Wednesday, August 28, 2013

More Autopia 1998

More Autopia, more more more! 

The Fantasyland Autopia's day's were numbered in 1998; the ride closed the following year and it was combined with the Tomorrowland Autopia for a new, bigger attraction. These photos are a nice record of the way it used to be.

Red, yellow, green and blue cars zoom through the beautiful "countryside". If only highways really looked like this!


Traffic is heavy today, but who cares? We're at Disneyland.


Same angle, different cars. I may try to find a decent aerial shot showing the layout of the old Fantasyland and Tomorrowland Autopias, and then grab a Google satellite image of how the track is laid out now, for the sake of comparison. If I get anything worthwhile, I'll share it here!


7 comments:

K. Martinez said...

Nice shot of Autopia from the Tomorrowland Station.

Here’s an aerial of Disneyland in 1965 from “Vintage Disneyland Tickets” I found. Scroll to the north east corner of the park in the image and you can see the old layout of the Tomorrowland/Fantasyland Autopias:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3jV5FcVqpE8/SUSNVjQLOCI/AAAAAAAAF2s/JkLK278YE9A/s1600-h/DL+aerial+views+1965_001_blog.jpg


Here's the current Autopia layout in blueprint from Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63631877@N00/3477420559/sizes/l/in/photostream/

In reference to the second and third images in today’s post here's a couple of pics I found of the same view as it appears today. The PeopleMover/Rocket Rod track is the clue.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/richtpt/8001173234/sizes/l/in/photolist-dc373E/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/klvinci/3207563861/sizes/z/in/photostream/

Nancy said...

Wish that driving in heavy traffic was always so pleasant! Lovely setting for a drive in the country in a sports car!

Melissa said...

So pretty - because of the lighting it's easy to let my eyes tune out the guide rail, and it's like looking at a real country lane most of the time. There's only that one guy who's obviously too big for his car - the other one just kind of looks like my Dad in his old MGB. (One time when he hurt his arm he drove himself to the hospital steering with one knee and one elbow.)

Anonymous said...

@KMartinez, great links, thank you.

With respect to the modern CAD drawing layout, that plan view notes item 5 is the "Nemo Service Area" and there is a tan graphic reaching from there (under?) Autopia to what appears to be the building extension in the Submarine lagoon, but there is no corresponding structure visible in Google Earth.

Is this an underground service tunnel from the backstage building near IASW all the way under what used to be Fantasyland Autopia?

Item 5 appears to denote the buildings that used to be marked with the sign for "Disneyland Navy Yard-Submarine Division". Major posted a vintage pic of that sometime ago. Did the concealed submarine building structure reach below grade back that far? The out-of-service subs appeared to be domiciled in the lagoon, I don't think there was a below-grade service area? Anybody know?

Anyway, great pictures. I thought the reconfiguration and moving of the queue over the track was a stroke of genius, one of the few in the TL98 debacle. Provide shade and improves circulation, creates exciting views. Great thought.

I wish the architecture and color of the queue building was better, but, in the words of Captain Nemo, there's always "...hope for the future, in God's good time".

JG

Anonymous said...

Oh never mind, the tan walk does appear in the Google photos, it is a dirt path that goes under the Autopia overpasses. I wasn't zoomed in far enough.

Looks like a service access to the back of the rock covered submarine building.

JG

Major Pepperidge said...

K Martinez, thanks for the great links! I'll have to take some time to compare these images side by side. The current blueprint/plan is especially useful!

Nancy, if only the freeways around here were that nice today, yeesh!

Melissa, your dad had himself a pretty cool car!

JG, you should hear my friend "Mr. X" go one about that massive Autopia building and how inappropriate it is for Disneyland. I wouldn't mind it if it was reduced in size by about half.




K. Martinez said...

Major - It was fun doing the research. I agree with JG & Mr. X about the Autopia building. It doesn't work for the area. I do like everything else about the "new" Autopia though, from the new vehicles to the scenery and off-road Matterhorn area. If only the queue building was an awning with a cool marquee like it used to be. I surely hope Autopia stays. It's the only original attraction left in Tomorrowland.