The Hidden Mickey Book Fan Club BLOG! - v008

The OFFICIAL HIDDEN MICKEY FAN CLUB!

Bob Weaver remembers'  (part 1)

Hello Hidden Mickey Fans!

The Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland was one of Walt Disney's greatest achievements and it is often said that it was his favorite attraction at Disneyland. It existed in some form from July 1956 through January 1977. There was a connection to Disney films with this attraction. Parts of it, such as Beaver Valley, Bear Country and the Living Desert, were named after, and tied in with, entries in Disney's series of documentary films called "True Life Adventures," which were produced from 1948 through 1960. The attraction that replaced the Mine Train (at least part of its real estate), the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, opened in 1979 and offers the visceral thrill of speed but lacks the imagination, charm, setting, scenery, and character of the original Mine Train attraction. Like millions of other visitors to Disneyland in the 1960s and 1970s, I'm lucky to have gotten to ride the Mine Train maybe a dozen times. Hopefully this description, along with the many vintage photos here on this site, can help the reader re-create the experience in their mind.

This attraction began its life as the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train in 1956, but was later expanded and renamed The Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland in 1960. The ticket history of the ride is interesting: it began as a "D" ticket (50') when it opened in 1956, and at that time D tickets were the "top of the line" attractions. However, when E tickets were introduced to the ticket books in 1959, the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train was lowered to "C" ticket status (30'), and the attraction was closed for rehabilitation and expansion. Then in 1960 it was reopened as the Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland, and it was initially given its "D" ticket status back (35'). That was not the "top of the line" any more, as "E" tickets were in use by that time. It was finally given "E" ticket status in 1961 (50' and later 60'), not too long after it reopened under its new name. Mine Train expert James Keeline speculates that the change may have been a reaction to the ride's greater popularity after the makeover. In 1963 or 1964, it was moved back to the "D" tickets (45' and later 60') and remained there until 1971, when it was bumped up to "E" again (75'). Finally from 1975 until the attraction's permanent closing in January 1977, it required a "D" ticket (70'). So people who bought individual tickets for this attraction paid anywhere from 30' to 75' to get on it, over the course of its entire "lifetime." And the ticket sequence was D-C-D-E-D-E-D over the attraction's life. I'm certain that the cast member that collected my ticket accepted a "C" for it the last time I rode it in the summer of 1976, but that was an anomaly. As far as I am concerned it was "E-ticket quality at any time. Some Disneyland souvenir guides printed around 1961 call it the "Western Mine Train" but I've never seen that on a ticket. Some websites refer to the attraction as "Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland," but every Disneyland ticket I've seen, and the park's poster, spells it as "Thru" instead of "Through," so I always use "Thru."

Here is an example of the 1959 Ticket to Rainbow Caverns Mine Train, this  ticket was not in the book of tickets, it was purchased from one of the central ticket booths that were located in each land, specifically for the guests that ran out of the tickets in their book, and wanted to ride the attraction. It is a very rare ticket stub, since most of these tickets were used immediately after their purchase. Thanks go to Dave at davelandweb.com.



Rainbow Caverns Mine Train
1956-1959 : D (50') [D ticket introduced in mid 1956]
1959 : C (30') [E ticket introduced in mid 1959, attraction closed for rehab]

Mine Train Thru Natures Wonderland
1960 : D (35')
1961-1962 : E (50', 60')
1963 : D or E [uncertain]
1964-1970 : D (45', 60')
1971-1973: E (75')
1974 : D or E [uncertain]
1975-1976 : D (70')
[Tickets stopped printing prices by 1976; and this attraction closed early January 1977]

Thanks go to James at keeline.com, for the chart of ticket prices (above) for this attraction, and Dave at davelandweb.com for the "D" Ticket.

Also according to James, "Thru" is the official word used in the attraction name. 'The Western River Ride' was a proposed attraction that Marc Davis did a fair amount of concept art for; sort of a Jungle Cruise of the west. When this concept was dropped, it is possible that "Western Mine Train" was considered as a title before "Nature's Wonderland" was finally selected for the expansion.

The attraction was located in the northern section of Frontierland and was one of the two "must-see" attractions in Frontierland for our family (the other being Tom Sawyer Island). Walking towards the loading area, you saw the town of Rainbow Ridge, an old-West style frontier town. Above the town on a hill with trees was the actual Rainbow Ridge, which looked very inviting. You could not see any of the attraction itself other than the section of the track where you got on and the trains that came out of one tunnel, stopped to unload and reload, then disappeared into another tunnel. There was really no preview of the wonders to come. Thus, there was no excitement of anticipation either, like you would get from the Matterhorn or the Autopia, after seeing a glimpse of what the attraction was going to be like.

The wait was never very long, though when I was 6 years old even 15 minutes seemed like a long time! The line moved in bunches rather than a steady flow. As each train entered the loading area, the passengers who just finished their journey would get off the train, and a whole group of new passengers would be let in to get on the train. So the line would move a lot, then it would sit still until the next train arrived, then move again. When we got near the front of the line we wondered with excitement, "Will we get on the next train or not?" And we wanted to pick which car to get into, although when the boarding actually happened you forgot about that and just went to the nearest car. In later years as the attraction's popularity apparently dwindled, there was very little or no line at all; in fact, I remember walking over there and getting right on it one evening. However, even if you had to wait a few minutes, there was plenty to see while you were waiting. The fa'ade of false-front "stores" and businesses, including the "Rainbow Ridge Clarion" and many others, was interesting to study while you were standing there, and with the trees on the ridge above it, the whole frontier town setting was vividly created before you even started the attraction. Hidden in the trees at the top of the hill was what looked like the machinery of a mine, but the attraction never ventured close to that area. The mine machinery was removed when the track was reconfigured for Nature's Wonderland. Some buildings were also moved and others added to expand Rainbow Ridge. From 1955 to 1973 there was a Pack Mules attraction, and part of the path the mules took passed right in front of these storefronts, but sadly for me I never got to go on those. There were also two other attraction that used this same general area, The Conestoga Wagons of 1955-1959 and The Rainbow Mountain Stage Coaches of 1956-1959. Both were drawn by live horses. Some of the Rainbow Ridge storefronts looked like complete buildings that you could possibly enter, but park visitors were not allowed to actually go in any of them. It gave you something interesting to look at as you stood waiting for the next train to arrive from a tunnel opening at the right. One of these businesses represented was a dentist's office. Another was a hotel, and often emanating from it would be a pre-recorded sound of a man snoring (presumably a man, though it could have been a lady with a big nose!). Most park guests giggled a little at the snoring sound. There were also sounds for the saloon with piano and occasional gun shots. The church bell rang on occasion and the clanking from the blacksmith could also be heard. All of this kept you entertained as you waited to get on the attraction, so that kept it from ever getting boring. It was not likely that you would hear all of the sound effects on a single visit to the attraction, but very likely that you would hear at least one. The one that I remember most clearly was the snoring, and again I am indebted to James Keeline for reminding me of the others. I have seen old films of fake gunfights that were sometimes performed in front of the storefront fa'ades for the entertainment of the guests waiting, but sadly I never saw one of those in person either. You couldn't see any of the actual attraction area while you were waiting. This gave the ride a true sense of adventure because you really had no idea what you were about to see. The wait was usually just a few minutes, while the attraction itself had a generous duration (approximately nine minutes); quite the opposite of Disneyland today, with hour-long waits for 3-minute attractions. The green trains had six cars with the narrator on a seat outside the last car. The yellow NW trains had seven cars and the operator was either a live narrator or a taped spiel. The cars had bench seats along each side. The 1971 SOP indicates that the capacity was 74 guests. With seven cars that suggests 10 per car on average plus a few in the cab of the "locomotive". The trains were yellow when I rode them, with each car having the name of one area of the attraction on it. I have seen pictures of the trains in earlier years when they were a dark green color, but they were yellow in the 1960s and 1970s. The small door was opened to let you enter the car; there were sights to see in all directions so it didn't really matter where you sat; the experience was essentially the same for everyone. When the operator closed the door, a small bench on the inside of the door (the "jump seat") folded down to give room for one more person to sit. If you had the luxury of a sparsely populated car, you could change your position frequently during the ride to get better views of things on one side of the car or the other. No seat belts or other restraints that are so commonly seen today. The trains never went fast enough or made sudden enough turns to warrant seat belts, and there were none of those safety bars that press down into your lap. You were instructed by the narrator to remain seated and keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle, as with most attractions, but that was about it. A no-smoking reminder, too. I remember moving around a lot and that never caused the operators to stop the train or call me out. People often put their arms on the tops of the car sides, and that was not enough to cause a stir either. I never saw anyone stand up or attempt to jump out of a car, even though it would have been easy to do so. The 1950s, 1960s and 1970s were different times in the United States than they are today. Since then a nationwide series of tort lawsuits and increased insurance rates has essentially forced theme parks to install more safety restraints and issue more safety warnings to the passengers. You'll note that on this page there is a publicity photo showing Walt Disney standing up in the train during a preview for the media. Other guests on the train at that moment also have their hands and arms clearly outside the vehicle. Additional note from James: When you are Walt you can do pretty much what you want. However, the photos you mention were photo opportunity VIP tours, often with special guests that Walt was taking around. I'm sure he had the train stopped when he stood up to point out one site of interest or another. The cameras and film were slower then so a non-moving train facilitated a good shot. Many old-time castmembers say that the Mine Train was his favorite attraction in the park and after visiting the Golden Horseshoe he would either turn left to head towards the Jungle Cruise or right to the Mine Train. The CMs would watch which direction he was headed and call ahead so his favorite operator would be waiting when he arrived.

Disney fan Alan Adams recalls hijinks with classmates during Spring Break trips to Disneyland: "Mine Train antics involved jumping off the cars and hiding among in the scenes and then jumping out at the other cars to scare friends who were waiting in line behind us. Like the goblins in Haunted Mansion, on Mine Train you could be one of the goblins yourself. It was fun! Even better if the friend in your car could get a Kodak moment, jumping out at the other cars down the line. It was the ultimate attraction experience to become a part of the set! How long, perhaps 20 seconds, maybe less I can't remember exactly, but a thrilling experience seconds seem like an eternity. Classmates travelled in groups on the attractions. It was no more usually than waiting in line and letting people go ahead in order to get the front car, and a friend at the end of the queue doing the same for the last car in order to plan the seating for that train; then jumping off the front car and getting back into the last car. And if you took too long you'd miss your train! One time I couldn't get back in the last car because friends pushed me off as a joke while trying to get back on. So I had to run back into the set and hide waiting for the next train. And those people on the next train were not from my group of friends, so I was terribly scared myself jumping into another train with kids not from my school who didn't know what was going on and were screaming startled that some goblin was jumping out at them into their car - WITH NO EXTRA SEAT. No, I never got caught on that attraction."

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The attraction's recorded narration was one of the key elements that gave The Mine Train its character. Walt Disney and his crew wisely chose not to inundate the attraction with music as has been done on so many others. The narration and the peacefulness of nature was enough. The recording of was made by character actor Dallas McKennon (July 19, 1919 - July 14, 2009) who also voiced some characters in some of the Disney animated films. His voice immediately created in your mind an image of a "character out of the Old West" but with a decidedly friendly and folksy tone. In fact the first words on the recording are "Howdy folks!" It was rather like your hillbilly uncle who lived out in the woods taking you through a tour of his world, making lame wisecracks most of the way through. (In 2005, as part of the park's 50th anniversary celebration, Disney released a set of 6 CDs called "A Musical History of Disneyland " and the recorded narration of this attraction is included on that.) I have read that the train operator could choose to do a live narration instead of using the recorded one, but that never happened any time that I rode it. It was always the same familiar, "Howdy folks!" each time. An interesting side bit of trivia is that when the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was being constructed, Dallas McKennon also recorded the voiceover for that attraction, which is heard by passengers as the journey begins. That "spiel" is much shorter though, heard only at the beginning, and basically warning riders what not to do, while the narration he recorded for the Mine Train lasted the entire trip.

Many thanks to Alan Adams for his reminiscences of misbehavior on the Mine Train, and James Keeline of keeline.com for a large amount of detailed information about the technicalities and workings of the attraction, as well as Dave at davelandweb.com for all his help. Questions or comments about Bob's fantastic article? Feel free to email him directly. Check out Bob's website: http://fireworksland.com

Well... that's it for this issue...
Enjoy, and have a Magical Hidden Mickey Day!
 

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