Viewliner on a Friday

Despite being just about the shortest lived attraction at Disneyland (1957-1958), I really dig the Viewliner. This recently acquired duo screamed my name when I stumbled upon them. ESPECIALLY because of this second shot which shows the Fantasyland Viewliner parked inside while the C.K. Holliday roars ahead.



Also note the "docked" yellow Motor Boat from the nearby Fantasyland Motor Boat Cruise!



R.I.P., dear Viewliner.

See more vintage Disneyland Viewliner photos at my main website.

What Happened To My Vehicle, Pt. 1

Photo #1 for today shows a vintage stat of a Disneyland vehicle on the backlot of the Disney Studios in Burbank. For the life of me, I can't figure out what this ended up being. My guess is that it might have been repurposed by Bob Gurr for the Carnation Gurr-mobile that sat on West Center Street for years, as the bodies are somewhat similar. But like I said, this is only a guess.



From the Mickey Mouse Club Magazine of August 1957 comes this information:

BRAND-NEW OLD AUTOMOBILES: UNIQUE ANTIQUES

Those delightful, brightly-painted antique autos, trucks and buses one sees at Disneyland have a special charm for everyone. It is fun to see them, but even more fun to climb aboard and putt-putt down Main Street toward Sleeping Beauty Caslte. Building them was fun, too.

First, two autos of the period around 1904, with two-cylinder low speed engines, were constructed. All parts were similar to those used in the cars of those early years, but they actualy were brand-new stock parts*. The resulting vehicles were antiques but they were of no particular make of car, and being completely new they were unique. A Carnation delivery truck, in the style of 1910, was also built. Then came a double-decked omnibus patterned after Frnehc and ENglish buses of 1908. It was such a hit all who rode in it that a second one was built. All of these colorful vehicles, designed and constructed by Robert Gurr and a group of experts, are referred to as Gurrmobiles.

*Bob Gurr himself told me that he felt it was much more logical to use standard parts already available than to create something newfangled; his theory (which makes a lotta' sense) was that whenever something was broken or needed to be replaced, it would be much easier to repair.

Next up are two vintage shots of (once again, guessing) a vehicle that could have been what was refurbished into the Bekins Storage Truck.





Here is the Bekins Truck in Town Square:





When Global Van Lines replaced Bekins, a completely different (and motorized) vehicle was used:





I am sure there are a few readers out there who know if there are correlations or not between the vintage shots taken on the Burbank lot and the vehicles in the park...

See more vintage & current Disneyland Behind-The-Scenes/Construction photos on my Disneyland Construction web page.

The Motorized Fire Engine: A 55 Year Celebration!

August 16th marked the 55th Anniversary of the introduction of the Motorized Fire Engine to the Main Street, U.S.A. fleet of vehicles. Today's post is a tribute to this venerable mode of transportation, which still carries guests from Town Square to Central Plaza. According to the Disney publicity machine, Walt Disney loved to drive it around the park in the morning before opening.

Its design was inspired by a 1916 hose-carrying fire engine. The primary change we made was to place seats where the hose was carried. The Studio men designed a chassis, then pored through standard catalogues for unlikely, but practical equipment – a jeep rear axel, a three-speed truck transmission, the power plant of a small pick-up truck and standard drive-line parts. The bell and siren are authentic, purchased after considerable search. At the turn of the century, gas-driven cars were considered a novelty—and a hazard—lacking the reliability of a horse.



Here's one of Richard Nixon driving his family around Town Square during a 1961 visit:



The Eisenhower Family 1961:



A September 1965 shot of the Fire Engine parked in front of City Hall:



Zooming in for a closeup of the vehicle and its signage:



From March 1968:



It has often been used in parades, as seen in these July 15, 1968 FauxD© images:





How about this batch of Disney Legends, from a ceremony commemorating the 40th Anniversary of Pirates of the Caribbean, March 18, 2007? Alice Davis, X. Atencio, Harriet Burns, Blaine Gibson, and Bob Gurr:



A contemporary close-up of the Fire Engine #1 lettering:



Thanks for the many trips up and down Main Street, U.S.A.; here's to another 55 years of trusty service!

See more vintage & current Disneyland Main Street, U.S.A. photos on my Main Street, U.S.A. web pages.

The Aerotrain: A Source of Inspiration

The September 1955 GM Powerama in Chicago was one of the largest of its kind, lasting 26 days at a cost of $7 million dollars. Some of the highlights included the first solar-powered electric car, a tractor hoe-down with choreographed tractors square dancing, a Bulldozer vs. elephant event, and the GM Aerotrain (see above photo), designed by Chuck Jordan (Chief Designer of Special Projects).

According to advertisements, The Aerotrain was supposed to...

"help railroads solve the problem of a $700 million yearly loss in passenger service.

Pulled by a General Motors Diesel locomtoive, this new 10-coach Aerotrain brings an entirely new concept of speed, comfort, safety and economy to rail travel. It's light, lower and faster — and a novel Air-Suspension system gives you the smoothest, most comfortable ride you've ever had.

Forty passengers per coach travel in air-conditioned comfort at sustained speeds of 100 miles an hour and better."



In March 1956 the Aerotrain made experimental runs for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in California as a San Diegan between Los Angeles (see photo above) and San Diego. Because the trainset had to be turned after each trip and it needed helper locomotives on the Sorrento Grade north of San Diego, the Aerotrain run between the two cities was short-lived. Here it is in San Diego:



In the summer of 1957 Union Pacific ran the Aerotrain as the City of Las Vegas between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Here's a vintage photo of it at Union Station in LA:



Bob Gurr fell in love with the design of the Aerotrain and it served as his inspiration for the (also) short-lived Viewliner at Disneyland. Bob told me that Chuck Jordan, the Aerotrain designer, passed away a few years ago.

Despite what the ads promised, the Aerotrains were rough riding and uncomfortable. Because of the design, routine maintenance was difficult, and the train was underpowered. The Aerotrain was retired in 1966 and has become the stuff of romantic legend.

See more vintage & current Disneyland New Orleans Square photos on my New Orleans Square web pages.

Trip Report: Dress Like Walt Event

For many, December 5 is just another date on the calendar. For Disney Geeks, it's the day that it all started: Walt Disney's birthday. In honor of the genius behind the movies and theme parks, a group of Disney aficionados got together at Disneyland for a "Dress Like Walt" event to celebrate Walt's birthday. The fun began thanks to the generosity of Armand and his wife Robbin (wearing the required vintage clothing), who put together a collection of photographs from Candlelight to present to orchestra director Nancy Sulahian.



She was overwhelmed by the gift, and said that Candlelight was a career highlight for her. The book contained photos from my collection as well as those of Joe Flowers, who is shown here signing Nancy's book.





It was a real honor to meet Nancy in person, and she was just as gracious as one would expect.





The next part of the event had us all gathering in front of the Walt/Mickey Statue in Buena Vista Plaza at DCA.



The outfits everyone put together were real showstoppers, causing even the cast members to join in our picture taking fun.







Thanks to a few strings pulled by event attendee and Disney Legend Bob Gurr, we were able to spend some time in 1901. Each time I took a photo and he was within earshot, Bob was able to tell the shutter speed just by the sound. This guy is a genius.



The Christmas Tree had a not-so-hidden Mickey ornament adorning it:





Seeing the guests in their vintage finery was like stepping back in time.







Bob's outfit was a tribute to what Walt would typically wear at the studio.



1901 really is a beautiful lounge to kick back and enjoy some down-time from a day at the park(s).



The displays are very well done, and give guests plenty to look at while relaxing and sipping their cocktails:





Before we knew it, twas time to park hop and get to our dinner destination of Club 33. Waiting outside the door, I was able to enjoy my favorite area of Disneyland: New Orleans Square:



We could see inside of the Club through a window above:



Once inside, everyone marveled over the beautiful centerpieces, put together by the talented Del Langdale:



The Club looked extra festive, decorated for the holidays:





The buffet dinner stations were in The Trophy Room, allowing me time to snap photos while filling up my plate with the delicious entrees and side dishes.





The guys at the Pasta Station were full of personality, which matched their ability to whip up a tasty tortellini concoction with marinara sauce and shallots.



Armand also presented Bob Gurr a copy of his Candlelight photo tribute; you'll note Armand's dog Dakota in the photo, too. Naturally, since Dakota's birthday is also on December 5, she had to attend the dinner!



Michaela and her husband Matt, two-thirds of the Tours Departing Daily trio, looked as picture-perfect as the photographs that they display daily on their website:





As the hostess and host of the evening, it was no surprise that Grace and her husband Dale looked absolutely stunning:





And as if there hadn't been enough fun already, there was a prize raffle to boot! Here, Bunnie shows off her prize booty:



A red velvet cake was wheeled out at the conclusion to provide a sweet ending to the event:



As we hesitantly left the Club at the end of the evening, we took a few more photos on the Club's staircase:





A painting of the original Royal Street Bachelors graces the wall; you can almost hear them playing when you look at it:



I was really looking forward to shooting photos on the way out of the park, when it would be virtually empty from guests. That was, until a cast member from the Club announced that there would be NO PHOTOS allowed as he escorted us to the front gate. I think my face says it all.



Despite that minor disappointment, it was a wonderful evening and a fantastic way to celebrate the birthday of Walt Disney.

See more Dress Like Walt Event photos on my Dress Like Walt web page.