Bomb Shelter?

[TikiBears]

When i was at the Magic Kingdom not too long ago, i was waiting in the queue line at the Frontierland train satation. A careless castmember left her control/podium door open exposing important MK phone numbers. One of the top numbers said "BOMBSHELTER".
I remember taking a backstage tour years ago and the guide explaining that during MK planning and construction the Vietnam war was going on and that under the Main Street Train Station was in fact "the parks bomb shelter". Im not talking about the :veryconfu utilidores here.
I guess my question is if it is open and used for anything by Disney? storage, sweatshops, etc. :veryconfu

 

[Woody13]

When i was at the Magic Kingdom not too long ago, i was waiting in the queue line at the Frontierland train satation. A careless castmember left her control/podium door open exposing important MK phone numbers. One of the top numbers said "BOMBSHELTER".
I remember taking a backstage tour years ago and the guide explaining that during MK planning and construction the Vietnam war was going on and that under the Main Street Train Station was in fact "the parks bomb shelter". Im not talking about the :veryconfu utilidores here.
I guess my question is if it is open and used for anything by Disney? storage, sweatshops, etc. :veryconfu

Actually, it wasn't the Vietnam War that accounted for the bomb shelter, but rather, the "Cold War". For many years both the USSR and the USA had ICBM's pointed at each other tipped with nuclear devices. We lived under the threat of MAD or Mutually Assured Destruction if either power decided to "push the button". In the USA a number of agencies were created at the federal level to train and equip the civilian population in an attempt to survive a nuclear attack.

The Office of Civil Defense was one of these agencies. Part of their job was to identify both public and private buildings that could be used to protect the civilian population in the event of an attack. These buildings were often underground parking garages. The idea was to get into a low area so that the nuclear blast would ride over you.

Once a building was designated as a bomb shelter (known as "Fallout Shelters") by the Office of Civil Defense, a metal sign was attached to the building:

<TABLE height=221 cellPadding=0 width=700 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=700 height=39>

<B><BIG><BIG>Civil Defense Fallout Shelter Sign (ca. 1960s)</BIG></BIG></B>


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http://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/civildefense/shelte1.jpg


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These buildings were equipped with emergency food supplies, water, candles, cigarettes and most importantly each shelter had a Geiger counter! The idea was that you might have to stay in that shelter for a LONG time until the radiation levels outside became safe. That's the reason they provided the Geiger counter! Both MK and EPCOT had areas designated as "Fallout Shelters".

Anyway, by the mid 1980's all the shelters were dismantled.

 

[LilWalt]

very interesting

 

[Captain Hank]

I'm guessing Epcot's is the tunnel between the two Innoventions buildings?

 

[TikiBears]

Great info! So, in a nut shell. Your saying that the U.S. and the Russian Federation no longer have ICBMs pointed at each other? AND that the MK bombshelter has been dismantled? How do you dismantle a bomb shelter without the Train Station on top of it being disturbed?

 

[MrNonacho]

Isn't the one in MK the WDW Railroad break room?

 

[TikiBears]

Ive seen the break room on park level. There is a really cool mural on the wall if i remember right.

 

[Woody13]

Great info! So, in a nut shell. Your saying that the U.S. and the Russian Federation no longer have ICBMs pointed at each other? AND that the MK bombshelter has been dismantled? How do you dismantle a bomb shelter without the Train Station on top of it being disturbed?

All very good points! Yes, we still live with the threat of ICBM's being launched, but the federal government would prefer we not think about the problem. The new threat is "evil doers".

Also, the term that I used "dismantled" was not correct. No changes to the buildings were made. The buildings just lost the "fallout shelter" designation and all the supplies were removed.

 

[PhotoDave219]

No, this is the Train Engineers/Research breakroom thats under teh train station. Its called that because its like a bomb could go off outside and you'd never know it in there..... Drag a table across teh upstairs floor however....

 

[TikiBears]

Ahhhh, i see Woody13 and by the way the only "evil doers" that im really concerned about is current Disney management.
AS for PhotoDave219, is there the feeling/ vibe that the current break room originally had a different purpose?

 

[PhotoDave219]

Yes, back in the day it was used by management before they went upstairs. But that was decades ago.

My general impression, after spending lots of hours in there is that the Engineers are by far the best department in Disney.

 

[TikiBears]

Dave, would you mind breaking that down a bit more for me, im super interested just not completely following? The break room WAS used for MK management? What engineers are the best? the train engineers or in MK engineers in general? Also, does it have a different feel than the rest of the utilidor breakrooms because it was a bombshelter? or do you just walk down the stairs and there you are?

 

[PhotoDave219]

*Sigh*

Bombshelter is the nickname for the place. The train engineers break in there as well as research. The watercraft and security folks who would come in were generally not welcomed with open arms. Hell, some of the research folk caused some problems, like the guy who called his wife who worked across property and tied up the phone for hours.

It is NOT in the utilidors. Its at Ground Level and opens... well Im not going to tell you exactly where, you dont need to know that and im not going to catch hell from my friends because i told the internet where it was. Nice and cold, good conversations. Lots of fun had by all.

Thats all im saying. I have a lot of friends who work out of there and some who frequent these forums and if they want to give out more info, they can. Im not going to tell you anything more.

 

[TikiBears]

*sigh*
Well... thanks anyway for your effort

 

[PhotoDave219]

Ive explained it thoroughly. Its a nickname for a breakroom, nothing more. And what generally happens in a breakroom, stays in a breakroom.

 

[Woody13]

Ive explained it thoroughly. Its a nickname for a breakroom, nothing more. And what generally happens in a breakroom, stays in a breakroom.

Dave, it was wise of you not to reveal the exact location since that information on the Internet could cause the need to raise the threat level at WDW. Raising the threat condition has economic, physical, and psychological effects on the nation; so, the Homeland Security Advisory System can place specific geographic regions or industry sectors on a higher alert status than other regions or industries, based on specific threat information. :drevil:

 

[TikiBears]

oh god! not this crap!
close your eyes, tape your mouth, plug your ears, never ask anything and wave your flag
i sign off
never to post again

 

[SpaceRacer2003]

And what generally happens in a breakroom, stays in a breakroom.

Provided the door is actually closed....... and its not parade (flag retreat/tree lighting/insert other entertainment show that requires closing half a train station....) time.

Its a breakroom, couches & vending machines etc. It used to be the Main Street Lead Office, but when they went away it became the breakroom.

 

[Pixie Duster]

Ive seen the break room on park level. There is a really cool mural on the wall if i remember right.

Yup. That's the Train cast member and Research breakroom. The mural reminds of something you'd see in an elementary school . Most of the train folks answer the phone "Bomb Shelter this is (name)". I call the Train Station breakroom, or the Whine Cellar because we all tend to be a bunch of whiners.

 

[barnum42]

Ahh..but you are beautifully aged