One of the lesser-known transportation cuts at Disneyland was the extended route of the Omnibus. This duo of July 1957 images shows the Omnibus in Town Square. Nothing strange about that! However, the next shot clearly shows it in the middle of Fantasyland, near the Fantasyland Autopia!
Before the construction of the Matterhorn, the Omnibus took guests right into Fantasyland, as seen in this 1958 shot:
This December 1957 shows Snow Hill (eventually the Matterhorn) on the left and the Monsanto House of the Future at right.
Shot from the Skyway (more on that in a minute), you can see it near the Alice attraction, circa July 1958:
This provides a great segue into one of my largest transportation disappointments at Disneyland. When Toon Town opened in 1993, it had the Jolly Trolley, which took guests around the new land. It didn’t take long for the Park to bolt this little cutie to the ground and turn it into a photo op:
I wish…oh how I wish…that instead of bolting it down, the Disney Corporation would have seen fit to expand its tracks to have the Troller run all the way to Central Plaza. Once at Central Plaza, there is no good way (other than walking) to get to Toon Town.
The Skyway opened in the Summer of 1956:
Guests could soar over the Park from Fantasyland:
All the way to Tomorrowland, as seen in this July 1957 image. What a great way to save time, steps, and get some incredible views!
This one is probably a debatable transportation cut, as it really falls more into the attraction category. Still…for a nice leisurely cruise, the Motor Boat Cruise operated in one form or another from 1955—1993. The Skyway afforded this overhead shot from August 1956:
Loving this 1960s shot with the Monorail AND the Motor Boat Cruise dock all together:
Last time I saw it, the Motor Boat Cruise dock was just rust and decay. Here’s an interesting idea…with the Autopia sorely needing an update, how about creating a vehicle that goes on land AND water. Since both attractions use a track for the vehicles, I wouldn’t think a hybrid would be all that difficult.
Finally, the most mourned loss of Transporation in Tomorrowland is the PeopleMover. Circa July 1968:
August 1969 gives a great view of the Rocket Rods when they used to soar majestically over the center of Tomorrowland, and the Mary Blair murals on the right:
This 1969 images shows the PeopleMover entering the attraction building. So much to see on this slow little attraction!
The PeopleMover was changed into the Rocket Rods in 1998; they were a bomb, and ended up shuttering the entire thing by September 2000.
Today, the decaying/crumbling tracks are all that are left of this one.
Did I miss any?
See more Disneyland photos at my main website.
Great stuff here, Dave. Always amazing photos-Adam from LA
ReplyDeleteWhat a great series of images, which only showcases the neglect the Walt Disney Company has recently shown to the once cutting-edge and proudly-operated Disneyland.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone here ride on the Omnibus to Fantasyland? Just curious. That Jolly Trolley was a mistake, pure and simple. I rode on it. The gimmick was that it would rock back and forth like a cartoon trolley would. The reality was a guaranteed back injury for all. I never understood the intent behind renaming the Fantasyland train depot to ToonTown depot when it absolutely does not exit into ToonTown. Look at that LINE to get to the skyway buckets. It's like the men's room at Oktoberfest, it just goes on and on. One of the wiser things Disney did in the last 20 years was take Tomorrowland back to the general palette of the 1967 version.
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