News Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Historical Construction/Impressions

TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Antaundra said:
I was actually looking for a cave when I noticed the cabin. I wonder if Rainbow Caverns could be recreated today. Health and building codes are a lot more strict today than they were 40 years ago. Was it safe to breath with the paint continuously splashing in the enclosed cave? Did the paint corrode the pipes over time and leak into the soil? I'm sure the effect was spectacular but I'm also sure there are reasons why the tribute in Big Thunder uses different techniques to approximate the Rainbow Caverns effect.
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It wasn't really paint. It was just Anaheim tap water and lighting effects.

The old Persistence of Vision magazine around 1997 had a 50+ page in depth feature article on Rainbow Caverns. Those magazines are in my garage somewhere, and the PoV stuff is not available online. But there was nothing inside Rainbow Caverns but water and 1950's stage lighting.
 
D

Deleted member 107043

Old Mouseketeer said:
Perhaps the biggest item to be completed is the gates on the Frontierland side of the transition from Fantasyland. They were removed completely along with the support and wall on the north side.
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So what happened to the backstage road that used to go through there? Is it underground now?
 
mickEblu

mickEblu

Well-Known Member
Old Mouseketeer said:
Not sure it will. This is just another artist's rendering and may include embellishments and omissions as well as errors in scale/perspective. This depiction tries to include a massive amount of detail. But it still lacks the trees along the river in front of Riverbelle, or most detail of the park between French Market and HM including the fast pass area. And NOS doesn't have the new bridge for Club 33 over the perfume shop.

We should be weeks away from seeing the final result. My rebel spies tell me that most of Big Thunder Trail has been paved, planters are going in and lights are working. Perhaps the biggest item to be completed is the gates on the Frontierland side of the transition from Fantasyland. They were removed completely along with the support and wall on the north side. My guess is that the crane just past the exit to BTMRR is loading show elements and large landscaping into the new Indian Village and nearby.
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Can't wait for the Big Thunder Trail to open back up!
 
Old Mouseketeer

Old Mouseketeer

Well-Known Member
Dr. Hans Reinhardt said:
So what happened to the backstage road that used to go through there? Is it underground now?
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It's still there. I've accumulated several accounts over the past year+, but I'm not sure if I've ever compiled the details here. If you begin at the Northwest corner of Toontown, the service road goes south under the RR tunnel just before FL Theater and Toontown RR Station. This underpass was modified last year. Where before the train tunnel ran essentially West to East over the underpass, now it's more of a West-by-Southwest to East-by-Northeast. They re-engineered the Southern half of the underpass so that the RR path angles up from it's new S-curve to rejoin the existing path coming into TT Station. I've seen a picture looking up at the new section of concrete and you can clearly see the angle of the new tunnel, something less than 45 degrees. This underpass is well-travelled by guest performing groups going to and from FL Theater backstage, and occasionally guests being evacuated from Toontown when the underpass next to iasw gets flooded.

The road continues south past FL Theater facilities and passes the boarded up former access tunnel that went behind Big Thunder Ranch. This was a corrugated metal tunnel along the original RR track pre-1965/iasw The road continues through the old corrugated metal tunnel under the site of the old Skyway Station. It emerges into the crossroads with Big Thunder Trail with the two pairs of gates that can either allow traffic through the Service Road, North/South, or turned the other way to allow Fantasyland to connect to Big Thunder Trail.

The road continues between BTMRR and Village House/Pinnochio. It becomes a pedestrian path between Zocalo and Royal Hall and ends at the double doors going onstage to the hallway between Fantasy Faire and Zocalo Restrooms. I have a very good friend who is a FL CM who is very familiar with this route and has given me detailed accounts of the progress.
 
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Antaundra

Antaundra

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
It wasn't really paint. It was just Anaheim tap water and lighting effects.

The old Persistence of Vision magazine around 1997 had a 50+ page in depth feature article on Rainbow Caverns. Those magazines are in my garage somewhere, and the PoV stuff is not available online. But there was nothing inside Rainbow Caverns but water and 1950's stage lighting.
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I had always read/heard that the effect was created with fluorescent paint in the fountains under black light. Ive also read a story about Claude Coats having to engineer a way for all the various falls to not mix with each other and turn into a muddy mixed paint color. I should know better than to believe every Disneyland legend.
 
Ismael Flores

Ismael Flores

Well-Known Member
mickEblu said:
Has anyone seen this image from the latest D23 issue. Gives a little bit different perspective than some of the other concept art, especially the big waterfall closest to Frontierland. Also, is it just me or does it look like they shortened the ROA by about 20% in this pic?

I don't think I ever realized that the train would be going under those rock arches.




View attachment 207599
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I haven't seen those arches in any of the construction videos. I don't think they were actually built. It will be a nice surprise if they are there and we can't see them from the angle most pictures and videos were taken
 
Ismael Flores

Ismael Flores

Well-Known Member
mickEblu said:
Well excuuuuuuuuuse meeee @Stevek

Haha but seriously I had never noticed the large waterfall in any of the concept art and most of the construction photos of trestle/ rock work is near the Critter Country side.
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My guess is that the large waterfall will be the opening of the Fantasmic storage. They will turn it off when Fantasmic is running.

That brings up a question, I never noticed if the train runs during Fantasmic. My guess is it does but now that it will be practically over the river and pass in front and over the Fantasmic storage will they stop the train so that guests don't go thru there with the water off?
 
Old Mouseketeer

Old Mouseketeer

Well-Known Member
Ismael Flores said:
My guess is that the large waterfall will be the opening of the Fantasmic storage. They will turn it off when Fantasmic is running.

That brings up a question, I never noticed if the train runs during Fantasmic. My guess is it does but now that it will be practically over the river and pass in front and over the Fantasmic storage will they stop the train so that guests don't go thru there with the water off?
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It's possible the train can continue running if it did before. The storage marina isn't accessed during the performances--only before and after.
 
D.Silentu

D.Silentu

Well-Known Member
I don't see why not, it did used to run during Fantasmic. In fact, one of my funniest park memories is sitting on the train at New Orleans Square Station. The beam of light that opens the show sprang to life, the chorus sang "imagination," and then boom! Everything went black! In complete stereo, a thousand voices cried, "Awwwwwwwwwww," as the train pulled out of the station. We had a good laugh!
 
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mickEblu

mickEblu

Well-Known Member
Ismael Flores said:
My guess is that the large waterfall will be the opening of the Fantasmic storage. They will turn it off when Fantasmic is running.

That brings up a question, I never noticed if the train runs during Fantasmic. My guess is it does but now that it will be practically over the river and pass in front and over the Fantasmic storage will they stop the train so that guests don't go thru there with the water off?
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Well that would suck. I'm sure they have something figured out to where they can run the train during Fantasmic.
 
Phroobar

Phroobar

Well-Known Member
mickEblu said:
Well that would suck. I'm sure they have something figured out to where they can run the train during Fantasmic.
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Why would they stop the train? They are loading stuff under the tracks. It doesn't block the train. I guess they could make the train wait ten minutes while stuff is moved under the tracks.
 
Ismael Flores

Ismael Flores

Well-Known Member
phruby said:
Why would they stop the train? They are loading stuff under the tracks. It doesn't block the train. I guess they could make the train wait ten minutes while stuff is moved under the tracks.
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I brought up the question because the waterfall needs to be turned off to allow equipment in and out of the storage area.
everything was just hidden under tarps near the river before. Now they will be inside the building and brought out at certain time of the day and water feature would need to be turned off leaving the huge building entrance exposed.
So would that happen right before Fantasmic started or during and would they stop the train for a few minutes or it won't matter if guests see The water turned off?
 
Old Mouseketeer

Old Mouseketeer

Well-Known Member
Ismael Flores said:
I brought up the question because the waterfall needs to be turned off to allow equipment in and out of the storage area.
everything was just hidden under tarps near the river before. Now they will be inside the building and brought out at certain time of the day and water feature would need to be turned off leaving the huge building entrance exposed.
So would that happen right before Fantasmic started or during and would they stop the train for a few minutes or it won't matter if guests see The water turned off?
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In the old scheme of things, the "inlet" where the princess barges, Ticktock the crocodile, and the service boat were stored was separated from the DLRR by a fence. It was between the Indian horse corral and the DLRR tracks. There was a scrim over the top, similar to tarps.

In the new configuration, the train would have to be paused and the waterfall turned off whenever the service boat was needed on the ROA and before and after Fan!!. But from what I understand from CMs working on the ROA (proudly known as "River Rats"), this is not a big deal. The service boat can help evacuate from the Twain or Columbia, push the Columbia if it's disabled, and assist in other emergencies. But the TSI rafts are the most versatile on the ROA. They can navigate around obstacles, approach the Big Boats, and retrieve dead birds and fish.

But I wish I could ride under the RR trellis and into the the cave with the waterfall turned off. Oh, to be a Bond Villain!!!
 

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