More Big Thunder
"Hey, Mysterious Benefactor! Do ya gots more photos of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?". "Sure thing, Major Pepperidge!". Gosh, what a guy.
It's hard to believe that Big Thunder has been with us (at Disneyland) for around 47 years, opening on September 2, 1979. The much-missed Rainbow Caverns Mine Train/Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland was only there for 21 years.
After seeing so many vintage photos of Rainbow Ridge, certain buildings are like old wooden friends who never borrow money (the best kind of friend!). That pointy-roofed structure used to be the El Dorado Hotel, and the "adobe" structure mostly out of frame was "Miner's Hardware".
Nobody does crusty old wooden buildings like Disney. The crustier, the better. Just look at that filth! It makes me smile just thinking about it.
This next one went pretty dark, and my attempts to lighten it only got me so far. I guess I'd forgotten that Big Thunder was "the biggest little boom town in the West". I thought that was Oxnard! (Sorry, I couldn't resist).
I wonder if this lettering and decoration was all done by hand, in the finest pin-striping tradition? Or is it a mere decal?
The next two feature guests on board their soon-to-be-runaway mine train; the people have a 1980s vibe, at least to me. I hope the guy with the hat didn't lose his chapeau along the way, though he has nobody to blame but himself, since the spiel warned people to "hold on to their hats and glasses".
The thing that stood out to me the most in this picture is the building in the background, which (I suppose) is Casa Mexicana (formerly Casa de Fritos), I honestly don't ever remember seeing those pointed, thatched roofs before.
MANY THANKS to the Mysterious Benefactor for sharing these scans with us!
1 comment:
Nice to see Oxnard getting a callout. It's been, what, a couple of weeks? ;-)
I agree about the time these photos were taken. Late seventies to early eighties.
The second photo sure is crisp (even in milk!). The lighting and composition are very dramatic.
In the last image, I wonder what the two guests in the front seat are doing, fiddling with that sweater? And why did they wait until the coaster train was moving to do it? I think the two ladies on the right, in the last two seats might be sisters. I like the expression on the red-shirted kid. He's sort of a cross between Charlie Bucket and Little Orphan Annie.
Some dramatic pics the Mysterious benefactor sent us! Thanks, Major.
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