon yellow, orange orange..." or maybe I'm thinking of Trix...

K. Martinez said...

The second pic is a glorious sight to behold. That sense of wonder doesn't exist from an image shot at this same angle at today's Disneyland. Thanks, Major.

Handsome said...

Of all the attractions to have come and gone, the Skyway is the one I miss most.

JC Shannon said...

So much to see in these scans. I reeeally miss the Skyway. You could ride it and get a view of Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, and check out the Bobsleds inside a mountain. I never visited Disneyland, as a kid, without riding it. The blue Monrail is at the station, the Astro Jets are rocketing and all is right with the world. Great stuff Major, have fun on your trip!

Major Pepperidge said...

TokyoMagic!, I have to admit, that structure is something of a mystery to me as well. If I had time, I’d go back through some similar photos to see if that thing is there in later years. It must be a ticket booth of some kind? Maybe for both the Monorail and the Subs? Just a guess of course.

Scott Lane, it is important to be responsible when twerking.

stu29573, yum, Trix cereal! And Cap’n Crunch with crunchberries. And Lucky Charms. And Frosted Flakes. I love cereal.

K. Martinez, it probably helps that this is 1959, when so much of what is in that picture is brand new! But I agree with you, that view is tops.

Handsome, the Skyway is definitely up there among my “most missed” attractions.

Melissa said...

I don't think I've ever seen the Matterhorn from quite that angle, with the General Dynamics Tower in front. Really cool shot!

K. Martinez said...

Major, the removal of the Skyway lessened the magic of the Matterhorn for me. It is not the same without the Skyway passing through the "mountain". So it's not just a matter of it being new. At least for me.

Nanook said...

@ TM!-

That glass structure IS some sort of ticket booth. Presume it was for more than The Monorail.

Anonymous said...

Quite a shame that I never got to ride the skyway when it was up at WDW. On the plus side, at least we'll be getting the new Skyliner next year. Can't wait to take a ride on that! :D

Anonymous said...

The Matterhorn is so new, it still has the price tag on it. A good clear shot of "mountain nostrils".

Look how shiny the skyway bucket paint is... all brand new stuff. A world on the move.

Thanks Major.

JG

Nanook said...

@ TM!, again-

If you look at the lower-right edge of the first image, you can spy a portion of the wraparound Monorail signage for that ticket booth. I’m too lazy - okay, I’m not at home - to pull out any guidebooks and other documentation which might fully-explain it’s use. Don’t know if it was [originally] built as the Monorail ticket booth at the Tomorrowland station, or if it was simply another ticket booth conveniently-located to serve both the Monorail and Submarine Voyage attractions, or what. All I know is, I need not stop there, as I have plenty of ‘E’ Tickets, thankfully-!

TokyoMagic! said...

Nanook, thanks! I figured it had to be a ticket booth, but it does seem larger than any of the other in-park ticket booths that I've seen. It also reminds me of the "smoking booths/rooms" that I've seen in Tokyo. They have them on the sidewalk, just outside the airport terminals. If you are going to smoke, you are expected to go inside and breath everyone else's cigarette smoke in addition to yours. We need those here in the U.S.!