Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Wednesday WOW: The Chemical Wagon



I’m going to guess that this December 1954 shot of the Chemical Wagon is from the Disney lot in Burbank; the closeup detail shot shows what appears to be some movie lights. Personally, the Burbank lot shots showing vehicles and figures out of their Anaheim element have always seemed a little bizarre to me...but I love seein’ them! Hope you do too.



Amazingly enough, this beauty is still around, safely ensconced in the Town Square Firehouse:



See more Disneyland photos at my website.

4 comments:

Vintage Disneyland Tickets said...

Those early studio shots of the Disneyland stuff do have a weird feel to them, a true reminder that the park is one big movie set!

And idea when the stopped running the Chemical Wagon and why? Great post, thanks!

Major Pepperidge said...

That Chemical Wagon IS a beauty. And Tim, I guess we should be grateful, a friend told me that in Florida they no longer run ANY Main Street Vehicles (including the horse-drawn streetcars and omnibuses).

CoxPilot said...

A three-up hitch is a tricky thing. One has to have three horses matched in pulling and personality, or the whole thing goes off balance. You get one of the three on a bad day, and it's a wreck waiting to happen.
Add in the more feisty personality of miniature horses, and you can understand why Disney stopped using them around the public. I've had Mini's for a long time, and they are a wonderful animal. However; they are NOT easy keepers.

Daveland said...

Tim - From what I remember, the Chemical Wagon was taken out of commission for awhile, then eventually restored and still used on rare occasions. I don't know of any dates though. David - what a bummer! I will be sure to get a full report when I go to WDW in January.