Mine Train, December 12, 1969
Hey hey! No, we're not the Monkees, it's JBs birthday. Now he is officially old enough to operate a forklift under the sea. I'm very proud. Sue B. has found some fun vintage birthday pix to share on this important occasion.
Let's start with this teenager's party pic; there might be 16 candles on that mysterious green cake (obviously a delicious spinach cake). The girl in dark blue is very fond of the lad, is she a nice sister? Cigarettes, matches, and an ashtray are on the table, there's plenty for everyone. The girl in the Colts sweatshirt can't fool me, she's an elf visiting from Lothlórien.
Next... well, this is an odd one. the people in the window are smiling at us as if we are on exhibit in a zoo. One of the women handed me a book titled "To Serve Man", I can't wait to read it. Why is there a box of "Scotkins" in the bird bath? And who is Scotkins?
There are certain Disneyland subjects that I never get tired of. The Autopia! The Tomorrowland Spaceman! Trashcans! Holiday Hill! Etcetera. The old Mine Train (Through Nature's Wonderland) is another. And so, my homies, I am happy to present you with this first scan, circa 1969. There's the load area for the Pack Mules, and beyond that, a Mine Train passing the little town of Rainbow Ridge as it begins its journey through the wilderness.
This is an unusual angle, and I was pretty puzzled as to where the photographer was standing, but, to nobody's surprise, they were aboard the Mark Twain (well, OK, it could have been the Columbia), returning to the dock; this scene would have been visible off to the east. I'm kind of surprised that I don't have any other similar views in all of my thousands of slides.
Let's zoom in a little bit, just because. Seeing pictures like this make me miss the old Mine Train more than ever. Hey look, a trashcan in the lower left corner! For mule... stuff?
Next is this nice "you are there" photo taken from a Mine Train car as the train returned to the load area.
17 comments:
Happy Birthday JB-! I certainly hope you're fond of 'green' cakes-! I see the table is decked-out with both Winston and Carlton cigarettes - choices for both high tar and low tar smokers. The second image is very Stepford Wives meets The Twilight Zone.
Major - that box of Scotkins is full of 2-ply dinner napkins - from the Scott Paper Company, naturally-!
Both photos of the Mine Train are swell, but the 'you are there' image digs deep into the memory banks-! Sigh.
Thanks, Major.
I did not know that Lothlórien elves wore glasses. Learn something new every day here on GDB! I do like her cute pointy elven ears. Major, it's my cake (Sue baked it for me) and It's broccoli, not spinach. (We can see the broccoli florets poking through the frosting around the bottom.) The filling between the layers is sauerkraut. Actually, looking more closely, it's an angel food cake, so there's only one layer, no sauerkraut. No idea what flavor the green frosting is: Mint? Lime? Pistachio? Snot?
I'm guessing "Scotkins" are paper napkins made by the company that makes "Scotties" tissues. (I see Nanook already sorted this out.) And yes, this IS an odd one. Why aren't those people outside with the photographer? Or why isn't he inside with them? Judging by the lack of a point of interest here (the people are partly out of frame), maybe this was an 'oops' photo?
Like the photo we saw the other day, this photo looks like part of a model train layout. OoOoOh! The Matterhorn is peeking around the trees, wearing its star on its head! And there is a Frontierland drinking fountain on the right.
Major, I bet you're right about that trashcan being for 'mule stuff'. Oh, in this close-up, I can see the top tower of the Castle next to the Matterhorn.
Are we the only one in that Mine Train car? I guess this IS the off season time for the Park, two weeks before Christmas. Light crowds are to be expected.
Thank you, Sue for the birthday pics, and the broccoli cake (how did you know?!). Thanks, Major.
Is that green cake slanted for "artistic" purposes, or is it unintentionally lopsided?
The great thing about Scotkins is, they were strong even when wet!
The shot with the people in the window almost seems like they are on display, and not us! It makes me think of the "Twilight Zone" episode where a man (an astronaut?) finds himself in a very nice house, but when he opens the curtains it reveals that he is a human specimen on display in an alien zoo....or something like that. Believe it or not, I've only seen that one once, and I saw it for the very first time about 5 years ago. I thought I had seen all of them, but was surprised to see one that was "new" to me.
Wow! No line for the Pack Mules! No wonder they closed! ;-)
I am now going to wait for a GDB post titled "Mule Stuff From The Box!"
Happy Birthday, JB! And thank you, Sue and Major P.!
H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y JB!!
Yuck: the center of the birthday table has a used ashtray inches from an open butter dish …. And it looks like there’s ash in the butter!! Or maybe it’s pepper !
Look at the authentic “OLD WEST MINING “ reflective safety disc on the end of the mine car!! I’ve never noticed those before . You think a small cold blast lantern or a period oil industrial lamp would have been used …
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JB!!! From one "13th" to another! (Different month, but still counts!) As you know, we are the only people who get GOOD luck on the 13th. It comes from everyone else's luck turning lousy. I keep mine in a shoebox next to my Scotkins!
The Mine Train was a fantastic ride and Rainbow Caverns should have stayed forever. Actually, I've heard that it's still there, if you can only find the right door...or wardrobe, if you're in a Narnia kind of mood.
Happy birthday JB! Cake away all day.
Sue’s second photo is hilarious as everyone stepped INSIDE for a smoke. It gives Covid era vibes.
MS
Happy birthday JB!
Thanks for the pics Sue!
"Strong even when wet." Hey, just like me!
Happy birthday JB! Irrelevant factoid- I have a son who was born on the 13th and his 13th BD was on a Friday. Now, back to your birthday celebration.
Thanks, Major
Zach
Nanook, I am sure that JB is a fan of Shamrock Shakes, and those are green. What’s not to like? Carlton cigarettes, a brand I’d nearly forgotten about. I actually knew what Scotkins were (are)!
JB, glasses are her disguise, it worked for Clark Kent. Hey, I like broccoli, so I have no problem with a broccoli cake. A little brown butter and lemon juice, oo-la-la! It really does look like a store-bought angel food cake, which is pretty lame. Buy a nice Duncan Hines cake mix, mom, they’re not that hard. Re: “Scotkins” - see my comment to Nanook. I have no explanation for the second photo, but the more you look at it the weirder it gets. Yep, the Matterhorn has its star… I’ve been saving Christmasy photos in a special folder for December, and have so many! But this one was so subtle that it didn’t make the cut for the folder. My guess is that there were others in the mine car, but they were just out of frame.
TokyoMagic!, in this case I think the whole first photo is slanted a bit to the left, the cake is actually pretty level! Knowing that Scotkins were strong when wet will keep me happy for the whole day. I dunno, it sure feels like the people in the window are the viewers, and we are the “viewees”, to me anyway! “Let us introduce what they call a ‘female’ for mating purposes”. Woo-woo! I wonder if that particular Twilight Zone is one of the hour-long episodes? Those tend to not show up on TV as much. I guess the Pack Mules had the day off, I hope they were getting some well-deserved rest. I wish I had some Mule Stuff to share, but it’s mine, all mine!
Mike Cozart, ha ha, now that you pointed it out, I do see that mysterious black speck on the butter. I picture mom gesturing with a cig in hand, and a two inch length of ash waiting to drop. I wonder if that reflector on the back of the mine car was there to satisfy some sort of safety code?
Stu29573, oh funny, I didn’t even notice that it is Friday the 13th! As you know, I write blog posts months in advance, and just wrote one for a future Friday the 13th. Not sure when that is. It would have been awesome if the Big Thunder ride ended in a Rainbow Caverns, but I’m sure the argument was that it was going to fast.
MS, if you smoke inside, none of that tobacco goodness goes to waste!
Steve DeGaetano, maybe you are secretly the king of Atlantis??
zach, did you celebrate your son’s 13th birthday with a “Friday the 13th” themed party? Hockey masks for everybody!
Happy Birthday JB, many happy returns of the Day!
That cake is made of Benedictine, which is a cream cheese and cucumber salad popular in Kentucky, not to be confused with the brandy-based herbal liqueur from France. It’s a must on Derby Day, with ham salad and biscuits. The exact pale green!
I’m going to butter my cigarette before lighting it. Steve McQueen used to do it that way at the counter in Musso and Frank’s.
Photo 2 is just plain weird, why are the napkins in the bird bath? Undergoing quality testing? Note the slogan on the wrapper “Strong Even When Wet!” A bold statement to be sure. The Children of the Corn grew up and went indoors to observe the testing.
It’s a quiet afternoon in Frontierland, no crowds, and no mules visible either. They are attending sensitivity training. Plenty of wood grain trash cans too. And that one bin full of road apples.
The last picture is so perfect it is almost painful to see.
Thanks Major! Nostalgia is when you’re happy you’re sad.
JG
The TWILIGHT ZONE episode TokyoMagic is referring to stars Roddy McDowel as the sole survivor of an American space landing on MARS …. To his surprise the Martians who rescue him look just like humans and they have in recovering in a very American looking house with all the comforts of home .. he even finds the daughter of the Martian dignitary to be attractive and she seems to be interested in him. While he enjoys his living quarters awaiting his tour to see the Martian city and meet the Martian people he discovers the house has no opening windows or doors and has he panics he tears down some drapes revealing that he is in a cage and all the Martian’s have come to their zoo to see a actual “HUMAN BEING IN ITS NATURAL HABITAT “ !!!!
It's great to see these vintage human beings in their natural habitat! Nothing goes better with a stick of butter than a dirty ashtray and a "oops" green cake. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JB! The view of people in the window is yet another Stephen King novel waiting to be explored. I'm interested in Scottkins...and why they are a "kin"...can't they be just Scott Tissues? Or perhaps these were the "newfangled" Scott Paper Towels when paper towels were referred to as "kins". Why do we say "babykins"....is that like a baby and a napkin combined? Do they also display babykins on birdbaths? Lots of great questions, and the Mine Train photos are wonderful. Looks like the mules got the day off. I miss this "olde Disneylande", and coincidentally, just read a blurb in an old Disneyland Line talking about "the last day of the mine train", and get ready for the "rootin' tootin' Big Thunder Mountain". I like Big Thunder, but I also enjoy a serene trip through Natures Wonderland. It's OK to have both, and they COULD have figured that out...but they decided not to. I can see it along side the river where Cascade Falls were....with a re-jiggered Mine Train track...where both trains meander through each other. I got stuck on the top of Big Thunder...and it was nice to take a look around and see things...little bunnies and whatnot...interesting things you don't see when you fly by them. Big Thunder is also much easier on the back than Space Mountain or the unforgiving Matterhorn. So: I wouldn't call it Pre-Tre Tre...and technically, it IS a Walt Disney Production...Thanks for the rabbit hole, and Happy Birthday once again JB! I might make a giant Belisle's eclair to celebrate!
Happy Birthday, JB!
I love the pic of the people in the window.
Happy Birthday, JB.
That cake is menthol, like the cigarettes, for a smooth, mellow flavor.
That second picture is equal parts Twilight Zone, David Lync movie, and Covid lockdown.
The trashcan in the last pic brings up another question I've never considered - did somebody go around the Pack mule (and earlier stagecoach) pats and clean up the droppings? I'd guess they'd have to do it several times a day the number of trips, I don't think they could just do it overnight and keep it a pleasant experience for the riders.
Dean, re menthol cake: Take a bite, "and it's Springtime!"
Thanks to everyone for the birthday greetings. Having a birthday on the 13th means, every few years, I get a Friday the 13th birthday. It is what it is. I'm not superstitious so... meh.
Yes, JB, I did bake that cake especially for you. It's actually an avocado angel cake (no pits). Happy Birthday!! And that 2nd photo had you--"JB"--written all over it. You're very welcome.
I love the Disneyland images today. Especially with the MH wearing his festive Christmas star. And you can also see the castle peeking over the trees...see his little beady eyes and mouth -- he looks like he's smiling..
Now that it's Friday the 13th, I'm taking my two black cats (yes, I do have two black cats) and heading for an open ladder, then heading over to the birthday party. Save me a piece of cake, JB.
Fun day today, thank you, Major.
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