Thursday, June 26, 2014

The Viewliner: 57 Years Ago Today in 1957



EVERYONE'S heard of the Monorail at Disneyland, but most of today's guests would probably have no idea what The Viewliner was if you asked them. I would call it Walt's temporary solution to a long-term dream. Wanting a futuristic mode of transportation in Tomorrowland, Walt had Bob Gurr quickly concoct this cross between a train and a car. This is how The Viewliner was born, debuting on June 26, 1957.

Doesn't Walt look proud? Probably not as proud as he would be two years later when he rolled out the Monorail.



Here, new meets old, as the two train tracks meet up and allow the C.K. Holliday to run parallel with The Viewliner.



Wouldn't you love to hear what they were saying to each other?



Time to explode into full color with this shot of the Tomorrowland Viewliner (the Fantasyland Viewliner was blue).





This June 1958 Skyway aerial shot has it all.



Taken just 3 months before the Viewliner's early demise, you can see the Fantasyland Viewliner at the Tomorrowland Station.



A closer look at the signage:



My collection is sparse as far as shots of the Fantasyland Station go:



Happy Birthday, Viewliner! You paved the way for the Monorail, and for that, we are grateful!

See more Daveland Disneyland Viewliner photos at my main website.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Check out the coffee mug flag over the yacht bar in the large Tomorrowland pic!

K. Martinez said...

Nice detail catch, Alex! Thanks.