Mine Train & Cascade Peak, August 1961
I have two very nice photos of the Mine Train as it circled Cascade Peak, circa 1961 (when Nature's Wonderland was only about a year old).
I'm guessing our photographer was on Tom Sawyer Island, and he grabbed a quick shot of the very nice scene across the river, marred a little bit by the crewcut-headed boy in the lower left. Darn kid! Shouldn't he be in military school? Somehow, Cascade Peak looks particularly big here (look at the tiny people in the train), I'm sure it helps that the surrounding trees were still small and appropriately-scaled.
Luckily, we get another photo, taken from a lower vantage point (though still on TSI, I guess?), with the plucky little Mine Train chugging its way through spectacular vistas populated with many photogenic critters.
14 comments:
Major-
Two days in-a-row of Cascade Peak. It's a Cascade Peak-palooza-!
Thanks, Major.
Yep, that's the same falls from yesterday's post. We can see the second "sister" falls, to the left, in both pics. Although, we can just make out a sliver of it in the first pic. The falls to the right (in the second pic), would be "Big Thunder" falls, which was discussed yesterday.
Bring back the Mine Train thru Nature's Wonderland, I say! Yeah, like that would ever happen!
Thanks, Major!
Wow, these are nice photos! My first thought was that these look like an elaborate model train setup. My second thought was that, at least the crewcut-headed kid had the good sense to make himself blurry so as to inflict minimal damage to the scene. My third thought was, where are the bighorn sheep? Shouldn't they be leaping from rocky outcrop to rocky outcrop? My fourth thought was, I think we can see the water gong today(?). It isn't red but it's to the left of the Falls. My fifth thought was that, when you mention "trees" and "scale" in the same sentence, you're gonna get all sorts of comments from the Jr. Gs about trees having no scale. BUT NOT FROM ME! No siree! I'm more geniuser than that! My sixth thought was that I'm probably wrong about the water gong again. My seventh thought was that I should move on to the second photo.
I suppose there are "photogenic critters" somewhere along the plucky little Train's route... but not here! I don't see no critters here nohow! Even the AEDs are AWOL.
I'll say it again: Wow! these are nice photos! Thanks, Major.
Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland was a large enough attraction to be considered a "land" in itself. I can't even find the words for how much I loved that part of the park - and how lucky I feel to have been there to see it. Like any good show, it ended with a spectacle - a tour through Rainbow Caverns. There was a shop at the exit that featured fluorescent minerals and other cool items; like a lot of the shops that used to populate the park, you could buy interesting things that didn't necessarily have the "Disney" brand.
I also loved the scale-model town of Rainbow Ridge - I totally bought the illusion, and wanted to live there.
What a place!
JB, you are correct, the Mine’ Train (singular possessive) is the second most elaborate toy train set ever built. It is so greatly missed that even the seagulls in “Finding Nemo” are constantly calling for it… Mine… Mine… Mine…
I can’t make out the gong in either pic, it looks like a brown m&m candy, not red.
Major, Cascade Peak was indeed a very successful bit of forced perspective, more effective at a distance, I think. Still great. Thank you for these!l
Anonymous, yes! One of the best things about the Old Park, interesting and sometimes educational shops with items related to the attractions, but not explicitly Disney merch.
JG
Nanook, I hope all those Gen-Xers don’t show up at Cascade Peak-palooza with their drugs and rock music!
TokyoMagic!, the little waterfall to the right of the bigger fall is a dead giveaway! But thank you for the confirmation! Gosh, can you imagine if they somehow brought back a ride like the Mine Train?? Trouble is, folks would think it was boring, because there aren’t any Wookies.
JB, I think the beauty of the NWRR is that it really is like an elaborate model train setup. You’ve probably seen photos of the beautiful model of the NWRR that is in Walt’s Barn (or at least it used to be) it is quite spectacular. They definitely should have had more bighorn sheep all over Cascade Peak, maybe 200 or so. And they should have been playing electric guitars! I knew somebody would “flag” my comment about trees and scale, I thought it might be Bu, but you did it first. I’m not sure I can see the water gong, sometimes it is very obvious, but it doesn’t really stand out in these pix. To me, anyway. Nope, no critters here, but those folks in the train will see plenty very soon!
Anonymous, while I did ride the MTTNW, I sure wish I’d experienced it many more times! Of course I would have done so if I’d known it was going to close, not sure if there was an announcement beforehand so that the public could get in “one last ride”. Or did it just close, surprising everybody? I totally loved that attraction, and while we are getting some good rides these days, I just can’t see them ever doing anything like the Mine Train again.
JG, I know that the gong is sometimes a rusty red, but I’m not sure it was always that visible… they might have decided that it was too “in your face”, and painted it a stony gray. I’m kind of surprised that the folks in charge of the landscaping weren’t a bit more diligent in keeping the trees surrounding Cascade Peak at a proper size, but… money was an issue I’m sure.
@ JB-
"My seventh thought was that I should move on to the second photo". I've discovered having that many thoughts at the same time makes my head hurt...
"My fourth thought was, I think we can see the water gong today(?)" Put your mind at ease... the Water Motor Gong is located on Big Thunder Falls - which I believe is the first set of waterfalls, and goes above, and over the mine train - not visible in either of today's images... "If you've never gone beneath a waterfall before, then get set, 'cuz we're coming up on Big Thunder - the biggest falls in all these here parts..." But again, I'm no expert.
Indeed Big Thunder went over the Mine Train...and what a cooling experience it was on a hot day. The pics here show the falls after BT and they give you a perspective of what water looks like from the bottom-up while riding the train posted yesterday. Now I'm thinking that I was one of those operators and the locations of the brakes, transmission, sander and speil buttons, etc. Yes, it was more than just putting the train in 'forward'. If it were there today, it would likely be run autonomously and the operator an audio-animatronic (sigh) KS
@ KS-
Thank you for your expert 'testimony'-!
And as for your follow-up comment from yesterday - ain't our memories a bitch-? If I had a nickel for 'some part' of a memory that I was absolutely positive was completely correct, I'd be a very wealthy man. Two Sisters... Three Sisters... it's all the same - unless one notices the 'split' in the falls itself...
And, BTW... Thank YOU so much for being one of "those operators" whose skills and knowledge allowed all 'us guests' to experience that attraction again and again, allowing those visuals to be seared into my memory, too-!
Nanook, I was kind of thinking that the water gong might be visible from the other angle. Thanks for confirming it! I’ve only had two thoughts today so I need to catch up with you guys.
KS, I’m sure that operating a Mine Train was real work, but when I think of “having a job at Disneyland”, being a Mine Train operator sounds like a dream. But you never know, the sweepers have said that they loved their jobs too!
Nanook, I was thinking that maybe the “Three Sisters” referred to a waterfall that dropped once, twice, and a third time, but was much too lazy to do any research. I could have certainly looked up the spiel too!
Here in Orygun, the Three Sisters are mountain peaks in the Cascade Range about 40 or 50 miles to the east of here (Eugene, OR). On clear days you can see them from various points here in Eugene. Quite majestic! One of the "Sisters" has a bulge that is being closely monitored. It's been growing in recent years and might erupt at some point, like Mt. St. Helens did in 1980.
And JB, I see them on the other side living in Sisters!! Hopefully South Sister will keep its top while we are here. Go Ducks! KS
^ The Ducks really are 'going' this year! Hopefully they'll win the Rose Bowl... if they don't explode, like Disneyland's AEDs! You're in Sisters? Wow, you have a ringside seat of the Three Sisters!
Yep...and you live on the 'dark' side! KS
Post a Comment