When Disneyland first opened, the Casey Jr. Circus Train took guests on a sightseeing journey of…dirt. Storybook Land was still almost a year away, and was initially titled both Canal Boats of America and Canal Boats of the World. Whichever it was, the banks of dirt provided zilcho scenery. That’s ok…Casey provided enough hills and thrills of its own. In the below shot from December 26, 1955, guests had to settle on taking pics of Casey and its passengers, as the dirt banks with little tufts of grass did not make for a very pretty photo!
This genuine FauxD© image from 1955 shows just how bare Canal Boats of the [fill-in-the-blank] looked, and how rickety the track for Casey appeared with nothing to surround it! Guests were probably a tad nervous sitting in an open-air vehicle riding over the wooden trestle bridge.
Another 1955 image:
I wouldn’t be pushing on the cage doors too hard!
Regardless of the lack of scenery, guests still lined up for Casey Jr.:
This detailed shot shows the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship still had some decorative work to be completed even after the Park first opened:
The flags that decorated the perimeter were the only indication of the “World” theme:
By the summer of 1956, the Storybook theme was installed, which benefitted both attractions.
…and yet, this train appears to be running empty!
This Skyway shot shows off the beautifully landscaped Patchwork Quilt:
A couple of lovebirds practically have the entire train to themselves:
A nice detailed view of Cinderella’s Castle and the French Village below it:
A guest aims his camera at…yet another empty train.
Early Disneyland cast member and Daveland initial contributor, the late “Cox Pilot,” gave this information about the box sitting at the lower center of the above photo (detail view below):
I remember that Bronco was one of the early mower companies (now Troy-Built). If you look real close, squint a little, you can just make out a picture of what looks like a mower (just on the lower left). I would suggest that this box was used for garden stuff, but originally was a parts box for a Bronco "Certified" 250 (you can also just make out "250" on the lower right).
Where are all the guests? Either this was a test run or perhaps guests lost interest once the rickety trestle bridges were gone!
See more Disneyland Casey Jr. Circus Train photos at my main website.
2 comments:
Wow - another great photo montage-! If 'a picture is worth a thousand words' - there are about 16K+ words, here. (And a reference to the much-missed Cox Pilot).
Thanks, Dave.
Of all the starting people to be at DL, I would think Bill Evans was the single most pleased to see how his creation progressed. That whole park, and all the foliage he and Ruth Shellhorn installed, had to be a real joy to see develop over the years. Chances are those cage car doors are still more stable than anything Boeing's made recently. I would not have noticed that scaffold if you hadn't pointed it out. I love that 11th pic but for other reasons; I'm pretty sure that's Owen and Dolly Pope's ranch house in the background. If not THE house, then one on their property. I believe THE house was moved to the interior of CM parking at TDA off of Ball Road. It's open for the public to see, but only under certain conditions, not normally open at all times. That's great that Cox Pilot's recollections can still benefit us, he was a real piece of living Disney history on this site.
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