I started to put today's post together quite a while ago, but I see that I have clearly made a boo-boo somewhere along the way (I know, I know, it's hard to believe!). This first photo has to be from around 1959 or 1960, because the genuine, bona fide, electrified, three-car Mark I Monorail ("Li'l Stubby") was upgraded to the four-car Mark II (with the track extending to the Disneyland Hotel) in 1961. Don't worry, I'm docking my pay, and I've put a frowny-face next to my picture.
How about a closer look? What a beautiful day, bright sunshine, blue skies, and everything looks as neat and clean as can be. Hey, there's the red Monorail, calmly chewing its cud as its waits its turn at the station.
Next we have Pat Casey's Last Chance Saloon. Last chance for what? Well it turns out that this was the last place you could get a nice grilled cheese sandwich, just the thing before heading out into the vastness of Nature's Wonderland. Please don't share your sandwich with any varmints.
I like the late afternoon lighting on the Rainbow Ridge buildings. The lamp isn't lit up in the window of the dentist's office, so I guess that means that Walt isn't up there. Or something like that.
ReplyDelete...but the window is open, TokyoMagic, so he probably IS up there...flicking chili beans.
ReplyDeleteSue
The Tomorrowland pic is a beauty. The conning tower is the perfect touch.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Major.
Are those monorails close together on the track? Is there a third train out there somewhere? I thought they would be approximately half way apart.
ReplyDeleteI love that photo, and two bright metal trash cans top it off.
The Last Chance Saloon looks like a popular spot. I’ll bet Johnny Inkslinger is a regular.
Those chairs have to be tiny to fit in the scale. This would be a fun picture to have a CM in the view.
Thanks Major!
JG
Ben Franklin was also an Inkslinger..
DeleteThat open window on the second floor of Pat Casey’s saloon was the Rainbow Ridge dentist off … the window is open because inside was a speaker and while guests waited to board the trains below , they got to listen to a very very long and painful tooth drilling and and extraction …
ReplyDeleteDentist : “ come on in! ….. sit right down” … “ this won’t hurt a bit!!”
I can remember as a very small child adult’s laughing uncomfortably at the miner screaming and howling in pain as the dentist “foot peddle drill “ sounded away.
@ JG-
ReplyDelete"Are those monorails close together on the track? Is there a third train out there somewhere?"
One presumes there's a third train near the DL Hotel. Monorail red should be on the portion of the beamway just above the 'waterfalls' of the Submarine Voyage, that would later be paralleled by a section of the Peoplemove track. 'Ol red should be beginning a CCW rotation around the perimeter of the Autopias, heading for the Motor Boat Cruise, then the Fantasyland-side of the Matterhorn before crashing into the back of Monorail blue. Yes, it was an exciting day-!
Thanks, Major.
[Maybe MIKE knows]... if the General Dynamics flags [pennants] above the mini bandstand (which match the entrance signage) remained there as long as the bandstand did. The flags in today's image appear to be the second GD logo (and final one-?) paired with the Submarine.
ReplyDeleteAww, li'l girl in the first picture has a li'l red babushamaka to match her red pants and Keds! The cutest Communist I've seen all week.
ReplyDeleteAt first glance, I thought the sign said, "Lost Change Saloon." Which sounds kind of fun. All the change you ever lost is there, pre-applied to your bar tab
The submarine voyage’s loading was completely remodeled in 1962 or 63 to include a series of zig-zag panels about General Dynamics … as well as updated graphics and costumes …
ReplyDeleteIn 1964 I don’t think they ran three monorails at a time …. That started I believe in 1969…..
Today's post wouldn't come up for me last night at 12:01... or 12:18 either... so I gave up and went to bed. So now I'm late to the party... oh well.
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice photo of the Monorail! Very representative of classic Disneyland.
I agree with Tokyo!, the afternoon sunlight really makes the buildings look esthetically pleasing.
Sue, those would be 5/8 scale chili beans. We wouldn't want Walt flicking full-sized beans down upon the good (and tiny) citizens of Rainbow Ridge; they could get a concussion!
Melissa, at the General Store you can find all your lost socks that have gone missing over the years.
Thanks, Major.
Happened to be paging through a book of cartoons from True, an old school Men's Magazine. One cartoon presented a frontier street: Last Chance Saloon, Last Chance Grocery, Last Chance Dry Goods, and on a two-story building with lacy curtains, Last Chance.
ReplyDeleteJB, of course Walt used 5/8-scale beans. You wouldn’t want to ‘throw-off’ the perspective, either.
ReplyDeleteSue
Major, I never thought about it before, but it makes sense that the monorails would be ruminants. Certainly not marsupials.
ReplyDeleteNanook, thanks for that clarification, I assume that the monorails are like the DLRR, only one train per zone, etc. I figured that the red one was located as you describe, but that seemed too close to TL station unless there was a third train at the hotel, or en route. But Mike seems to think there would not be 3 trains in the era of the photo.
I also note that the stubby blue monorail in the pic does not have the Cadillac tail lights, which I thought were characteristic of the Mark I train design?
JG
Hi folks, sorry for my absence, I’ve been having trouble with my computer, it wants to freeze every time I do ANYTHING. I ran a maintenance program and it seems like it helped.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic! Walt preferred to sleep in one of those teeny tiny buildings at the top of the hill!
Sue, he learned his flicking technique from older brother Roy.
K. Martinez, it’s as if there’s a giant submarine under the ground!
JG, it does look like the Monorails are quite close together. I’m a little confused because the bubble dome on the red Monorail appears to be closer to us, but the dome on the blue Monorail is away from us. WHY? So funny, I saw the word “chairs”, but my brain saw “chains”. What chains? I don’t see ‘em!
Mike Cozart, yes, I have coveted that big gold tooth, what a great souvenir that would be! I assume somebody out there has it. Maybe Tony B. I used to have audio of the whole dentist thing (as well as a ton of other Rainbow Ridge sounds), but lost them in a hard drive malfunction.
Nanook, I assume that the Monorail pilots were able to communicate with each other. Ah, good thought about the Monorail Red being on the part of the beam above the waterfalls.
Nanook, I hope Mike knows, because I sure don’t.
Melissa, commies are OK if they are cute. It only makes sense. I’d love to find some lost change, but would probably just fine some old pretzels.
Mike Cozart, I didn’t know that the zig-zag roof was added s early as 1962/63! I also covet one of those General Dynamics flags.
JB, I’d forgotten to set the “publish” time to 12:01, but woke up at around 4:30-ish. Nanook sent an email to tell me of the issue! It happens once in a while. Ha ha, I never thought about the good people of Rainbow Ridge being 5/8 scale, but it makes sense!
DBenson, ya gotta love those old “spicy” magazines! And the cartoons.
Mark, be sure to watch my big-budget movie on Netflix: “Ben Franklin: Inkslinger”. Starring Timothée Chalamet at Ben Franklin.
Sue, I hope Walt smoked 5/8 scale cigarettes when he was in Rainbow Ridge.
JG, the very idea of Monorails being marsupials is too absurd to even consider! Some used to think they were monotremes, but that idea was quashed in the early 19th century. It does seem as if running three Monorails in 1963 would be a lot, unless it happened to be the very busiest of the peak season. And as for the Cadillac taillights (or lack thereof)… HUH! Where are they??
Major: not a zig zag roof. A series of two sided line dividers made of metal
ReplyDeleteWith information about GD and its marine architecture : subs and boats . Think of metal dressing screens . These broke up the lines for submarine voyage guests .
Mike Cozart, I guess I get a "C" in Reading Comprehension.
ReplyDelete...but the window is open, TokyoMagic, so he probably IS up there...flicking chili beans.
ReplyDeleteSue, ha, ha! When I left that Walt comment, I almost said that he was up there flicking bloody teeth down onto riders. But I thought that would be too gross.
^ You would be correct. ;-)
ReplyDelete