Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Monorail & Sub Lagoon, October 1961

Here's a nice 1961 Skyway view of the wonderful 4-car red Mark II Monorail zipping along the beamway above the queue for the Fantasyland Autopia (with it's striped awning). I'm always happy to see the Richfield Eagle (one of two, the other being in Tomorrowland), not to mention the jolly little Fantasyland Station to the left. 


Here's a zoom so that you can enjoy the awesomeness of the Mark II even more. I'm wondering if that large warehouse or shed in the distance is Disney-owned, or if it belonged to some other nearby business?


A second photo was taken from the Skyway, looking straight down into the warm blue-green water of the Submarine Lagoon. As always, it makes me wish I could swim in it!


5 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

Nice view of Monorail Red. And I believe the "large warehouse shed" is the Roundhouse.

Thanks, Major.

K. Martinez said...

This is awesome! Love the red-and-white striped awning of the Fantasyland Autopia. The Tomorrowland Autopia awning was blue-and-white striped. Always cool to see the Richfield Eagle and Monorail Red too.

The multi-layers of the "Disneyland '59" expansion are some of the best theme park layout design ever done in my opinion. I miss THIS Disneyland. Thanks, Major.

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, it’s funny, I thought - and rejected - that it might be the roundhouse. It just looked different to me. For one thing, I thought the roundhouse was more of less white. But now that I’ve gone and compared it to other photos, that’s what it definitely is. Maybe I need to do my research BEFORE I write something dumb.

K. Martinez, like you, I love those stripes. Disneyland needs more stripes! The Imagineers from the 50’s and 60’s were really at the top of their games, what an exciting time it must have been.

Chuck said...

That structure in the background is the original maintenance facility for the Monorail. In 1961, the SF&DLRR was still using the original Roundhouse at the NW corner of the Park.

The current dual-use Monorail/DLRR Roundhouse was built in late '65 or early '66 prior to the construction of it's a small world; the original spur line into the old Monorail shed went right across the current site of iasw's façade.

You can see the original Monorail facility in context in this GDB photo from 1961 and the new alignment in this 1970 Daveland image.

The original Monorail shed lasted until the Toontown expansion in 1992-93, while the original Roundhouse fell last year in the Galaxy's Edge construction. The original Roundhouse was reused as an industrial Jell-O production facility for the various buffeteria restaurants around the Park, while the old Monorail building was repurposed into Ping-Pong ball storage.

Nanook said...

Major-

Ya see what happens when one attempts to do "research"-? It turns out to be mostly bogus-! Thanks to Chuck for providing the real info, and also letting us know where we can find all the discontinued Jell-O flavors-!