Bye-bye Alweg

The Monorail cruises by the it's a small world attraction, circa June 1970. Zooming in to see the bubble (another detail obsession of mine), I noticed that “Alweg” was still part of the attraction name.



Still there in August 1975:



…and the bubble, too!



But as you can see in the genuine ©FauxD image from July 1978…



Alweg had gotten the boot!



See more Disneyland Monorail photos at my main website.

Monorail Monday

 

I rarely look for "new" vintage Disneyland shots anymore; I guess I have become jaded. However, this undated photo from 1960s Disneyland was love at first sight. The cast member standing near the bubble of the Red Monorail. Wow! I can only guess that since there are no guests in sight, either they had all just exited the Monorail or it was a very light day!

   

 See more Disneyland Monorail photos at my main website.

Disneyland Entrance, September 1964

No April Fools here; just a vintage September 1964 shot of the entrance area to Disneyland. I love being able to stretch one image into at least three. My first inclination was to zero in on the gorgeous Red Monorail, which was only five years old at the time. And that classic auto - what a beauty! I also noticed a blurry sign being looked at carefully by a guest. What was it?



Cropping into a different area of the image I was able to see that it was an information board. I still can't entirely read the durn thing, but at least I know what it is! Can you imagine being able to drive your car this close to the entrance?



As a bonus, here’s an October 1966 shot of a family looking slightly bored at the entrance. You can just hear them saying, “Dad, put the camera away! We want to go to Disneyland!"



But wait folks, that’s not all! Here’s ANOTHER 1960s shot of the entrance, this one hailing from 1963. These two ladies do not look happy that their entrance to the Park has been halted by a photographer. Seems to be a theme here.



Forget about them. Let’s zero in on the attraction posters and the barricade, shall we:



See more Disneyland entrance photos at my main website.

Cleaning Up The Lagoon, 1964

In early 1964, the Submarine Voyage attraction at Disneyland turned 5; apparently it was time to clean out the lagoon and give things a tuneup. This February 1964 image gives us three stand-alone detail shots to enjoy, with the first one being the Skyway Buckets with the Tomorrowland Station in the background.



Here we see three different modes of Disneyland transportation: the Red Monorail, the Autopia, and the Disneyland Railroad. All three are still in operation today. Wow!



The last view shows the subs themselves in dry dock with the lagoon completely drained.



This other image, most likely taken from the Skyway too, gives a different vantage point of the drained lagoon.



A detailed view of the equipment for all of you vintage mechanical geeks out there!



See more vintage Disneyland Submarine Voyage photos at my main website.

Monorail Madness

Today is as good a day as any to celebrate the Monorail. This August 1960 shot shows my very favorite cool-blue Monorail gliding into the Tomorrowland Station.

A two year jump yields this 1962 shot of the red Monorail; looks like a pretty quiet day at the Park!



The last one for today was most likely taken from a Skyway bucket, giving us a nice aerial shot of Fantasyland.



Cropping in a little tighter gives us a better view of the red Monorail as well as the Motor Boat Cruise attraction:



Craving more Monorail shots? Ride on over to my main website and see more photos of the Monorail at Disneyland.

The (not so great) Mystery of 1961

This one image has it all; a beautiful closeup of the Red Monorail:



And a great shot of the Skyway buckets as they sail through the Matterhorn:



According to the seller, this shot is from 1961, and also came with this view from the Skyway of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship:



I don't see any part of Skull Rock, which was completed in December 1960. This would make me guess it is either from 1959 or 1960. These are the kinds of things that keep me up at night. I need some serious therapy.

See more Daveland Monorail photos at my main website.

Dapper at The Disneyland Hotel

This recently acquired batch of slides is a mystery. Taken in June of 1966 at the Disneyland Hotel, I have no idea who this dapper dressed gent is.



This has to be more than just a tourist's casual set of shots, as there are more than ten shots of this guy, spanning at least two different rolls of film.



I wonder what that roll of paper in his hands is?



If nothing else, he seems to be in a good mood...



even if he is blocking a perfectly good shot of the Red Monorail!



If you know who this is, please leave a comment!



Just a reminder as time closes in on my Dapper Day Photo Contest. Readers can submit photos to my email (dvdpicasso@aol.com) in vintage attire, and the winner would get my photo services for the day at this year's Dapper Day at Disneyland on Sunday, February 24th. Don't delay!

See more vintage and current Disneyland Hotel photos on my Disneyland Hotel photo web page.

A Vision of Beauty!

Normally, I feel the need to post multiple photos each day. Today's image stands alone very well, don't you think? This July 1962 shot of both the red and blue Monorails is probably one of my favorites from my collection. The cascading waterfall from the Submarine Voyage in the background is a nice bonus for this amazing composition, don't you think?

See more vintage & current Disneyland Monorail photos on my Monorail web page.

Summer of '59 at Disneyland

The Summer of '59 was a highpoint in Disneyland history. Some of the most iconic attractions all opened on the same day. Amazingly enough, each one of those attractions is still in existence: The Monorail, The Matterhorn, and The Subs. Rumors have begun that the Subs might hit the chopping block. In their original form, I would be sad. To lose Nemo would generate no tears here. Back to the images...

The Gurley is pulling into the Main Street Station. I have no idea how the photographer got this vantage point. He is either extremely tall, or climbed up onto something he probably shouldn't have.

These little tots look like they came straight out of the Addams Family. Have you ever seen a more grim bunch at the Happiest Place on Earth?!?





Once again, this angle seems suspect, as if it were taken from a higher than possible vantage point.



I had to zoom into the clock face; note the plug for Timex.



Over in Tomorrowland, this shot layers in the newly christened Red Monorail, the Subs, and a few Autopia vehicles waiting to be revved up.



Even on the Autopia, this little girl looks absolutely melancholy.



Flying back to Fantasyland from Tomorrowland, after 1959, it was possible to sail through the Matterhorn.



The Twain looks extremely patriotic with its summertime bunting.





Drat! I can't zoom into the dead body at the Burning Cabin!



Just around the bend is the Indian Settlement.



Over at the Jungle Cruise, there are a few random (but somewhat typical) shots.







This one did surprise me, though. I don't ever recall seeing the lion upside down on the BBQ. Almost as gruesome as the lions feasting on the dead zebra. I'm all for a little dark humor, but I can't say I miss seeing this particular scene!



See more vintage and current Disneyland photos on my Disneyland web page.