Peoplemover (?) Views, April 1969
Nothing too exciting today, homies... just a few so-so photos that I believe were taken from a speeding Peoplemover (please correct me if I'm wrong).
Here we are, looking down on the charming Matterhorn chalet and queue. Look at that short line! I want to be there! Monorail tracks loop around the mountain, but it occurs to me that the photographer might have still been on a Monorail train - did the Peoplemover go that far into Fantasyland?
Sorry, folks, but you'll have to wait at least 7 minutes to get on the ride. Nobody said life was fair. I like the little spots of bright color from the Skyway vehicles (and even that Skyway tower), and some of the guest's clothing.
Here's a rather grungy view of the "It's a Small World" building, which is where the old boundary of the park used to be. With IASW, the large show building extended beyond the berm, much like the Haunted Mansion does. Today, the land to the west of the Small World building is occupied by Toontown, and, coming soon! "Galaxy's Edge" beyond that.
10 comments:
Major, you are correct, both of those shots were taken from the PeopleMover. The PeopleMover went near It's A Small World and the narration on board even referred to the "gold and white spires" of the attraction. Next it went over the loading area of the Fantasyland Autopia (and ran parallel to the Monorail beam that we can see in that first pic).
Nothing too exciting today?! These two photos are great! Especially the Matterhorn Chalet pic. There's so much to look at and I love the overview of the area. In addition, you can clearly see the shingles on the chalet roof and "brick work" on the castle walls. Dig that empty bullpen.
You've been posting Disneyland pics for 12 years now and there's still some fresh and unique views of vintage Disneyland that you share. Again, the first pic is pretty special. Thanks, Major.
I am going to get in my Wayback Machine and get off on this day. Two empty gondolas and a short line for the Bobsleds, sign me up! These are great shots and if you listen very closely you will here the Chalet speakers playing Age of Aquarius. Far out man. Thanks Major.
JC Shannon, yes, I hear the chalet speakers playing "Age of Aquarius" but they left out the second part from the Hair medley "Let the Sunshine In" as evident by the overcast skies. ;-)
Ho, Major, these are really splendid. Especially the Chalet picture which is remarkably sharp and clear.
I'm not sure today would be the day to ride the bobsleds, I think the empty queue is due to the Tomorrowland side being shut down, see the cars stacked up on the side track?
There doesn't appear to be much of a line on the Fantasyland side yet, so either it's early or both sides are closed. People are going through the turnstiles, so maybe there is hope for a ride on that track.
Several empty Skyway buckets make the "early morning" theory plausible.
The wistful guest in green is standing in the exit queue pining for the fjords.
After we ride the bobsleds, lets get in line again. IASW will be there when we get out.
Thanks for the pictures today!
JG
TokyoMagic!, thanks for the info… I really am surprised that the Peoplemover went as far as the Fantasyland Autopia! And now that you mention it, the “gold and white spires” line from the spiel rings a bell.
K. Martinez, I’m glad you liked these! I suspect that you are looking for details that would be lost to most people. I am not sure I’ve ever heard the queue for the Matterhorn referred to as a “bullpen” before, but it is apt! Thanks for the kind words.
Jonathan, it never ceases to amaze me when I see the park so relatively uncrowded in those days. One can have fun today, but no crowds increases the enjoyment by a huge amount. (Now I am imagining an version of “Age of Aquarius” played on an accordion).
K. Martinez, man, that song takes me back; I used to think it was cool that “Age of Aquarius” was like TWO songs. Sort of like Paul McCartney’s “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” (not sure how many songs that has in it).
JG, you might be right about the Tomorrowland side of the Matterhorn being shut down. I wonder if that is a common thing to shut one track down? I can see the yellow shirts of some Matterhorn CMs, I am pretty sure the ride is operating. But…. maybe not. With no shadows, it’s hard to tell how early it was. I can’t find the wistful guest in green!
MAJOR:
The PeopleMover went into Fantasyland for two reasons ....one: WED really wanted to show the versatility of the WEDWAY system and that it could be used effectively in both dense city centers and less congested urban areas . Two: there were so many beamwsy motors left over from the Magic Skyway where the WEDWAY made its debut.
It’s interesting that in early track layouts of the PeopleMover , a second Station was planned - located directly over the Fantasyland Autopia entry- this station was linear and did not feature the “carousel” loading , but did allow guests to board and disembark at another point - also showcasing how the WEDWAY could be used in the real world.
Even in the early plans for Walt Disney World’s Tomorrowland a second WEDWAY Station was included in the exact same spot : above a Autopia loading area - long before a Grand Prix Raceway was created. In fact WDW’s Grand Prix Raceway was a direct result of ( new) WEDWAY PEOPLEMOVER. Goodyear was planning on sponsoring the Florida PeopleMover as it did at Disneyland - it was originally supppse to open in 1972- however the development of the linesr induction propelled PeopleMover meant there would be no rubber tires in beamway or the PeopleMover cars ( only a form of nylon rollers) to offer another special sponsoship option to Goodyear , WED created a “Indy” style racing theme for the Autopia attraction and the Grand Prix Raceway cane to be. This made GoodYear very excited as this was also a theme much more directly related to the company - and it would need LOTS and LOTS of Goodyear rubber tires!!!
Mike Cozart, thanks as usual for more fascinating information! I could see how a linear station would work just as well as the carousel type… with a moving sidewalk similar to what is used for the Haunted Mansion. It didn’t seem necessary to have a second station in Disneyland, but maybe it would have made sense for the much-larger Magic Kingdom? Gosh, I wonder how many tires both Autopias went through in a year at Disneyland and Florida? An insane number, surely. Thanks again!
There's a Canadian restaurant chain called Swiss Chalet that used to have a few locations in the Buffalo area where I grew up. Their specialty is rotisserie chicken with barbecue sauce, and the picture of the Matterhorn chalet is giving me the most intense craving for Swiss Chalet sauce. I can practically taste it, even though I haven't had it for years.
@Major, the guest in green is in photo 1 right above the letter "l" in "blogspot". Their shirt is the same color as the tree.
It looks like they walked up the exit ramp to the deserted platform to admire the sleds.
JG
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