Tomorrowland Skyway Terminal, 1994
Today I am pleased to share three photos taken by GDB friend Mike Cozart taken the day or two before the Skyway closed forever. Interesting there is very little crowd. The Skyway closed on November 9th, 1994 - not one of Disneyland's finest moments.
I didn't remember that the Tomorrowland Skyway terminal was so blue, but then again, my memories are pretty fuzzy after nearly 30 years. What would you call the architecture style? Industrial? Bauhaus? Mid-century modern? Kinkade Kozy? Maybe a mix of all four? It is pretty strange that the crowds are so low, but it gives us a better look at the station.
Maybe the word wasn't not out about the ride's imminent closure? I am pretty sure there is a video on YouTube showing a ride on the Skyway on the last day, so that person was aware at any rate. I believe that a poster for the Super Speed Tunnel is next to the man with the white shirt (I'm imagining that I see a checkered flag motif but I could be mistaken).
This third image is amazing, I never thought I would get such a good look at the old Skyway station. It looks so clean! I didn't remember all the blue paint, but it's a nice touch. Back when Tony Baxter was still with Disney, he would say that they needed to find a way to get guests up in the air again, but something tells me it's not going to happen.
MANY THANKS to Mike Cozart!
19 comments:
Major-
I'm afraid the 'enlargement gremlins' are at work again on the 1st image. As for that AP in the 2nd image - that's actually for the American Journeys Circle-Vision 360 film.
Thank you Mike for sharing these bittersweet images.
Major, in the second pic, that attraction poster is for American Journeys.
I love the view of the storage area. It's much bigger than I remember it....from what we could ever see of it through the mesh walls.
I remember hearing about the Skyway's closure on the radio, while driving to work that morning. I almost couldn't believe it. Why would they take that out? It's too iconic! When you think of the Disneyland skyline, you think, Castle, Matterhorn, and Skyway. This was truly the beginning of the end. Okay, maybe it was the middle of the end, because they had already began their destruction a little earlier. But this was truly the beginning of the "Pressler Reign of Terror."
Here's a video I recorded of the KTLA news that night after I got home from work. I bet Marty Sk-liar paid the newscaster to say the line, "Most kids think the three and a half minute ride from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland is just too long!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2kZ_sYKDqM&t=13s
I remember being at Disneyland two days after the closure and being surprised that the cables and the support towers had already been removed. I mentioned that to a friend, but she said she had gone the day after the closure, and they were already gone. The workers must have been busy little bees the night of it's closing, removing all traces of it.
The last time I was in this station was in 1975 and I remember it looking a lot different than we do here.
Of course, my memory could be playing tricks on me (as it often does), but I recall this station much more dark and not so pleasant looking. Less spick-and-span; certainly no plants like we see in pic #2. Lots of banging and clanging and CMs tossing Skyway Buckets around energetically. Much more dim and mechanical looking, like the right half of the 3rd image.
Nothing in today's images jog my memory. Did they re-do the interior of the station sometime after 1975?
Tokyo!, I agree, that line about kids thinking the ride is "just too long" really irked me. I can't imagine anybody saying that. Weird about it disappearing so quickly, "Skyway? What Skyway? There was never a Skyway here!.. What's a 'Skyway'?"
Anyway, I'm pleased to see these photos; we rarely, if ever, see the interior of the Tomorrowland Skyway station. I'm so glad Mike took these photos and shared them with us! Thanks, Mike and Major.
The closure of the Disneyland Skyway was well published in advanced and there were lots of discussions amongst employees and on radio . Disney fans were different then … still enthusiastic then , most people didn’t skip work or make their kids miss school for things like that - today people will quit their jobs or let their kids get held back a grade just to get a popcorn bucket!!
Several days during the Skyway’s last week I managed to take about a hundred photos of the drive stations , and vantage points at and from the Skyway. I think at the time I wasn’t going to be able to go on it’s last day of operation , but me and some friends managed to go after work. I think I had sent Major these images after there had been a discussion about the Tomorrowland Skyway terminal.
The loading side featured a 1984 AMERICAN JOURNEYS attraction poster and a 1977 SPACE MOUNTAIN. The exit side featured a 1959 SUBMARINE VOYAGE and a 1967 ROCKET JETS poster. All of these posters in their white frames were sold at the MICKEYS ATTIC room at the official Disneyanna Convention at the DL Hotel after.
What is interesting - and not shown in these pictures - that when all the attention was being given to the Skyway and it’s pending closure , someone at Disneyland realized one of the attraction posters in the skyway station ( where the American Journeys poster is) was for the PeopleMover Thru Super Speed tunnel poster - an attraction feature gone since about 1982…. Then replaced it with a PeopleMover Thru Tron poster …. That had damage to it …. Then it was replaced with the American Journeys poster … all this poster change action during the last month of the Skyway - odd.
Working for the company I was lucky to attend the last days of original
Autopia , Skyway, Submarine Voyage , Circle Vision , Rocket Jets … and earlier , America Sings ..
The closure of the PeopleMover didn’t have the fan fare the others had …. It had temporarily closed after a small mechanical accident where a PeopleMover train was snagged and stalled entering the circle vision building and then a following train was pushed into the stalled PeopleMover . During the down time a new loading turntable by Dunlop was installed …. Then the attraction reopened and closed several times then closed forever.
The pale yellow , blue and white were the Tomorrowland Skyway station’s colors since the early 70’s. In 1987 the white fin panels on the Skyway stair landings - added in 1967 were repainted with similar gradation colors replicated from the Star Tours mural … also the MOD HATTER became THE HATMOSPHERE and purple tones were added to the lower areas of the Skyway and Hatstand structure .
I don’t think the Tomorrowland Skyway station was ever “dark” … it’s walls were made mostly of 50’s steel weave panels… allowing for light to enter as well as 6 domed skylights on the roof over the loading and exit deck and drive cable. I’m sure at night it might feel darker … but always well lit.
Oh, wow! These are amazing, Mike!
Although the Skyway buckets were originally painted with automobile colors common in 1967, looking at these photos it really stands out that you would have been hard-pressed to find any new cars in these colors in 1994. That turquoise in particular stands out. I think I remember Mike telling us at some point that these colors were eventually mixed especially for Disneyland.
What really bothers me most about these pictures is that I have no recollection of this space at all. None whatsoever. But I have to have been through it because I remember riding the Skyway in both directions.
I completely missed the pending closure of the Skyway, although consulting the calendar I see that I was deployed to Haiti for a month and a half until the Wednesday after it was shut down. I remember being surprised that it had been removed so quickly once we got to the Park the weekend of the 19th.
I am marveling that I have such clear memories of riding the Skyway with Mrs. Chuck since we only visited the Park twice while it was still there - Christmas Eve 1993 (my first visit in 17 years and her first ever) and in early October of 1994, the day we bought our annual passes. I guess it might be because my senses were sharpened on both visits since a visit to Disneyland was such a rare and wonderful thing (although on reflection, it might have had something to do with that radioactive spider bite, too).
Thanks for thinking to take these photos, Mike, and for sharing them as well!
We rode the Walt Disney World Skyway a day or two before it closed in November 1999. An employee of the park was killed in an accident involving the Skyway, and that was the last straw. We were there for a 4 day trip, and it closed sometime during our stay. I can't remember if we were aware that it was the last day or not. But we knew it was closing soon. Dennis, Levittown, NY
Mike, thank you for these photos.
Not only rare views of a rarely photographed location, but taken on such a sad and momentous day.
These look exactly like my memories, same colors and “feel”. Blue and yellow predominate in my mind. For some reason, the CM “cab wranglers” felt more prominent at this station.
Style-wise, Major, I would say a form of industrial mid-century Modern, somewhat reminiscent of Archigram style.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archigram ; https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5201/157f/e8e4/4eff/f200/0035/large_jpg/51d71b74e8e44ed538000023_ad-classics-the-plug-in-city-peter-cook-archigram-_736_medium.jpg?1375802747
This group of architects was famous for their drawings and ideas, I dont think they ever had a project built, but produced a lot of influential drawings, which says something about the profession, I guess.
I have one slightly odd memory of this station. I was fascinated by the Osmond Family TV Special, mostly because of the previews of the Haunted Mansion (not because I liked the Osmonds), but there was one scene filmed in this station. One of the actors receives (or places) a phone call from the departure platform, from a phone mounted on one of the steel posts, just at the point where the cabs exit the building. One would have to take care not to step much past that location due to the unprotected edge. The phone location would have been to the left behind the camera viewpoint of the last picture.
When we returned to the Park on our next visit, I was excited to be in the exact spot where that scene was filmed, but there was no phone in that location. Imagine my disappointment realizing it was all a prop and probably not connected to anything. Much like those influential drawings.
Sigh.
JG
Really nice photos! Thanks! The colors are just wonderful to see, as are the posters there.
It always re-awakens my love for the mechanical workings of these things. I remember as a kid always trying to figure out how they worked - how the spare buckets were pushed over onto the cable, what each of the rollers did, etc.
Was the cable always stopped before the spare buckets could be moved onto it, or was there a way to leave the cable running and slip the bucket onto it, kind of like a clutch system? In a way, they always reminded me or railroad sidings, which I also have an undying love for.
The GDB gremlins are at work with that first picture. When I click on it, picture #3 comes up. #1 has the most mechanical detail which interested me. The Buckets were an attraction that some CMs would choose for a workout routine...'flinging' the empty buckets around from unload to load position. KS
The first public outcry about removal of an attraction I remember was the 1998 Save Mr. Toad campaign. I think those four years between them and when these pictures were taken saw the number of people getting and sharing information online expand greatly.
Mike, "Today people will quit their jobs or let their kids get held back a grade just to get a popcorn bucket!!"
Haha! A great line! It sums up rabid Disney fandom perfectly.
The 1965 SKYWAY colors were not created by Disney …. But selected from existing fiberglass paint colors . At the time they were mostly intended for nautical use : boats. But we’re also finding use for othering things like patio furniture and restaurant awnings etc. What did frequently happen is certain colors over time were discontinued by the manufacturer and alternates were made ( like the PeopleMover “turquoise” blue to “turquoise” green in the 70’s) but sometimes Disney was able to have the discontinued color manufactured just for them since they were using enough of it. The 1956 and (1961??) Skyway colors used Ditzler automotive paint … but the 1965 skyway fiberglass color finishes were also manufactured by Ditzler …
One strong memory of the SKYWAY was the smooth “rumble” as castmembers pushed the loaded ( or empty) Skyway gondola away and it gently rolled down to grip onto the constantly moving cable. This past November I was at Sea World with my family and heard the EXACT sound again as the “BAYSIDE SKYRIDE” gondolas were pushed to roll onto the cable grip!!! The Sea World and San Diego Zoo systems are VON ROLL just like Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
I have some friends who worked SKYWAY in the 80’s and 90’s and all three of them have back problems they insist were caused from the pushing and pulling of loaded Skyway cabins!! Two friends who Disneyland characters like Brer Bear , Baloo etc also have back issues they claim to be from the upper harnesses used for the tall characters….. another friend she has a bad foot from several ankle incidents working “blood alley” ( AUTOPIA) !!! I remind them of the Disneyland employee manual slogan : “WE WORK WHILE OTHERS PLAY” lol!!
A part of me always felt a little funny about the Skyway, because you saw a few industrial rooftops and other details you weren't supposed to see. It was like those arial views of Main Street revealing how that lovely architecture merely disguised facing strip malls -- and in really old clips, parked vehicles and other stuff just out of sight of guests. Also, it was one of the few attractions that felt "off the shelf". The Santa Clara County Fairgrounds had one, and the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz still has the glorified ski lift type.
I mourn Nature's Wonderland, the Peoplemover, the motorboats, and the Fantasyland Theatre with its air-conditioned cartoons. The Skyway, not so much.
Very interesting photos, comments and links, though the subject is sad. The Skyway was the best way to view all the activity in DL from an amazing perspective - with an exciting trip through a mountain, too. No flight over DL was ever exactly the same...everything was always moving and changing. Being grounded, now, is not very exciting. [DBenson, I was about to post this comment and just now read what you commented. Please don't think I added my comment as a response to yours. Your comments are greatly appreciated.]
Clyde Hughes, if you want to see some interesting videos on how the Skyway works, check out the GDB post for March 3, 2022 HERE.. Scroll down to a couple of Nanook's comments where he adds links to how the Skyway buckets work. That whole post was fun and also full of interesting info and stories, too.
Thanks, Mike and Major. GDB-Gold, today, IMO!
JB, but what if it was a BB8 popcorn bucket??
Mike Cozart, so I guess that Ditzer made those metallic (or pearlescent) colors that I like on the old round gondolas - metallic blue, green, gold, copper, bronze. I like the colors just because, but also due to the fact that they seem so 50s. I seem to remember that when your Skyway gondola “launched”, there was some rumbling and vibration, and then you’d move out onto the main cable “path”, and suddenly it was smooth and quiet, with the exception of when you went past the towers of course. It was a really great sensation. I totally believe the back problems for the CMs; I figured that the job could be a great workout every day, but could also take its toll from all of the repetitive movements. In fact, of all the jobs I used to pay attention to, the Skyway “wranglers” seemed to do the most physical work. The Canoe guys were worked hard too!
DBenson, somehow seeing those areas that were “backstage” never ruined my opinion of the park. In fact, once I was back down on the ground, I think I kind of forgot about that. Maybe I’m just dumb! Seeing the backstage areas was more tantalizing than anything.
Lou and Sue, when they introduced the Skyliner at WDW, a part of me hoped that maybe they could introduce something similar at Disneyland. It can accommodate wheelchairs and strollers, it’s enclosed (no spitting or dropped pennies to worry about) - I’d love it. Not that I’m holding my breath, I don’t really expect it to happen. I’ll have to watch that linked video later tonight if I can, it sounds interesting.
Something about the people in the second photo makes them look flat - like a painted attraction poster. Maybe it's just the zoom I have them at.
Major, despite the WDW Skyliner's design preventing most kinds of bad behavior, new forms of bad behavior have been found. See #4 in this list
I have very specific memories of the Skyway stations as it was intact during my entire run as an employee. There is a very specific klanking sound, and a very specific echo...and very specific smells...and sounds of employees kind of "yelling" and a more "rushed atmosphere" to board the bucket as it's not really going to wait for you. I remember the guys talking about switching sides to work out their arms equally: I just didn't understand how that worked....since you are always grabbing it with the same arm...I'm sure the guys figured it out. No female employees on this ride and I get it: not that I remember anyway: these buckets kind of fly towards you. I remember guys being in pain in the break room. The ODV Garage was steps away from this: and you could hear if from where we were, and could hear the lamenting in the break room. Once you were on the wire: the ride when from klank klank klank to total serenity. You know you were on the wire as there was a subtle little bounce....then total zen for just a few minutes as you sailed over to Fantasyland. As a guest this was always a "must do" ride. As a TG: I don't actually ever remember riding this with guests. I've talked about that fateful day when it came off the wheel during a hurricane force wind/etc. experience...and the hook and ladder (AFD) had to come in to evacuate. That was quite the day: and probably a precursor to the final demise of the ride. I was privy to inside info at the time of the pre-closure. It all came down to $$. Not so exciting or surprising. There is talk about the structural integrity of the towers/etc. not sure what is true...but what I do know is that was economic and had nothing to do with much more than the ROI involved. I'm sure there were lots of factors. It was an emotional favorite, but at that point I had moved on...and was back in school in 1994 with other things on my mind....I didn't go back to the park for over a decade after I left- and then it was a for "team building" experience in a new job. We had 2 hours in the park, and I went into hyper-drive TG mode. I made those guys RUN! Luckily: it all comes back pretty easily. Thanks for the photos Mike! They bring back loads of memories!
Major, for a BB8 popcorn bucket?!?! Well now, that's different! I would sell my first-born male child in a jiffy... if I had one.
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