Main Street Station, July 1963
Let's imagine that it's 1963, and we've just parked our Rolls Royce Silver Wraith (a fun little car with pep) in the Disneyland parking lot. After a brief (but exciting!) tram ride to the front gates, and a few minutes in line at the ticket booths, we're through the turnstiles and finally officially in the park. Say, look at that train up there! It's the E.P. Ripley, believe it or not. The population sign reads "33,000,000", which is more than your typical midwestern towns.
"Boooooaaaaarrrrrd!". The train is underway, starting its Grand Circle Tour around the park. As usual I admire those posters. If anybody has a spare Tiki Room poster that they don't need, I'll take it off of their hands! Yes, I will give my Beanie Baby collection in trade. An unruly plant is growing between the Jungle Cruise and Golden Horseshoe posters, which is odd to see.
+++++++++++++++++++
EXTRA! EXTRA! I only just learned (via the comments and a "special alert" from Sue B.) that today is Steve DeGaetano's birthday. Rather than sharing a photo from an old birthday party, I went into my folders of scans and found this nice train-related image - it's the Durango Silverton Railroad, from August, 1963. What a beauty! Normally I might try to do a bit of research on this locomotive, but I was caught off-guard, so for now I hope Steve will enjoy the picture. Happy Birthday, Steve!
15 comments:
Well technically, we didn't park our Rolls Royce, our chauffeur did. Major, be a good fellow and tip him handsomely, will you?
Like the other day, we have a mostly naked floral Mickey. Somebody throw a tarp over that Mouse!... Or some Miracle-Gro! That carpet of pink flowers (petunias?) looks nice! Why is that lady wearing a plastic rain bonnet? There doesn't appear to be a cloud in the sky. Maybe she doesn't want the wind to muss up her hair. I think a little bit of mussed up hair would look better than the plastic bonnet.
Maybe that unruly plant was deliberatey put there to liven up the water-stained retaining wall? Probably not, there doesn't appear to be any other plants trailing down the wall. While your offer of your Beanie Baby collection is tempting, I believe I will hang onto my five Tiki Room posters.
Pretty pictures, today. Thanks, Major.
Why is that lady wearing a plastic rain bonnet? There doesn't appear to be a cloud in the sky.
JB, she had "just washed her hair and couldn't do a thing with it!" :-)
“This I do for me” but no one else may see.
She just - didn’t - wash her hair…those nets were to keep the “granny fluff” ‘do in place all week, even while sleeping.
Nice look at the Mickey Floral of the time (… apparently while I was gestating away for a few more weeks). I recently finished reading about Ruth Shellhorn, the woman who planted that, and designed the rest of Disneyland’s landscape architecture; this version seems very concerned about drainage.
MS
It’s good to see the Santa Fe sign prominently displayed. It always made the Park more real to me. I can hear the bell and the Announcer’s voice now. This is how you know you are at Disneyland.
My chauffeur declined an entry ticket, he said he preferred to stay by the vehicle and polish the coachwork. Stiff upper lip, that.
The floral Mickey is planted out in the usual purple and white alyssum, which are perennial or at least biennial. I agree with JB, the pink flowers are probably petunias. The lawn is looking a little peaked. I felt sorry for the gardener that had to mow that steep slope. Of course, now it’s all artificial turf, saves water, labor, and fertilizer, while looking good year around. Now that you mention it, drainage on a design like that would be critical. I wonder how it was irrigated in the early years before the elaborate drip systems we have now?
The retaining wall is looking grubby too, rust and cracks at the fence posts, and water stains at the weep holes. Bad show, and yet I never noticed. Always in a hurry to get to the bobsleds.
Great pics today, right down to the Tiki Room poster. Mine is an 8.5 X 11 laser print in a cheap frame. Thank you Major!
JG
Oh, man! the photographer just barely missed catching the entire E.P. Ripley, slightly cutting off it's front! But it's always nice seeing a photo of my absolute most-favorite locomotive on my birthday!
Happy Birthday, Steve!
The color in these photos is wonderful! I once parked my car in the closest parking space to the Main Gate entrance. it was center and front. The ticket booths and turnstiles were just steps away.
Thanks, Major!
Happy birthday Steve. I don't have a favorite locomotive, and what do they call train enthusiasts? Motive Heads? Will have to look into that. The floral Mickey - which didn't need to be messed with as it is "classic" pie eye Mickey - at first I thought were begonias...but upon closer inspection, I do think they are petunias. And yes, as JG has said: classic white and purple alyssum...which propagates just fine where I am, and then just goes to hell after that..."I tried". I love the smell of alyssum, and when I smell it, it reminds me of walking past this space. I love the smell of petunias as well: which isn't strong, but it is delightful, and reminds me of childhood at the farm: where it was the only decorative flower grown. That must be a thing for "real" farms: only grow what you are growing for food. Let the fruit trees have their flowers to bring the pollinators. In any case: that wall in front yes: does look a bit ragged and stained. And that odd "hanging plant" is most definitely odd...it HAS to be purposeful...but why. Need to dig in. I'm glad they painted the wall green...concrete against the asphalt was a bit stark and coupled with chain link gives it all kind of a prison decor vibe: which is a look...but maybe not for the entry of the most famous "Land" on earth. I'm not sure plastic hat granny is actually plastic. Could it be lacy something or tulle? I remember those little tiny plastic purses, that contained a very tightly folded up plastic hat for when it DID rain...but I don't see any folds in it, so I think it is to keep the "do" in "do". Glasses/NASA guy seems like he would be an employee, but I guess all the guys looked like that back then: or a form of it. Since the Tiki Room is open, and isn't sponsored by United (at least not on this poster) we can get close to dating it. They do a good job on artificial turf these days, but part of the joy of the lawn is cutting it, and the smell and the fight to keep it going and green. I suppose in all small villages there are "turf wars", and I am no exception: with all the guys vying for the best lawn. Although I understand that Disneyland wants to be "green" by NOT having a actual green, but I'm not sure if that's where I would save my money...there are plenty of other places in the Park. This is your Main Entrance for heavens sakes. Kind of the same thing for the tree at Christmas....it was so awesome to smell the tree, and hear guests commenting: "JEEZ....it IS real"....I get all the reasons why, but I don't have to like it. There are two fonts for Adventureland...one "Jungley" and the other "Tiki-y"...never really registered before, and I will have to consider which one I like best.... The Main Entrance is always a treat to see: it takes me back to a different time and place for sure. Thanks Major.
Thanks for the swell photo of D&S 473 Major! This is one of 10 K-28 2-8-2 "Mikado"-type steam locomotives built by ALCO (the American Locomotive Company) in 1923, so the engine is a spry 40 years old in this photo!
Thanks K. Martinez and Bu! Bu, train enthusiasts are called "railfans," although sometimes you might see the term "foamer" thrown around (as in we foam at the mouth upon seeing a train. Can't say I disagree).
Actually Major, the train isn't starting it's Grand Circle Tour, it's just ending it, as the train glides into the station.
Happy Birthday Steve!
MS
JB, sometimes I like to park the Rolls Royce and give Jeeves a break. He always chuckles and gets a kick out of it. “VERY droll, sir!”. The floral Mickey isn’t looking so great, maybe it was a jot July? I’m often surprised at how often that famous feature looks less than “good”. The plastic rain bonnet might have been there if there was a breeze? I don’t ever remember seeing a plant growing over the edge of that planter before, which is why it stands out so much. Rip it out! I will throw in my Cabbage Patch dolls (along with the Beanie Babies) for one of your Tiki Room posters!
TokyoMagic!, I never knew what that meant when I was a kid. Can ladies only “do something” with their hair when it isn’t clean?
Anonymous (MS?), whoa.
MS, my grandma always had a plastic “rain bonnet” in her purse (even in SoCal), just in case. She spent a lot of time at her beauty parlor, and was always “put together”, so I’m sure the idea of messy hair would have been too much. I read about Ruth Shellhorn in Chris Merritt’s book, she really got a raw deal. I felt bad for her.
JG, yes, I always love seeing the Santa Fe signs and logos, as if those were the days when all was right in the world. Now I’m wondering if wealthy people actually did have their chauffeurs drop them off near the ticket booths! I’ll bet it happened. I also like the old Mickey floral design, and am less fond of the updated look. Is ours the same as Florida’s now? I haven’t bothered to compare. You see a lot of fake grass in various planters around the park, but you can still see the real thing now and then. Somehow the artificial turf in front of the Haunted Mansion really looks crummy, but I get it - they are trying to save water. We’ve seen the retaining wall with various shades of paint, sometimes green, sometimes, terra cotta, sometimes a light gray. I’m not sure why they seemed OK with it looking so messy much of the time.
Steve DeGaetano, so why is the E.P. Ripley your favorite? I’m not sure I have a clear favorite, but I do tend to lean toward the C.K. Holliday. Maybe just because it’s #1?
K. Martinez, did you get to the park super early to get such a prime parking spot??
Bu, it seems strange to me that they changed the classic pie-eyed Mickey in the planter to the less-appealing (in my opinion) version that they use now. I guess most people probably don’t notice any difference, but that’s why I’m a dork. I don’t ever remember actually smelling the flowers in the floral portrait, but they now have a queue and a photographer to take guest’s photos - I suppose it’s a solution to something that had turned into a problem - this way you can have your well-composed photo if you are willing to wait a little bit. Which is nice. Maybe the paint on the wall was prone to peeling after a short while? Clearly moisture was an issue, unless they used a special paint. I think my grandma’s plastic “rain hat” rolled up into a tiny package, and was held shut via a snap. In fact I’m almost sure of it. Artificial turf, one of my neighbors replaced his lawn with “astro-turf”, and it has weeds! Dandelions and thistles (or something thistle-like) are now popping up, especially around the edges. Now the guy has to weed his fake lawn! I do love the smell of fresh-cut grass, though I was not crazy about having to mow the lawn as a kid. I guess it was “character building”. Same with shoveling snow, which truly sucked.
Steve DeGaetano, I had the feeling you would know all about that locomotive! It might have even appeared on GDB before, but I’m not certain. Thanks to other “railfans”, I’ve become an “junior railfan” myself!
Steve DeGaetano, NOTED.
MS, YES.
Major, I am a big fan of the Victorian era, and the E.P. Ripley, modeled on a coal burner and with that amazing brass-capped smokestack, just seemed to exude "industrial revolution." I like all the engines, of course, but the Ripley's proportions and detailing, different from the C.K. Holliday, just always seemed perfect to me.
Major, Yes in the early years (70's/80's) before annual passes became a thing, I usually arrived at the parking lot entrance 1.5 hours before park opening (6:30 a.m.). Many times I was the first and able to park super close to the Main Gate entrance. Now that doesn't apply with the parking lot being far away and many folks get to the two park entrances far earlier these days.
It’s interesting that the Enchanted Tiki Room poster is missing the “Presented by United Air Lines—the extra care airline” text as United sponsored the attraction from the get-go (June 23. 1963). Perhaps, United’s deal wasn’t finalized until after the opening or those involved were waiting for contract or marketing approval.
Post a Comment