Sunday, May 26, 2019

Blurry But Nice

Sunday is Fun Day here at GDB! Not really, but I like sounding like a radio DJ. Stay tuned for "Twofer Tuesday" and "Throwback Thursday". 

Both of today's scans are heartbreakers to some degree; holding the slides up to the light, I thought that they would be extra nice. But they're both a little blurry. Not a total loss, though.

As you can see, the delightful C.K. Holliday locomotive is pulling into Main Street Station; in this case, the background is the blurry part, and that's kind of OK. To the extreme right you can see just a hint of one of the old "cattle car"-style rolling stock. I sure love the original, studio-built locomotives.


I always guess wrong, but I'm gonna speculate that this next image was snapped from  the Disneyland RR; there's a Stagecoach trundling by. The Stagecoaches only lasted through to 1958, when they were sent to wherever extinct attractions go. Heaven I hope.


11 comments:

Melissa said...

Most of my pictures of the opening ceremonies at the Magic kingdom's railway station are super blurry, because what's up the sun is usually too bright to actually aim the camera. It's less "point and shoot" and more "point and hope." Picture #1 is high-def by comparison.

Riding in a stagecoach would be mad fun, but I suppose the view wax better from the train or mule. I wonder if they ever let guests ride shotgun up front.

Love both of these. Disneyland was always about going places in fun ways.

Nanook said...

Major-
Isn't it ironic - usually it's the train image seen as a blur; but here instead it's the Main Street Station jonesing for a 'grand circle tour'.

And Major, I'm sorry to report you are wrong about the second image - it was actually taken from the Calico Railroad @ Knott's - with a really, really good lens-!

Thanks, Major.

Nanook said...

Major-

Also, according to my sources, the Rainbow Mountain Stage Coaches (along with the Conestoga Wagons) ran thru September 13, 1959.

TokyoMagic! said...

I'd would also guess that the second pic was taken from the DL R.R. However, Nanook could be correct, that it was actually taken from Knott's Calico R.R. I suppose it could have even been taken from the Magic Train at Santa's Village! ;-)

Is that a mine train car visible through the center of that rock arch? It appears to be kind of at a high elevation, but I know the post-1960 layout of the mine train also changed elevation in the desert area, so maybe the earlier version did, as well.

We know that Disney owns at least two of the old Stagecoach vehicles, one of them being a "mud wagon" version, seen in that second pic. Of course, there is always the chance that the buildings these vehicles were stored in, were recently demolished for the addition of Wookie World, and that the Stagecoaches were just thrown into a dumpster.

Chuck said...

TM!, sharp eye! That's definitely a car from the Calico Mine Train.

stu29573 said...

My birthday is apparently the same date as the death of the stagecoaches. However, since I was born three years AFTER they closed down, I can officially accept NO responsibility! So there!

Andrew said...

Personally, I think that the Holliday "in motion" is a really nice picture. If the train was blurred, it would be bad, but the blurry background adds a nice effect.

JC Shannon said...

Wow, two winners today. Out of focus or not, who doesn't love a stagecoach and a steam locomotive? The second pic looks like one of those ghost photos you see on the Discovery Channel. A phantom coach caught on camera on an old trail. Chilling. Great job on the Mine Train sighting, I totally missed it. Happy Sunday everyone! Thanks Major.

Major Pepperidge said...

Melissa, I’m not sure which opening ceremonies you are referring to. Did they do a rededication of the Train Station? I agree, the stagecoaches probably didn’t provide a very good view, unless you happen to ride on top, which just added to the uneven weight distribution.

Nanook, I can only assume that the photographer panned along with the moving train to take that picture, which is pretty fancy. Man, that is an impressive view if taken from the Calico Mine Train!

Nanook, sigh, that 8 is right next to the 9. I always did have trouble typing that row of numbers without looking!

TokyoMagic!, one never knows what is possible with a magic train. I think you’re right, you can see the last car of a mine train through the arch. Good eye! I only knew about the mud wagon because of you - I’m glad that they have (or had?) two of the old stagecoaches in their possession.

Chuck, I concur.

stu29573, I was all ready to blame you, but I guess I have to find somebody else to point my finger at, now!

Penna. Andrew, yeah, if the whole thing was blurry, I wouldn’t have bothered to share it at all, even on a Sunday.

Jonathan, I think one of the appeals of the stagecoach from today’s perspective is that it is an artifact from the time when the western ruled movies and television, and every boy (and girl?) played “cowboys and indians”. Very 1950’s!

Chuck said...

Major, they have an opening ceremony at the MK's Main Street Station every day; it's their equivalent of Rope Drop. Guests are kept in the plaza between the entry turnstiles and the tunnels under the track until the train comes rolling in from stage left with Mickey and Minnie and the obligatory song and dance number are over. Then everybody stampedes for Big Thunder, Space Mountain, and Stitch's Great Escape.

Here's a link to the 2014 version of the show. I don't remember it being this elaborate the last time I saw it in 2007, but, admittedly, that was a sixth-grader's life ago. All that mattered was the kids really enjoyed it, and we still have a few pieces of Mickey-shaped confetti from the air cannons at the end (I learned my lesson after not saving a leaf from the Spirit of Pocahontas in 1995).

Anonymous said...

So, the second photo is really Knotts?

I'm having a hard time parsing these comments.

Anyway, it's a great photo, looks like a tilt-shift.

Thanks Major!

JG