Mark I Monorail, March 1961
I have a pair of swell photos from Tomorrowland, with the plucky li'l red Mark I Monorail waiting at the station. Being 1961, it wouldn't be long before the Mark II Monorail would replace the Mark I trains, and the track would be extended all the way to the Disneyland Hotel and back. Overhead a few Skyway gondolas pass, while the tiny stage (which always makes me think of a conning tower for some reason) is Yachtsmen-less at the moment.
Those flower beds really help to make Tomorrow look like it's going to be a nice place to live.
19 comments:
Major-
That "tiny stage" - often referred to as the 'General Dynamics Stage', always seemed an 'odd duck' - but provided much-needed musical entertainment by "entertaining queue lines with live performers" - in this case often The Yachtsmen: "A natty vocal-instrumental quartet".
I wonder what that wheeled contrivance is that's sitting at the queue entrance at the Submarine Voyage. It kinda resembles a portable air compressor. (Maybe the Submarine Voyage was closed...)
Thanks, Major.
The good ol' Disneyland, Alweg, & Santa Fe Monorail. Why did it need three names? (Because $$$) I always assumed that this stage was meant to look like a conning tower, to tie in with the Subs. The little girl in daddy's arms on the left, in the light blue coat, is either crying or all tuckered out. Going by the shadows, it looks like it's still morning(?). So the little girl probably isn't tuckered out, but who knows.
In the second pic, the little girl in daddy's arms is awake now. I think she's counting trashcans, "One... two... three. Three trashcans!". There's a wheeled piece of machinery amongst the trashcans. I wonder what it is? Hey! The Skyway gondolas changed color! I didn't know they could do that!
I see that Nanook spotted the wheeled contrivance as well. And I agree, it looks like an air compressor.
Thanks for the stubby monorail pics, Major.
I’m glad they extended the Monorail track all the way to the Disneyland Hotel and back. Otherwise, the trains would have gone all the way to the hotel and then gotten stuck there.
The shade structure extending off the Monorail beamway looks remarkably like solar panels, I’m sure an unintentional nod to the future. I didn’t notice on my last visit, but I’ll bet there are a lot of solar panels at Disneyland today.
”Those flower beds really help to make Tomorrow look like it's going to be a nice place to live.” 1961 Tomorrowland accurately depicted one aspect of the California of the future - not enough affordable housing. I just looked at Zillow and couldn’t find a single listing for a home or apartment in Tomorrowland.
Note the bare-metal wear plates on the inboard side of the Skyway gondolas. I’m sure that saved a lot of wear and tear on the fiberglass gondola bodies and reduced the need for repainting.
Nanook & JB, I think you are right about the air compressor, although I guess it could be a generator as well. Or maybe the front end of a tractor, although what that would be doing at Disneyland or even why such a thing would exist, I have no idea.
Thanks, Major!
JB, not only did they change color, they also changed passengers. That’s quite a trick.
Chuck: the 1956-1965 round SKYWAY cabins were aluminum, but had two fiberglass seats. The 1965 four seaters SKYWAY cabins were fiberglass. Disney looked and tested some newer cabin samples by Von roll and another company whose name escapes me this morning …. A well known photograph that appears in the E TICKET Magazine shows sample of an enclosed test cabin by this company …. I bet there has to be photographs of these other cabin designs being tested at the park. After evaluating the vendor samples , WED decided to design and build their own NEW SKYWAY cabin debuting in 1965.
I can hear Ms. Garland singing...on the D-z, nee, land, Al-weg, and the Saanttaaaa Fayyyy......it kind of works, seems like they missed an opportunity to rekindle The Harvey Girls. The song WAS used in a "Salute to Main St, Disneyland" (?) for the Pan American games of 1987 which Disney produced the opening ceremonies. What an odd set of Six Degrees of Separation....that being said, Tomorrowland looks grand, even with the air compressor/generator thingy. Everything looks shiny and open. I always liked how they landscaped the area around the subs tropically: which gave it like a "Flipper" kind of feel...for me anyway. Flipper was awesome, we didn't have our own dolphins, but they would swim next to us sailing across the channel to Catalina. They love to play and interact with boats, flipping and leaping...what happy creatures they are. I am torn when I see them being used commercially, but hope that it gives some global education for marine life. (Flipper (Kathy) had a sad end to life: beware if you are Googling). I like seeing the fun stage and all things Disney-nautical. Another missed opportunity for the Tomorrowland of today: where all of the unexplored mysteries of the sea are still far in our future. Thanks Major!
Mark I monorail, with Cadillac taillights. I so loved that bit of detail.
My vote goes to air compressor, not sure why.
And three of the shiny silver trash cans like R2D2’s uncles. I’m sure they are exhorting us to “Waste Paper”!
Tomorrowland has always had the most exotic landscaping, and the shady planters of the sub pavilion seemed to always have the oddest plants.
Thanks Major!
Jg
Nanook, I don’t think I knew that the little stage was known as the “General Dynamics Stage”, so that’s a fun factoid to learn. I wonder if there were any other concepts for a small standalone stage in the pre-1967 Tomorrowland? I didn’t notice the air compressor (yes, that’s what it looks like), makes me think that the Sub Lagoon was being worked on.
JB, everybody needed credit on the Monorail (plus Santa Fe had a deal in which their name would appear on all trains in the park, which was pretty clever). With the sun lower in the west, I’d assume that this was later in the day, which would explain why that little girl was so tuckered out. I’m noticing the flag beneath the central green Skyway gondola, it appears to have “G.D.” on it, which would back up Nanook’s info about the General Dynamics Stage.
Chuck, I wonder if the Monorail station now has solar panels on top? It would sure make sense. As for living in Tomorrowland, I’ll just hunker down in the old Carousel of Progress building. Sure, I’ll be dizzy all the time, but what else is new? I wonder if those “bash plates” on the gondolas were added later, or if they were always there. I believe that Disneyland’s Skyway was one of the first of that sort of ride in the U.S. But I could be wrong. I can’t recall if this batch of slides has shots of the empty Sub lagoon, but I’m thinking the ride could have been down for its first serious maintenance since it debuted.
Mike Cozart, time to dig out my E-TICKET magazines, I need to see the test samples for alternate gondolas. If I recall, that would have been one of the last issues? They’re all at my mom’s house, maybe I can look tomorrow. WED did a great job designing their own version!
Bu, Jeez, who remembers the “Salute to Main Street, Disneyland” from the Pan American Games? Besides you I mean! There was a time when big events liked to hire Disney for their equivalent of a half-time show. Maybe they even did the Superbowl at some time or other? I don’t want to read sad things about the real Flipper, I’d rather imagine that “he” went on to be happily married and have lots of dolphettes. My dad used to like to take “the boys” deep sea fishing, and it was OK, but what I really enjoyed were the whales, dolphins, porpoises, and sharks that we would see. The ocean seemed to be teeming with life.
JG, I agree, the Cadillac taillights were a genius touch. So pointy! I wonder if R2D2’s design was at all inspired by similar trashcans? My knowledge of Star Wars lore is minimal, but somebody knows. I wonder if the odd plantings were meant to evoke alien worlds?
Major-
"I wonder if those “bash plates” on the gondolas were added later, or if they were always there".
Yes, they were always there.
Mike, thanks for that additional info on the gondolas. The only original one I ever saw in person was while zipping past on the Matterhorn, and I’m not even sure if that was a real artifact or a reproduction made especially for Harold’s lair. Still a bit miffed they wouldn’t let me off to take a closer look. Like the Major, I would also like to take a look at those test gondolas. I’d pull out my copy of that issue of The E-Ticket and look it up, only I don’t actually have a copy of that issue of The E-Ticket.
Major, I agree that it would make sense for them to put solar panels on top of the Monorail station (it would be somewhat ineffective to put them underneath it). As for living in the Carousel Theater…a thought just occurred to me - did the family in the Carousel of Progress have any beds in their homes?
The March 1961 date suggests that these may have indeed been taken while the lagoon was drained so they could look for Walt’s wallet. You posted some pictures from that in 2011.
For some reason, I spotted the twins' matching shoes before I spotted their matching everything else.
Nanook, duly noted!
Chuck, I kind of think the gondolas seen in Harold’s lair are props made for that purpose. I could be wrong though! I’m sure glad that I discovered the E-Ticket magazine pretty early on, I think I saw issue #8 at Golden Apple Comics on Melrose Blvd. I couldn’t believe that somebody had made a magazine that seemed aimed at me! I bought several different issues, went home, and immediately subscribed. I still value those so much. The Carousel of Progress never showed any bedrooms that I can recall. If they showed a bed, everyone in the audience would have to keep at least one foot on the floor. Thanks for the link to that other photo, great detective work!
Melissa, after reading your comment I expected the twins’ shoes to be bright red or something. But they are just little black shoes! Are those what they call “Mary Janes”?
Chuck, I think the color change of the gondolas was to distract us from noticing that the original passengers were 'beamed out' and the new ones beamed in. Has anyone seen my tinfoil hat? I've misplaced it. Or.... maybe it, too, was beamed out!! YES, THAT'SIT!!!1!!11!!!
Mike, the gondolas at the Seattle World's Fair were also enclosed. Were they made by Von Roll as well?
Bu, after you double-dog dared us to google Flipper... I did. Can't say you didn't warn us.
JG (or Jg) & Major, two more votes for air compressor. That settles it; it WAS an air compressor! (Whether it was or not.)
Major, the sun was in the west? I always get turned around when I'm looking at Disneyland photos. Sort of like your 'left/right' thing. ;-)
"it would make sense for them to put solar panels on top of the Monorail station (it would be somewhat ineffective to put them underneath it.)"
How fortunate we are to have Chuck here to point out the logicallitiness of things. :-D
Melissa, one of them has lavender pants and the other has blue pants.... and they call themselves twins?!
@ JB-
The Seattle World's Fair Union 76 Skyride is indeed a Type 101 Von Roll Skyride. I have never found info to indicate the enclosed gondolas were built by anyone other than Von Roll
Thanks, Nanook. :-)
Solar power is sooo old fashioned -outdated 21st Century …( remember all the land fills solar power created ?? The waste fields of dead solar Cel arrays …. And those heavy clunky contraptions bolted to building roofs ….. it was as bad as all the deserts the giant windmills created. ….. or worse : all the camdium nickel from electric battery waste that killed off all the remaining sea mammals. . No ; TOMORROWLAND is powered by endless / clean micro-sub-particle fission.
Yeah all the test SKYWAY cabins were existing manufacturers designs and really didn’t meet Disneyland design standards of the mid 1960’s so I’m not surprised Disney made their own. In the late 60’s a SKYWAY design flaw was fixed mainly before fabrication of WDW’s SKYWAY cabins. The flaw was if the door was allowed to swing all the way open , the chrome door handle could -over time crack the body’s fiberglass. Studies showed that loading the DL skyway could be sped up if guests didn’t have to duck and lower to board the cabins . So WDW’s SKYWAY cabins featured a higher rooftop allowing for faster loading and unloaded of guests.
Fascinating stuff, Mike. I can't help but think that, once again, Disneyland is being treated like the red-headed stepchild. I have nothing against WDW, but the suits in charge always seem to favor the Orlando park.
JB, I understand the need to enclose sky ride gondolas (people spitting and dropping stuff), but man, it really would take away from feeling the breeze as we glided above it all! I’ve read multiple theories as to why the Skyway was removed, and I’m still not really sure what the real reason was - did it really have to do with structural issues? Was it due to the ride not being ADA compliant? Was it because too many people tried to figure out ways to sue Disney (“falling” out of a gondola, for instance)? My “left-right” thing is real, so I will never mock anyone for a similar affliction.
Nanook, those enclosed gondolas might have worked for cloudy, rainy Seattle, but I’m imagining a 90-degree day in Anaheim. That ride would have been a place to send Cool Hand Luke!
JB, um, er, what do I say?
Mike Cozart, alternative energy sources will hopefully improve over time, there is no question that some past options were fraught with problems. I admit that I have no idea what “clean micro-sub-particle fission” is, but… fission, not fusion? I thought fusion was the dream!
Mike Cozart, do you know if Bob Gurr was involved in the rectangular gondola design? Those things really were great. Relatively roomy, pleasing to look at, just a big improvement in every way. If the chrome door handles hit the fiberglass, couldn’t they have just put in some sort of bumper, like you might find on a wall where a doorknob might strike? Maybe that’s too lame. I did not know that the cabins in WDW were any different from the ones in Disneyland, that’s interesting.
JB, in the case of the Skyway, Disneyland’s rectangular gondolas came along years before the Magic Kingdom version. It’s only natural that they would see any problems and improve upon them! However, I remember when I was a kid, it did seem to me that WDW was getting all the good stuff.
Well I was being facetious about solar power … but I was getting at as don’t think off the future having to add clunky -ugly color cels to the roof of the monorail station …. It’s TOMORROWLAND!!! How about solar cells in the paint of the buildings …. Or as sculptural elements … or micro solar cells in the ferro - cement compounds of the structure itself! Lol.
So many of the skyway cabins people often assume are Von Roll … and some are …. But the majority are not. While Von roll designed and built many sky ride systems they usually didn’t manufacture the cabins themselves…the two big skyway cabins builders were STI ( sky-trans industries, Inc) and BRECO ( a British sky ride company …. Later distributed by SKY-TRANS …. )
SKY TRANS build the bumble bee monorail at Santa’s Village Skyforest and the monorail at the New York worlds fair despite it being sponsored by another company that gave the impression THEY built it.
That famous backstage shot of Tomorrowland with the “prototype” enclosed cabin is often misidentified as a Von Roll but it’s a BRECO cabin . There were options to have the plexi windows or left out for an open feel.
Yes, Bob Gurr designed the 1965 Disneyland skywsy cabins … ironically VON ROLL kinda copied the “look” for sone of their later skyride cabins …. The San Diego Zoo SKYFARI is a good example of the Von Roll “Disneyland style” but it’s not as sophisticated at the WED version.
Sky-Trans Industries was based in Norwalk Californian which might explain why Californian once had so many SKYRIDE type systems ….
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