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!
12 comments:
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.
The THUNDER RIDGE town buildings are shown without there painted and lettered facades . MAJOR: the El Dorado Hotel was one of the few buildings that kept the same name in both RAINBOW RIDGE and THUNDER RIDGE.
That image of the Big Thunder Mining station with the mountain in the background was used in lots of publications including the Sears 1979 Christmas Wishbook that featured a Disneyland 25th sweepstakes vacation prize. The Big Thunder Graphics ( boiler lettering , cab nsme plate and the headlamps ) are hand painted but the sign painters use a transfer method where a blueprint drawing of the graphics are perforated with an electric tool … then a chalk like powder in a “pounce pouch “ is repeatedly hit against the holes … when the paper pattern is removed , a outline guide in white tiny dots is left for the painter to follow by hand. For smaller detail like on the locomotive headlamps a special transfer paper is used …it has a colored lead like coating that comes in different colors as needed … the sign painter traces the design of the pattern and the design is transferred To the base ( like carbon paper ) then it’s hand painted. Today the boilers are still hand painted , the nameplates ( U. B BOLD, I.M BRAVE Etc. ) are screenprinted and sadly the headlamps are now down with a digital printout /decal … even digitally pre weathered . The graphics for the Big Thunder Trains were designed by graphic imagineers Ken Kerr, Bruce McCurdy and Tom Yorke. Tom also designed the boiler plates seen in the loading depot and on the locomotive smoke boxes . The depot plates are actually cast in brass but the ones on the locomotives are done in fiberglass ( to keep the weight down) but finished to look like aged brass .
Another interesting bit about Big Thunder graphics … some of the earliest big thunder signage featured red and blue … because it had been anticipated that LEVI JEANS was going to be the sponsor of Big Thunder ( at Disneyland ) … and for whatever reason that fell through …. By 1980 the blue and red colors in signage was replaced with a green and a orangish-yellow ( “cheddar cheese “ ) so take THAT Levi’s!! Levi’s would have been a appropriate sponsor since the company was founded during the gold rush when Levi Straus noticed miners didn’t really need tent canvas but really needed durable pants!
Interesting info all around...and I wouldn't mind having a pounce pouch or two hanging around. I was going to weigh in and say the lettering was definitely hand done...as there were artisans on site to do those types of things...what a very talented crew: I wish my hands were that steady. That guy with the mustache looks like an actor...however, I just can't place him: but I can see him in my mind with that same argyle sweater. I remember those palm frond umbrellas in The House of Fritos....and since I love Fritos, especially the Chili Cheese curly ones...or back in the day the BBQ ones....I wouldn't mind having my own Casa de Fritos. I worked with someone from Texas who made "Frito Pie"....I wasn't adventurous enough to eat it, and I prefer my Fritos in a virgin state from the bag. "Population 2015". Nothing is by accident on signs like that...wonder why 2015....I like a dusty crusty mine town...it seems very spruced up and tidy now...The last time on that ride it got stuck on my approach back to the dock right "in the village", and I took some photos: it's really quite charming, with the sounds of the townsfolk coming from the buildings. For those who want to get some Thunder Mountain Peppers here's a link: https://bohicapepperhut.com/products/thunder-mountain-longhorn-seeds?srsltid=AfmBOoqCEjgc9Kz_AmYay6mmthb6PXdw3aPURU3O-oMQduv6B8wBh9Mc. I might take a stab next season: they look crazy cool...and crazy hot. (this is not an ad, but I do buy rare pepper seeds and peppers from this guy....if you like HOT). On an end note: FORTY SEVEN YEARS!!!???!!!!! wow....blow me back like a feather...I still see Big Thunder as the "new ride". I have to admit, I was naughty when another employee said after her shift..."we are going to go change into street clothes and go back in the park and ride Big Thunder" (without clocking out). Circa 1980. I still have guilt pangs over that one...it wasn't even enjoyable as I was so freaked out....that is "immediate and instant" termination...no inquisition, no second chances: and I saw it happen first hand to others....and your time clock punch: if it was too far after your shift ended...it would be questioned, and THAT would be coached...and too many times: verbal warning, written warning, second written warning.....termination. That was the only time I did that: "Jean" (real name) talked me into it, she was convincing and queen of shennanigans....she was also notorious park-wide as a wild child...what fun we had at work, and out of work....to her, there wasn't a difference. I did run into her 10 years later when I was helping out the parking entrance at the Queen Mary: no change :). Good for her. Thanks Major and MB for unlocking this mornings memories.
Oh boy, more Big Thunder! Thank you MB and Major!
Typical Disney, they moved all those buildings from one town to another, just by repainting the signs. Amazingly efficient. I seem to remember transferring designs with pounce and pricking the paper with a little wheelie thing like a pizza cutter. It’s all so vague and long ago.
We had a couple of barns and outbuildings on the farm, dating back before WWII when Dad had a dairy. The roofs were that same rusty corrugated metal as the load building. There were a few loose sheets that were used to stop the irrigation water from washing out the ditches. I wonder if that Big Thunder metal came from salvaged barns like ours, or was it new stuff pummeled and corroded to look like that?
Those 80’s people look pretty blase’ after the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness™️. Maybe they need to go again. I would do it.
Bu, you should try a Frito Boat sometime. The classic is made with canned chili, but of course home made is better, with beans or not, as you like. Clean up is easy since you eat straight from the bag, preferably with a little plastic spoon. It’s like gringo nachos. Of course regular nachos are gringo nachos too, but I digress. Good memories.
JG
JG: Eating "straight from the bag"...oh dear...I do enjoy my own Chili...which is more "Chili Colorado" than "Chili", Chili... and despite canned chili being a "Go-to Walt Meal", I can say that I don't think I could do it. Story: I was forced fed in school canned beans...and unfortunately immediately threw up...which caused the staff to be horrified that I was "wasting good food"....and I was punished...and even now being in the same room with an open can of savory foods (vegetables, beans, etc.) will cause very dynamic and immediate reactions as soon as I see it and then smell it. People think it's "ridiculous" when I exit a room as a can of red beans (or any other canned thing) is opened....until I stayed once...and well...it was like being back in school again. I guess I was still punished "oh...you made yourself do that!"....maybe TMI...but now I've purged that story (excuse the pun).
JB, Oxnard is never far from my heart. Looking at the clothes, I’d bet today’s photos were taken mid-1980s. Those pastel colors! I can’t tell what those ladies are doing in the last picture, I’d think that they were securing that sweater for the ride - but the ride was over. No idea. That kid would have made a perfect Charlie Bucket!
Mike Cozart, it’s nice that they kept a few details from the old Mine Train, though it also can’t help but remind me of that amazing ride. These days, few people remember it even existed, hard to believe. Thanks for the information about how the lettering (and other decor) was done, I thought it might have been completely freehand, no guides or anything, which would have been even more incredible. Even with the chalked-in guides, it looks great. A lost art, probably. I think I used to use transfer paper like you mentioned, I think it was called Saral paper. I know I used red, blue, and white. Patriotic without meaning to be! So I guess I was wrong, you said the boilers are still hand painted. Cool! I guess I can’t be too mad about the use of transfers, it’s just a faster and possibly cheaper way to do things, and the guests won’t know the difference. Thanks Mike.
Mike Cozart, yeah, Levi’s seems like the perfect sponsor for Big Thunder. Too bad it fell through. I’m sure it was going to cost Levi Strauss a pretty penny, maybe more than they thought it was worth. I’ll have to pay attention to early photos to see if I can spot graphics in blue and red.
Bu, I remember being surprised to read that Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, custom car legend, worked at Knott’s for a while painting signs and other things so that he could get health care and a pension. I used to love Fritos, but now they seem so oily/greasy to me. I’ll choose Doritos if I must have a chip. Or good old classic tortilla chips, though I do love them with chili-lime seasoning. My mom used to make a casserole with Fritos, it was delicious. And I made tamale pie a few months ago, and put Fritos on top just for some crunch. How does a roller coaster get stuck? I guess something went very wrong. A wheel broke or something. I blame teenagers. I like a little heat, but am not a “heat seeker” like some people are. At some point it takes all the pleasure of eating away, at least for me. Maybe with enough scoville units, endorphins kick in, but I’m good. Ha, I love your description of “being naughty”, which sounds like something Spanky and Alfalfa would do. Though I guess being terminated is a pretty scary possibility. Just wear big fake mustaches, they’ll never know.
JG, I assume that a lot of the original old buildings were termite-ridden and had dry rot or other charming issues. Maybe they were rebuilt just as they originally were? Just a guess. The design transfer sounds like when my mom would transfer sewing patterns to cloth. I’m also guessing that the corrugated metal was new, cleverly aged and banged up to look appropriately antique. Somebody sent me a link to an entirely AI video that sometimes looked amazing, and other times did the weirdest things. Frontierland didn’t look right, neither did the Pirate Ship. But they showed a shot of chili being ladled into a bag of Fritos - over and over until it made one ill. Dumb AI!
Bu, unless the chili wasn’t very hot, I’d worry about scorching my hands. That thing plastic bag isn’t going to do much insulating. I’ve never been a bean person (ha ha), in fact I just went to a BBQ restaurant with a friend, and the waitress commented on how I didn’t touch my beans. I just said I was “so full!”, which was a lie. Weird that your school would say that throwing up was “wasting food”, as if you did it on purpose.
Disney really has a special thing for building tastefully dilapidated buildings. Mismatched rough shingles, weathered corrugated sheets and wood, but somehow still attractive. I don't know what it is, but I like it.
That famous town of THUNDER RIDGE population sign was the idea of imagineer John Olson … he was instrumental in creating the rockwork for Big Thunder and was also helpful in the set decorating of the attraction . The sign was inspired by a similar sign from the real ghost town of Gerome , Arizona. A large mining town literally built atop the mines. The mine’s owners daughter was the mother of Winston Churchill ( yes his mom was American) Sue has been there as I. Over the years it’s gone from a ghost town to a big artist colony to expensive restaurant’s , breweries and art galleries … but worth a visit. The rest of the big thunder population sign was inspired by the Reno Nevada welcome sign “the biggest little town …” John Olson is the “confederate soldier “ in the TWO BROTHERS civil war sequence in Epcot’s American Advevture abd Disneyland’s 1984 and after versions of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. One of a few imagineers to also have an audio animatronic figure made of them! John Olson was perfect for the big Thunder project as his hobby was mining camps and railroads of the Southwest … he is an accomplished model maker and in the 70’s & 80’s had many articles published in Model RR magazine . He also wrote a book THE JEROME & SOUTHWESTERN - A RR YOU CAN MODEL. His wife Katie also works at WDI as well as his daughter .
Speaking of that Big Thunder population sign, I took my own picture of it, back in 1979. We can't see it in today's photo, but next to the "x"ed out population number, there is another number written in. And if I'm not mistaken, that number is also "x"ed out and there is a third number written next to or below it, as well.
Major, my mom also used to make a "Frito Casserole." She got the recipe from a teacher/co-worker friend of hers, who brought it to a faculty potluck. It was really good! I made it a couple times myself, but it has been quite a while now. I think it's time for me to make it again!
Bu, the guy with the mustache reminds me of comic/musician Dick Smothers.
I like Dennison's canned chili a lot more than the other brands I've tried. It has a richness and complexity of flavor that the others don't have. Plus, it was the brand of chili we always had when I was a kid... so there's that.
Major, I didn't realize that pic was taken at the end of the ride. I thought they were just getting started. Maybe as the train is about to enter the station there is an announcement to "gather all your belongings" recording?
From the pictures I've seen, Oxnard is a pretty nice place... but the NAME!
On 'hot stuff': I found out many years ago that, unlike chili peppers, horseradish (such as wasabi in an Asian restaurant) doesn't keep burning your mouth after a minute or so. After that, it (mostly) disappears, leaving your taste buds intact to enjoy the rest of your meal. But during that initial minute.... WOW!
Dick Smothers! Right…no wonder he looks familiar: not from TV…but he was our “next door neighbor”…but boat wise as the “Pisces “ was docked next to us. A funny story: as kids you don’t know who is who…or care…and there was a cocktail party or something…very casual…Dick Smothers was there: but he was always kind of around anyway…anyway…one of my moms friend says “ya know…you look just like Dick Smothers”, and he said before taking a sip of a Vodka tonic…”well…I guess I should : I sleep with him every night”…I remember she kind of froze in a weird way…I had no idea who he was…just another drinker in the galley while I emptied ashtrays and played with candlewax (no electric lights that night). … and that’s why that guy looked so familiar…thanks for unlocking that memory JB. I can still smell the candlewax and cigarette smoke and essence of diesel fuel…and booze of course.
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