Mine Train Snapshots, 1965
Delving into a folder of scanned photo prints, I decided to share three 1965 views from the Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland. The photos go no further than the load area (and Rainbow Ridge), but they're still fun.
Our photographer was seated at Casa de Fritos, where the outdoor dining area had wooden tables and chairs painted in bright colors, as well as some interesting (?) thatched "umbrellas" that were also painted in bright reds, yellows, blues, and oranges. It made for a festive look on a sunny day.
Nearby, a yellow Mine Train is just about to start a journey through Nature's Wonderland, full of geysers and tumbling rocks, and bears and bobcats and other critters. Notice the attraction poster to the left!
Presumably those ladies and their two buzz-cut boys (and a mostly-obscured, mouse-eared girl) were family. I often wonder what goes on in the mind of a three or four year-old at this time. "Something's happening, but I have no idea what!".
Boy voyage, you lucky people, what I wouldn't give to ride the Mine Train one more time!
28 comments:
Major-
"...what I wouldn't give to ride the Mine Train one more time!"
Ditto - I'd even do it while wearing a babushka, if necessary-! (And just what is that lad with a blue shirt standing on that makes him so tall-? It doesn't quite appear to be part of the fence; but maybe so. But no matter - where's the CM to 'throw the bum out'-??
Thanks, Major.
Photo 1: Oh look. Someone left a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup on the table. I'm guessing it's a cork, plugging up a hole where an umbrella would normally go (and stops my mind from wandering).
This photo has a very nice "you are there" feel. just sittin' at an outdoor restaurant table, watchin' Disneyland happen all around you. It makes me feel good.
Photo 2: A mouse-eared girl you say? Wow, how did that genetic mishap occur? Still, I suppose it would be better to have mouse ears than donkey ears like Pinocchio.
Photo 3: Not sure if our mouse-eared girl is laughing or crying. She seems to be laughing, but why is she holding her forehead like she just bumped it?
Thanks for letting us watch the Mine Train go by one more time, Major.
Nanook and Major, I also want to ride this again! I'd even do it while wearing an Anna or Elsa wig, if necessary!
JB, that genetic mutation with the mouse ears, had just stood up on her seat while going through the Rainbow Caverns, and bumped her head on a stalactite. That's why she's grabbing her head!
I am embarrassed to admit that I never once went on the Mine Train. So, unless it was a little building or rock that got transferred over to Big Thunder, I'm not sure I'd recognize it. We were all very excited when Big Thunder was announced, and the models in the Preview Center I looked at for hours. I'm not sure I'm as excited for a "new" Toon Town, or "new" anything for that matter. I deny that the Star Wars thing exists, so that doesn't even hit my radar. I do enjoy old photos of the mine train, and I regret never having experienced it is a teenager when I would have remembered it more. I suppose at that time it was "how many times can you ride the Matterhorn" in a day. On both sides. Little girl on train is having a meltdown I think...perhaps she wanted to go on the Matterhorn too. Multi color palm leaf unbrellas sound like something that would happen today, I don't remember Casa De Fritos having that color palette, but perhaps they were changed when we got to the 80's (?) You can see that the Employee has that costume with the turned up hat in front which I thought looked a little "hillbilly". There is a picture out there of Ron Dominquez wearing this costume as a very young guy. I think he was the lead on this ride for a while. One of my supervisors also worked on this ride forever under Ron. Both of them also had buzz cuts. I suppose everyone had a buzz cut. Everyone should have a buzz cut. I currently have a buzz cut. Now the words buzz cut look weird. Thanks for the photos Major!
JB, I think that thing on the table is an ashtray. We tend to forget just how ubiquitous those things were back then. You beat me to the genetic joke.
As for riding the mine train:
I would ride it in a boat!
And I would ride it with a goat…
And I would ride it in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
I would ride it in a box.
And I would ride it with a fox.
And I would ride it in a house.
And I would ride it with a mouse (or a mouse-eared girl).
And I would ride it here and there.
Say! I would ride it anywhere!
I do so like
That Rainbow Ridge!
Thank you,
Major Pepperidge!
I deny that the Star Wars thing exists....
Bu, you are my people! I refuse to even use the stupid name that they gave the area. That's why I just make up my own names for it.
Chuck, but would you ride it while eating green eggs and ham?
Bu, now that it's getting warmer in Texas, I NEED a buzz cut. It is weird how something repeated starts to sound strange. I don't have a buzz cut but I met Buzz Aldrin once, so I think that counts.
I rode Nature's Wonderland exactly once, but I loved it! I wasn't all that impressed with the thought of Big Thunder because my "home park," 6 Flags Over Texas had (and has) the original Arrow Mine Train coaster, so it wasn't new and exciting. 6 Flags was actually well themed back then, and The Runaway Mine Train gave Big Thunder a run for it's money. Now there's no contest and I'm glad we at still have one well themed coaster.
Back to the railroad, though. Out of the whole ride, I remember the theremin music in Rainbow Caverns the best. That little stretch of track through the "cave" was perfect in my mind. Even today, with all the wizz-bang special effects, I don't think you could outdo that tapestry of waterfalls and blacklight paint.
Thanks for the memories!
Theremin is another one of those words that looks and sounds weirder the more times you read and say it. At this point, I can't remember if it's a musical instrument or an allergy medication.
TM!, I would if they allowed food on the ride. I'll finish my helping at that table, dump out the ashtray, and get in line.
Our last trip to the park was 2 years before they built that area which shall not be named, so memories of the park are clean and unfettered. Nice mine train pics, nice ashtray, lots of color, wish I was there too. I'd even wear a tutu.
Chuck, it's a musical instrument and an allergy medication all in one.
We called them crew cuts back then.
Thanks Major!
DrGoat, it's like Shimmer (but with different properties).
Chuck, although if you COULD use it as a floor wax, you'd really have something! (Or even dessert topping...)
Leon Theremin nods approvingly. It’s a musical instrument, an allergy cure, and a bankrupt Russian inventor all in one.
I sort of remember the painted thatch, but that restaurant was a place we never visited, even though I had a crew cut too.
We finally stepped in 2008 with my nieces who refused the Creole Cafe as too adventurous.
Sign me up for one last Mine Train Ride. Rainbow Caverns would be the perfect end to my Disney visits.
Thanks Major.
JG
I wish I could go on the Mine Train once again too. I was so crushed when they removed it. I can still remember that attraction vividly from my memories. I always considered the Mine Train Ride on par with the Jungle Cruise and Submarine Voyage. One of the best. Thanks, Major.
Stu29573, I always felt that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad owed a lot to Six Flags Runaway Mine Train. Both utilized three lift hills through the coaster layout and Six Flags did it first.
Nanook, sure, I’d wear a babushka, but it would have to be manly, so it would be made of denim or something. It looks like that kid might be standing on a bench?
JB, Yum, I would eat that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Just like George Constanza eating that eclair that was sitting on top of the trash, looking perfect. Some girls have mouse ears, these days we just call them “hearing abled”. And that little girl coulda had a V8!
TokyoMagic!, I always forget which one is Anna and which one is Elsa. Which one is the snowman? Your comment makes me think of that mouse that had the human ear growing out of its back. What a wonderful world we live in!
Bu, I’m surprised that you never went on the Mine Train even once! I say that, and then realize that there were plenty of attractions that I didn’t see until I made a real decision to do them when I was an adult. But the Mine Train was extra special! I was excited for Big Thunder too, but that was before I realized how truly great Nature’s Wonderland was. The brightly-colored palm leaf umbrellas actually looked pretty nice along with the equally bright tables and chairs. It reminded me of Olvera Street, somehow. I know just the photo of Ron Dominguez you are talking about, and yes, he had a buzz cut.
Chuck, jeez, I didn’t even consider that the thing could be an ashtray. As Shakespeare said, “Yarg”. I enjoy your iambic pentameter (it probably isn’t actually iambic pentameter, but that’s all I can remember about verse from school).
TokyoMagic!, you say that now, but once you build your own light saber, you’ll be hooked! And wait until you hug a Wookie! All you will talk about is Star Wars and Jar Jar and Kylo Ren. I can’t wait!
Stu29573, did you really meet Buzz Aldrin?? That’s something to be proud of! I did ride Nature’s Wonderland a few times, but not as many times as I wish. It’s just like the old saying, you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone. Thanks Joanie Mitchell. I remember K. Martinez’s postcards from Six Flags Over Texas, it really did look like a great themed park. You can find the Rainbow Caverns music on YouTube; I remember hearing a poor-quality version of it many years ago, and it brought back a flood of memories!
Chuck, I like my cereals to have lots of iron, and vitamin B, and plenty of Theremin for growing kids. Sugar frosting doesn’t hurt either.
DrGoat, yes, I haven’t been back since “that place” was built. I hate to say it, but at least one of the attractions looks pretty neat, but I am still in no hurry to get over there to see it. They’ve ruined so much of what I loved about the park. If you love spending half your time on your phone to get fast passes or to see what lines are shortest, then you are going to have a great visit. Would you wear a tutu AND a babushka??
Chuck, it’s funny how that skit has endured in our memories for so darn long! Ditto “Fred Garvin: Male Prostitute”.
Stu29573, I put Shimmer in my hair, it has never been shinier or bouncier.
JG, I didn’t eat at that restaurant when it was a Fritos joint. I think I first went when it was Casa Mexicana. I guess I am a real creature of habit, because I do find myself eating at the same restaurants over and over, instead of trying new ones. I once met an Imagineer who, at the time, was supposedly building a miniature railroad in his backyard, and it was going to include a Rainbow Caverns. I don’t think he ever finished it though.
K. Martinez, it’s odd, I don’t think I’ve seen a single photo of the Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland being razed (though I have seen construction pix of Big Thunder). Oh wait, maybe I did see one with some rock formations in a state of partial ruin. Pretty sad. I agree with you, MTTNW was one of Disneyland’s best rides, whether people realized it or not. I think a lot of Disneyland attractions had their roots in other rides from other parks, and even a few train fairs and World’s Fairs.
@ Stu29573-
CLICK HERE, then scroll-down to Track 97 to re-live that Theremin moment, in all its black light dyes glory.
Major-
"I always forget which one is Anna and which one is Elsa". Oh, that's easy... Anna has the dark, 'chocolate chip' nose-!
A tutu, a babushka and a joke arrow through the head. I'd even wear pink Crocs.
Thanks, Nanook! I needed that on a crazy Monday!
Yes Major! I met a ton of former NASA personnel when my rocket club built a ton of Saturn IBs to serve as table centerpieces for the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 7 at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas. Apollo 7 is housed there and Walt Cunningham lives in the area. I met Aldrin, Armstrong, Bean, Kranz, and many more! It was truly a once in a lifetime experience!
I'm still irritated that we couldn't have had both Big Thunder AND the Mine Train. What a great combo that would have been, with the slow, quiet Mine Train interwoven with the fast, exciting runaway. They could have shared queues and load areas, etc. Much like the DLRR going through Splash Mountain.
Truly a lost opportunity.
JG
Well-rhymed, Chuck!
"I always forget which one is Anna and which one is Elsa". Oh, that's easy... Anna has the dark, 'chocolate chip' nose-!
And ELSa is everybody ELSE.
I'd even wear pink Crocs.
Would you wear them on the docks? Would you wear them 'round the clock?
I think that boy is standing on the lower rail of the fence. He's making me nervous.
A tutu, a babushka and a joke arrow through the head. I'd even wear pink Crocs.
DrGoat, I’d pay good money to see this.
Oh my beloved Mine Train. How much it is missed and how much I could pilot you all around behind me. KS
Thanks, Melissa, but as TM! avers, I have to give most of the credit to Ted Geisel. I can only take responsibility for a couple of rhymes in the last stanza.
And I now see I missed an obvious inside reference: "...I would ride it with DrGoat."
Nanook, oh yeah, that’s the stuff.
DrGoat, now you’ve gone too far!
Stu29573, that’s pretty amazing! So many of those Apollo heroes have passed, there was a time when it felt like they would live forever. I am unfamiliar with the Frontiers of Flight Museum, but I’ll bet it’s a doozie.
JG, I know what you mean, but don’t you think that having a roller coaster screaming through Nature’s Wonderland would kind of ruin the effect? Maybe I’m wrong, and that having some Nature’s Wonderland is better than having none at all.
Melissa, I have seen kids take some pretty nasty falls at Disneyland, including my 8 year old nephew. He was standing on a chain between two stanchions, and of course he fell off. I can still hear the sound of his head hitting the ground. Oof.
Lou and Sue, DrGoat needs a TikTok!
KS, you are so lucky to have had those experiences that most of us never enjoyed!
Chuck, I will try to not be upset that you wouldn’t ride it with me. But then again, what rhymes with “Pepperidge”??
Melissa Etheridge
Chuck, looks like you're right about the ashtray. Like you said, they're so rare now that it never occurred to me. I still prefer to think of it as a peanut butter cup though.
Thanks for giving us our daily required dose of Seuss.
I know that "buzz" is onomatopoetic, like "meow" and "quack"; it sounds like what it is. But is there a grammatical term for a word that visually looks like what it is? Buzz seems to be one of those words. I think it's the "z"s. The more "z"s, the buzzier it looks: buzzzzz. See?
Stu, I rode the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train only once, in 1975 (or '76?), less than a year before it closed, I think. It was on a warm August evening just as darkness was falling. In the Cavern, my glasses got all steamed up so I couldn't see much. I tried taking them off but then everything was all blurry. Out in the Desert (it was thoroughly dark now), the pilot would shine a spotlight on things of interest as he did his spiel. I enjoyed the train trip even though I couldn't see much.
I also rode the 6 Flags Mine Train roller coaster twice (in '66). If it's the same one I'm thinking of, the thing I remember most is the slow section where the train goes by a ghost town saloon. One of the skeletal cowboys was guzzling a bottle of whiskey, the contents of which, could be seen pouring through his ribcage.
Chuck, if a Theremin isn't played proficiently you'll need the allergy medication.
Major, thanks to Chuck, it looks like you'll be eating an ashtray instead.
Well, this would be a ride made in heaven if we could all ride with KS driving.
Would you ride through the desert?
I could so, would so, on a train. I will so, will so, with a (Dr.)goat. I will so ride them in the rain...
I'm leaving poetry to Melissa, but you get the idea.
JG
Of course I’ll ride with you, Major. In fact, I’ll ride with anyone who wants to. But I can only ride with one of you at a time. That’s so I can spend quality time with each and every one of you; it has nothing to do with wanting to ride as many times as I can. The line forms right over here, by that table with the ashtray. Please have your “E” coupons ready (one for you and one for me; I may love you all but I’m not made of money).
JB, that’s nothing to sneeze at.
Post a Comment