Wednesday, November 27, 2024

C.K. Holliday, August 1965

Hi folks, just FYI, I will be away from my computer (though I will miss it terribly) for the next few days. As always, there will be new posts for you, even if I'm hanging out with the rich and famous. I'll talk to you all soon!

Here is a pair of scans taken as the sun was setting during perfect August day in 1965. The sky is blue and cloudless, and you can't be sad about being in Disneyland. 

I'm not sure if our photographer was just milling around Town Square, or if he/she was leaving for the day. Hopefully not the latter! There's still plenty of fun to be had, and if they leave, they'll miss out of the beauty of the park when it gets dark. Whatever the case, lots of other people seem to be filing out, and perhaps taking one last opportunity to buy a Mickey balloon for the kids. It will make for a fun reminder of the day as it hovers up at the ceiling for a few days!

I love seeing the C.K. Holliday stopped overhead, as passengers board back at the station to our left. Notice the signs for the "Tencenniel" up by the Train Station. 


The engineer is leaning out of the window, possibly enjoying some cooler air - I've heard that it could get very hot in the cabs of the locomotives. Through the archway we can see a sign for Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, on NBC! 


7 comments:

JB said...

I love the mix of light and shadow in these scans. I also love the cloud of colorful balloons floating overhead. And once again, that graceful tree branch in the upper right is the cherry on top. I don't see any albino balloons in that cloud, which indicates how rare those white Mickey balloons are.

What a great combination of colors on the C.K. Holliday: red and black with some tasteful shiny brass trim. Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color: Back then, our family would go camping several times during the summer. And on our way home, Sunday afternoon/early evening, I would suddenly remember that "Disney" was gonna be on soon. So I would tell my dad to go faster so we didn't miss it. Especially if it was going to be a cartoon episode, or showing us something new in the Park.

Have fun gobbling up the gobbler, Major. We'll try not to trash the GDB site too much while you're away.

Steve DeGaetano said...

Nice images, Major!

With a raging fire in the firebox, the cab temperatures could reach 140 degrees. Combined with a long-sleeve shirt, overalls, bandanna, hat and possibly gloves, it makes for a pretty intense environment. You definitely need to stay hydrated! It appears these images show the Holliday before the roof hatch was installed, which eventually added a tiny (very tiny) bit of relief.

Chuck said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chuck said...

In the first photo, it looks like the Holliday’s engineer is using a peashooter to take potshots at the crowd passing below. I can imagine guests were not amused, especially if they’d just been hit by some of Walt’s chili over by the firehouse.

I never noticed the stars in the center of the locomotive’s drive wheels. Nice little detail that tracks beautifully with the historic styling of a balloon stack engine in the latter half of the 19th Century.

140 degrees! Holy cow, Steve - that’s 40 degrees above the boiling point! Hotter than noon on the Moon! Unless…wait…are you still using Fahrenheit?

Have fun, Major, and enjoy your time away. Your computer will be waiting for you when you get home. Assuming you left it a self-feeder and a bowl of water. You did remember the water, didn’t you?

Steve DeGaetano said...

Yes, Chuck, Fahrenheit--also in keeping with the 19th century styling!

The stars on the driver centers was a pretty common practice, especially on the Southern Pacific RR. They may have started out as decorative, but eventually the SP used the stars to denote plain wheel bearings (as opposed to roller bearings, which used a different symbol on the driver centers).

Steve DeGaetano said...

In the second photo, you can just barely make out an outstanding example of Disney's attention to the smallest detail: The brass bands that encircle the boiler have "rolled" edges--they aren't just flat brass strips. You can see the raised edges glinting in the sun. A feature that absolutely no one would miss if it wasn't there.

JG said...

Come for the pictures, stay for the comments. I love the locomotive minutiae when Chuck and Steve get going. Thank you.

Major, have a good time! Tell the Rich and Famous that I said hello.

Your computer will be fine. When I went out last, I came back to find mine curled up on the couch sound asleep. Didn’t miss me at all.