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

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MoonRakerSCM

Well-Known Member
'Force Experiences' make sense... they have to have something to compete with the magic windows etc. in Harry Potter land. This got me thinking about how ingenious the Harry Potter stuff is... it's just so perfect, kids buy/rent/whatever it is to walk around the land and play in front of all the windows, the magic setting is PERFECT for this. It's not just simple little things inserted here or there, the entire concept fits the narrative of the whole thing... (even the BUYING of the damn wands is part of the experience!)... same as the 'enchanted' benches you sit on for the Hogwarts ride, the kuka arm works for the ride as having you sit on/in a bench and it being 'enchanted to fly' is a perfect fit for it. I dare any ride to use the kuka arm in coming years to actually utilize its movement/existence as part of the ride experience itself.

Now then, will the force stuff be as popular as the magic windows? I have no clue, to me the windows honestly seemed like something that people just line up for, makes everything crowded, and from what I saw when I visited, 90% of the people couldn't get the movement right (needed assistance). I dare any force 'things' in Star Wars land will be different...will there be little shows around them? Or will they be more like the magic windows where you'll have to buy your kid like a special 'thing' to make them work (I'd bet on this)?

Force crap aside, what's the current word on attractions in the land? I went to a preview of Harry Plopper land a while back and I don't care what anyone says, but that Hogwarts ride is stupidly amazing and Disney has NOTHING anywhere near that experience (at least in the states). I was extremely impressed to where it was all I could talk about all day afterward (for comparison, when I rode Radiator Springs Racers, yeah, sure, it was fun, it's a cool ride, but I wasn't talking about it too much afterward). I also went on Transformers and I thought it was a beautiful use of 3D screens and sets/movement.

Yeah, sure, those rides are intense and not for everyone, but WOW has Disney not done ANYTHING with such energy as those... while Universal does a lot of crap when it comes to rides/themeing/experiences... some things they've done amazingly well and put Disney to shame (I would also like to give them kudos for the new raptor 'meet and greet', so cool).

Ok, sleep.
 
D

Deleted member 107043

The berm separating Frontierland and Fantasyland has been partially removed, however the railroad tunnel and storage area are sill intact.

DSC_0209-X3.jpg


DSC_0316-X3.jpg
 
Rich T

Rich T

Well-Known Member
Dr. Hans Reinhardt said:
The berm separating Frontierland and Fantasyland has been partially removed, however the railroad tunnel and storage area are sill intact.
Click to expand...
Wow. There's been nothing like this done to DL's interior since Fantasyland got flattened for the 80's makeover...and this is so-o-o-oo much bigger in scope. This is scary, but I can't wait to see the final result!

As a side note...I sure hope the horses are doing okay in their new off-site digs.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Dr. Hans Reinhardt said:
The berm separating Frontierland and Fantasyland has been partially removed, however the railroad tunnel and storage area are sill intact.

DSC_0209-X3.jpg


DSC_0316-X3.jpg
Click to expand...

If I were to guess, it looks like they are digging out the spur track tunnel on the left so that they may remove it. It appears to be one giant welded-together corrugated metal piece, much like a 1940's and 50's Quonset Hut structure. That was the spur line tunnel that led "backstage" to the first roundhouse in 1955, before the bigger roundhouse for the trains and monorail was built in 1961 a few hundred yards to the east of there.

The tunnel on the right was the similarly constructed tunnel that was used on the 1955-66 railroad route between Frontierland and Fantasyland. It was still just a cheap metal tunnel, but it got a bit of a timber dress up around its entrance because its the route the paying customers on the train saw.
 
D

Deleted member 107043

TP2000 said:
That was the spur line tunnel that led
"backstage" to the first roundhouse in 1955
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Are you sure TP? I thought the original spur was just after the western curve of the DLRR that ran beside the ROA. You can sort of see the spot I'm talking about on the far right end of this aerial shot of DL under construction.

tms-820p.jpg


You can see it a bit better here.

fa_1188_55disneyland1300.jpg
 
Old Mouseketeer

Old Mouseketeer

Well-Known Member
The tunnel for the spur going to the original train shed (which was just demolished) was still visible last year. It was behind and to the left of the waving Indian Chief on horseback (aka Chief Waves-a-Lot) and several feet lower than the existing track. It was visible from the Texas Deck (top deck) of the Mark Twain, and especially from the wheelhouse.
 
J

jbradway

Active Member
01c84628c4cdca07f5a9f83e8c3ca5b4.jpg


This one is from 1959 I believe. Looks like one tunnel for the train and maybe another one for the Painted Desert backstage access? Looks about right since the Fantasyland skyway chalet is just off to the right of the painted desert tunnel. Just like the current demo pictures seem to show.

4f1d0c6447f784c388ec0d54f3514939.jpg
 
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D

Deleted member 107043

jbradway said:
01c84628c4cdca07f5a9f83e8c3ca5b4.jpg


This one is from 1959 I believe. Looks like one tunnel for the train and maybe another one for the Painted Desert backstage access? Looks about right since the Fantasyland skyway chalet is just off to the right of the painted desert tunnel. Just like the current demo pictures seem to show.

4f1d0c6447f784c388ec0d54f3514939.jpg
Click to expand...

You can clearly see the DLRR spur and tunnel in the bottom left in the aerial view.

I wonder when the berm and two tunnels between Frontierland and Fantasyland were constructed. They don't appear to have been place at opening in 1955, but came sometime after by the time Holidayland was there.
 
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Rich T

Rich T

Well-Known Member
jbradway said:
01c84628c4cdca07f5a9f83e8c3ca5b4.jpg


This one is from 1959 I believe. Looks like one tunnel for the train and maybe another one for the Painted Desert backstage access? Looks about right since the Fantasyland skyway chalet is just off to the right of the painted desert tunnel. Just like the current demo pictures seem to show.
Click to expand...
D'aaawwwww, Holiday Land looks adorable! Disneyland looks adorable! I've never wanted to hug a block of real estate so much in my whole life! :D
 
D

Deleted member 107043

Rich T said:
D'aaawwwww, Holiday Land looks adorable! Disneyland looks adorable! I've never wanted to hug a block of real estate so much in my whole life! :D
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I'm kind of ashamed to say that I had a similar reaction to all the vintage aerial shots in the past few posts. Imagine Disneyland without the burden of online fan scrutiny and unrealistic expectations for perfection and only a few character brands, mostly confined to Fantasyland. I wouldn't trade 1950s DL for what we have today, but geez, even from the air the park looks like a happy, uncomplicated place.
 
Old Mouseketeer

Old Mouseketeer

Well-Known Member
jbradway said:
01c84628c4cdca07f5a9f83e8c3ca5b4.jpg


This one is from 1959 I believe. Looks like one tunnel for the train and maybe another one for the Painted Desert backstage access? Looks about right since the Fantasyland skyway chalet is just off to the right of the painted desert tunnel. Just like the current demo pictures seem to show.

4f1d0c6447f784c388ec0d54f3514939.jpg
Click to expand...

Thanks for these pictures--they fill in some details for me that I could only infer were there. If you were on the other side of the tunnel in the color picture of the Painted Desert, you would see three tunnels. The one in the color picture runs NE to SW and is now paint storage. In the B&W picture you can see the SFDRR tunnel next to it that runs W to E. Behind the train in the color photo is the tunnel that now runs from FL Theater to Big Thunder Trail, and under the back of the old Skyway station.

My rebel spies are speculating how much of this is about to be demolished along with the Skyway Station, including all three tunnels.

Thanks again.
 

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