Monday, December 23, 2013

Dumbo and the Skyway



Today's post is another salute to the Fantasyland Skyway Station, the cute little Swiss Chalet that is about to go bye-bye. They way termites...I say neglect. In the vintage aerial view, you can see the Station smack-dab between Storybook Land and Nature's Wonderland.

Here's some early Bruce Bushman concept art:



Interesting to note that in both pieces of art, the Stations (Tomorrowland and Fantasyland) are featured.



At first, this image looks like a shot of the Dumbo attraction:



the beauty of it is that it also captured the construction of the Fantasyland Skyway station. Note the curious guests who have stopped to watch the activity:



This Dumbo shot from late 1956 shows the complete Station in living color:



Zooming in for a detailed view of the Chalet:



Two more Skyway station photos, disguised as shots of the Dumbo Flying Elephants attraction:







One of my favorite Skyway shots shows New York Opera publicist Constance Hope and The Begum Aga Khan, on February 7, 1957:



Another satisfied Skyway customer waves to her friend, with a helicopter hovering over Tomorrowland in the background:



Last Skyway shot for today gives a dizzying view over the Submarine Voyage lagoon, circa September 1959:



See more vintage Skyway photos on my Skyway web page.

3 comments:

  1. Anytime you post something about the Skyway, it' a winner with me.

    It's hard to believe Skyway has been gone for nearly 20 years now. It's still the one Disneyland attraction I miss the most. As far as the Swiss Chalet goes, it's too bad they didn't find a way to utilize it. Oh well! I've become kind of jaded about the whole thing and what Disneyland does with their past these days.

    Thanks for the great pics today.

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  2. Ken - Ditto...I feel a bit jaded as well on the whole thing; once the Carnation Bandstand was removed, it shifted how I feel about the park.

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  3. I remember that helicopter very faintly. The markings brought back the memory.

    Any idea what that was? An airport shuttle perhaps?

    JG

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