Draining the Moat

[Tom]

They have tracks? Didn't know that. Any pictures?

Ohhhh...I'm sure someone on here has pics. Just give Marni time to read these posts

Jungle Cruise boats run on a track-like system, with a bar that guides the boat via a slot in the bottom of the river.

The Liberty Square Riverboat has a track that it travels on. However, the Tom Sawyer Rafts and the former canoes and Keel Boats did not.

 

[muteki]

Ohhhh...I'm sure someone on here has pics. Just give Marni time to read these posts

Jungle Cruise boats run on a track-like system, with a bar that guides the boat via a slot in the bottom of the river.

The Liberty Square Riverboat has a track that it travels on. However, the Tom Sawyer Rafts and the former canoes and Keel Boats did not.

It always seemed to me that the skippers had full control of the JC boats, if they don't they sure do a good job of acting like they do.

Liberty Square Riverboat, while I didn't know that either, it doesn't surprise me. Carowinds here in NC had a similar riverboat and it had a track that you could see from atop the park's skytower.

 

[Tom]

It always seemed to me that the skippers had full control of the JC boats, if they don't they sure do a good job of acting like they do.

Liberty Square Riverboat, while I didn't know that either, it doesn't surprise me. Carowinds here in NC had a similar riverboat and it had a track that you could see from atop the park's skytower.

The skippers are just good The quasi-track system allows the JC boats to sway, rock and float around a bit. The steering wheels....do nothing Shhh.

LSR doesn't travel fast enough to rock or sway. The river is 12-14' deep (I think), and there were some good pics of the track (and an entire pick-up truck down in the river) from the last time they drained it.

Disney does a good job of adding "murkiness" to the water so that you can't see the track.

 

[Phonedave]

It always seemed to me that the skippers had full control of the JC boats, if they don't they sure do a good job of acting like they do.

Liberty Square Riverboat, while I didn't know that either, it doesn't surprise me. Carowinds here in NC had a similar riverboat and it had a track that you could see from atop the park's skytower.

Really ?

I don't think I have ever had a skip that pretend to be close to steering, Most of the time they face toward the stern and just spin the wheel behind them.

-dave

 

[bingie]

Another dumb question here...

If it's a closed system, then where do they pump the water to from the moat?

Also - how do they maintain the levels in the moat? I can see it overflowing with lots of rain...

:veryconfu

 

[nemofinder22]

They have tracks? Didn't know that. Any pictures?

Not MK's ROA but Im guessing both ROA's have similar tracks.:shrug: but since DL's ROA is drained right now it's great time to see the bottom of the ROA, the track and track switch, the Fantasmic! fountain platform(which looks pretty dinky compared to the new WOC platform, not to mention outdated in terms of fountains and lighting:lol and gas lines. Good thing its drained for the next 5 months ewwww and to think the last refurbishment was only 7 years ago.

Photo by Mouseplanet.com
http://www.mouseplanet.com/9127/Disneyland_Resort_Update

 

[everest-dude]

Not MK's ROA but Im guessing both ROA's have similar tracks.:shrug: but since DL's ROA is drained right now it's great time to see the bottom of the ROA, the track and track switch, the Fantasmic! fountain platform(which looks pretty dinky compared to the new WOC platform, not to mention outdated in terms of fountains and lighting:lol and gas lines. Good thing its drained for the next 5 months ewwww and to think the last refurbishment was only 7 years ago.

Photo by Mouseplanet.com
http://www.mouseplanet.com/9127/Disneyland_Resort_Update

is the moat at MK gonna look this bad... its kind of an eye soar... will the moat be drained the entire refurb?

 

[Phonedave]

Another dumb question here...

If it's a closed system, then where do they pump the water to from the moat?

Also - how do they maintain the levels in the moat? I can see it overflowing with lots of rain...

:veryconfu

You can pretty much pump water to anywhere. Into the storm system or right into the Seven Seas Lagoon

To maintain water level I assume there is a wier somewhere.


-dave

 

[Tom]

Another dumb question here...

If it's a closed system, then where do they pump the water to from the moat?

Also - how do they maintain the levels in the moat? I can see it overflowing with lots of rain...

:veryconfu

They're probably pumping it into the storm sewer system, which probably dumps into the canals around the MK and/or 7 Seas Lagoon.

There is a dam backstage, behind Splash Mountain, where the RoA meets the backstage canal (the one that comes out between Grand Floridian and MK). It's also a sort of lock system, which can regulate the level of water in the RoA area.

As for the moat, I'm sure they have leveling spillways somewhere. The waterfalls in JC supply the water and dye mixture (so I've been told), but the moat has been dammed off from JC for this refurb.

is the moat at MK gonna look this bad... its kind of an eye soar... will the moat be drained the entire refurb?

Yes, it looks that bad. Fewer leaves - more muck. It will probably be drained until they're done with scaffolding in front of the castle.

It only looks this bad because these photos were intentionally taken with the moat in mind. If you're just walking up and down mainstreet or over bridges, you don't notice the moats so much unless you're trying to see them - or go over to the railings and look down.

 

[marni1971]

WDWs JC & ROA:

 

[Figment632]

WDWs JC & ROA:

Cool stuff thanks Martin, I wouldn't have thought that the JC track would be so big

 

[Tom]

WDWs JC & ROA:

I knew you'd come through! I guess RoA isn't as deep as I thought. At the shore near the docks it looks to be only a few feet deep - maybe 6 max. Interesting how the low point of the river bed is offset from the track.

Cool stuff thanks Martin, I wouldn't have thought that the JC track would be so big

Yeah, it's definitely a unique guidance system. From what I understand, the boats just have arm-like appendages that hang down into that trough. That allows the boats to have free-style movement, which makes it feel like they're really navigating the river (rolling, swaying, tilting around corners).

 

[WDWFanatic]

There must be alot of peoples cremated ashes in the bottom of the moat to create all that mud, :lookaroun

 

[Tom]

There must be alot of peoples cremated ashes in the bottom of the moat to create all that mud, :lookaroun

:hurl:

 

[everest-dude]

it looks like a monorail track

 

[muteki]

Cool stuff thanks Martin, I wouldn't have thought that the JC track would be so big

It definitely doesn't appear as though the track is proportional in size to the boat.

Yeah, it's definitely a unique guidance system. From what I understand, the boats just have arm-like appendages that hang down into that trough. That allows the boats to have free-style movement, which makes it feel like they're really navigating the river (rolling, swaying, tilting around corners).

Had me fooled:hammer:

 

[krankenstein]

Some from yesterday:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

That reminds me.... the photos show nothing of the old Swan Boats guide rails by the castle. Which means they are gone. Which means underwater work / draining the moat was done before to achieve this. Which may mean any other Swan Boat infrastructure is also gone. Which means these pipes may be for something else.

That`s a lot of assumptions!

Haven't read the whole thread (and won't) but I can tell you the Swan Boat guides still exist under the Treehouse area ... they're very obvious if you know where to look ... had a conversation with a pair of CMs who (shockingly) knew all about them and actually had accurate info on the history of them and the area!

Due to my age obviously I don't remember the Swan Boats. I do, however, recall looking down from the various bridges around the hub when I was a kid and seeing rails or tracks that ran all along the surrounding waterways. I remember very vividly gazing at those rails, looking at the old load dock in the Rose Garden area, putting 2 & 2 together, and realizing there once was something there I didn't know about. I envisioned boats of some sort like those in IaSW. If I had to date seeing these rails I'd say anywhere from maybe '84 to '88 but it could've been a little earlier. My question, I guess, would be more for Martin: Did the Swan Boats use a rail system sorta like IaSW or PotC and do you know how long said rails were left behind?

BTW, just returned from WDW...12 year old son added yet another baby plush wrapped in a blankie to his collection of them...this time he got the baby monkey and named it Martin. Very random but immediately reminded me of you. I don't know or know of any other Martins I guess.

And I thought the moat/waterways drained were quite the eyesore. The semi-but-not-so-well-hidden bobcats under the bridges were funny. The entire hub totally sux right now. We took very few daytime pics in front of the castle. Those we did take have the "magical" crane sticking out. :hurl: And the backside with the strong exhaust and loud engine noise while working with the crane during the day was a little less than picturesque. I know the work has to be done and I'm glad that it is but I don't wanna see it in person like that ever again. :hammer:

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Some from yesterday:

Nice and clean! :lol:


So....Can they add a submersible barge with foiuntains...WoC lite? :lol:

 

[Rob562]

Due to my age obviously I don't remember the Swan Boats. I do, however, recall looking down from the various bridges around the hub when I was a kid and seeing rails or tracks that ran all along the surrounding waterways. I remember very vividly gazing at those rails, looking at the old load dock in the Rose Garden area, putting 2 & 2 together, and realizing there once was something there I didn't know about. I envisioned boats of some sort like those in IaSW. If I had to date seeing these rails I'd say anywhere from maybe '84 to '88 but it could've been a little earlier. My question, I guess, would be more for Martin: Did the Swan Boats use a rail system sorta like IaSW or PotC and do you know how long said rails were left behind?

The Swan Boats were free-floating, self-propelled boats, but there were bumpers under the bridges to aid in funneling the boats through the sometimes-narrow gaps.

When they first opened, they had some sort of electric guidance system, but it failed soon after opening and they went to manual steering.

-Rob