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News and Views

Our 50th coverage

Thanks again to all of the readers who sent in their complimentary notes

on our continuous coverage of last week’s 50th Anniversary celebration

kick-off at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Thanks also to the people

who took time to politely correct or extend our coverage.

For those who are once-a-week readers of MousePlanet and may have missed

our coverage of the events surrounding the kick-off at Disneyland, you

can get caught up here.

Over more than 48 hours we filed more than two dozen updates on the events.

You’ll find them on that page ordered from most recent to oldest. To start

at the beginning you can find page 1 (here).

If you missed everything, then you’ll definitely want to see our complete

video of the kick-off

Just a reminder that registration for the Shag merchandise event on June 24 opens today (May 9) at 9 a.m. PDT. Click here for full information.

The last golden vehicle

The Golden Vehicles program for the 50th is not yet complete, and it

may be more than a month before it is. The new Ward Kimball engine

for the Disneyland Railroad will be the final participating vehicle in

the program. While the entire engine won’t be gold colored (a la

Casey Jr. Circus Train), it will have prominent gold highlights.

Back in May, author Steve DeGaetano reported to us with this update on

the Ward Kimball:

Today’s update features a very special milestone in the rebuilding of the Maud L. into the Ward Kimball. But before I get to that, let me briefly bring you up to date on what’s happened so far.

The Ward Kimball‘s restoration is rapidly nearing completion. A couple weeks ago, it was transported from its primary restoration facility to Disneyland, under cover of darkness. Most of the major rebuilding had taken place, but there still remained plenty of work to do to get the engine ready for its shining moment. That work has been going on for the past two weeks in the Disneyland roundhouse, and the engine looks vastly more complete than the last time I saw her.

The engine is essentially complete, but there are still projects to accomplish. As I mentioned last week, a new spring still remains to be constructed and installed on the trailing truck. One cylinder has been completed, and is now covered in shiny brass, with red covers. Both the steam dome and the sand dome have been attached, and the whistle surmounts the steam dome. The bell has also been installed, and its tone is very pure and clear.

The engine now bears it official number-5-on a number plate cast from the same pattern as was used on engines 1 and 2. The orange-red of the plate’s background is the same as the engine’s pin striping, tying all the colors together. The headlight has been affixed, including the artwork which adorns the light’s sides. I will not describe that artwork here. There should be at least one surprise when the engine takes to the rails, right?

The yellow stars have just been affixed to the drivers, but remain to be painted on the pilot wheels, and by the time you read this, the pinstriping of the pilot should have been completed. The engine will feature more pinstriping than any other engine on the line.

Much of the pneumatic piping has been completed as well—the small-diameter

copper tubes that use air pressure to operate things, like the sanders

and parts of the brake system. This piping has been expertly applied,

and really adds to the engine’s look.

But I opened this update speaking about a special milestone that was accomplished Saturday, and that milestone deserves special attention. For on Saturday, April 30th 2005, for the very first time since Disney acquired the engine, it came to life.

The fire was started in the engine in the morning. An air line was connected to a fitting in the locomotive to operate the things that normally would operate on steam, like the blower and the atomizer (which the fireman uses to control the fire). The burner itself was also operated on air, and the fire roared to life in the belly of the beast around 10:00 am. Two hours later, the flanks of the engine were warm to the touch, but the needle in the pressure gauge had not lifted off its peg. A slight diesel leak was discovered on the burner, and around lunch time, the burner was extinguished.

A couple hours later after lunch, the leak was fixed, and the fire re-lit. The process to heat the water to boiling was done very slowly. The engine was started dead cold, and every effort was made to bring the heat up slowly and methodically, so as not to “shock” the boiler.

Around 2:30, the needle on the pressure gauge came to life! First,

it moved imperceptibly slowly-1 pound… 2 pounds… 5 pounds.

But after it reached about 10 pounds of pressure, the gauge began to

climb rapidly.

While this was all going on, preparations were made to fill the hydrostatic

lubricator (a device in the cab that feeds steam oil to the air brake

compressor). A leak in the device was discovered and soon fixed. The

pressure continued to rise: 25 pounds… 30 pounds… 35 pounds.

The decision was made to get the engine to 100 pounds of pressure, and then remove the umbilical air supply that was supporting the engine.

The pressure continued to climb. The freshly-applied graphite-and-oil on the smokebox began to “cook,” giving off smoke as the paint hardened onto the surface.

Seventy-five pounds… 80 pounds… 90 pounds… 100!!

The steam pressure gauge showed 100 pounds of pressure in the little

tea kettle. The air line was removed, and when it was, the engine became

suddenly quite. There was no fire; the blower was silent. One could

hear a cotter pin drop.

Then, the main header valve was opened-the main valve that allowed steam into every pipe on the engine-the steam that would operate everything that the locomotive depended on for life. Pipe joints creaked and strained under the pressure as the steam filled the pipes; wisps of white steam escaped connections and curled into the air. Water sizzled on hot surfaces. The engine yawned and creaked to life.

Now the locomotive would be operating of the steam she herself had created. The atomizer, blower and burner would now operate on that steam. The fire was re-lit with a soft thud, and shoed a golden yellow in the firebox. The blower shot a jet of steam up the stack to aid the engine’s draft. A nice, clean fire was created, with a very slight haze of smoke rising from the stack in into the exhaust vent in the roundhouse’s roof. The fire rumbled and pounded in a deep bass that could be felt in the pit of one’s stomach.

Slowly, the engine’s air compressor was started. It was operated very slowly at first, allowing hot steam to warm the moving parts of the device. The compressor’s exhaust was piped under the engine through a bypass that would soon be closed, creating a gentle panting sound with each exhaust.

After a few minutes, the compressor rate was increased. About the same time, the exhaust bypass was closed, allowing the spent steam from the compressor to exhaust up the stack.

And what a sound it made! With each stroke of the compressor, loud,

sharp blasts went up the stack, sounding like cannon shots! Boom!

Boom! Boom! The sound was incredible, and sounded far different

from the relatively soft compressor exhausts that the other engines

featured. With each exhaust of the compressor up the stack, the fire

was almost sucked out!

Boom…Boom.Boom!! went the compressor, while the blower jets and rumbling

fire created an absolutely beautiful symphony of noise! Up went the

pressure… 125… 135… 145.

The two safety valves had been tagged at the factory as being set for 170 and 175 pounds. But as the gauge approached 149 pounds, trails of steam were seen rising from the devices. At 150 pounds, the instantaneous ear-splitting blast of the open safety valve caught everyone’s immediate attention! The sound level was amazing, frightening and awesome all at the same time! Roundhouse crewmembers wandered close to see the excitement.

Steve certainly made it seem an exciting moment but completion in time

for May 4, or even May 5 was a long shot, and indeed did not happen. Having

missed the first benchmark date, the official presentation of the Kimball

will probably wait a little bit for either June 18 or July 17. The argument

for July 17 is obvious, but June 18 is a bit less so. June 18, 1955 was

the day the first Disneyland Railroad steam engine, when the E.P. Ripley

was fired up and brought on line.

Anybody waiting eagerly, though, can get a sneak peak up in the Main

Street station. A new train location board has been installed with a new

Disneyland map (full of little hidden drawings) and at the bottom are

line drawings of the entire DLRR fleet, including the first official representation

of the Ward Kimball.

The new train-location map has lights that indicate where the trains are on the track, and the map provides considerable detail for the curious. Photo by Alex Stroup.

A close-up of the train drawings of Disneyland Rail Road trains C.K. Holliday, Fred Gurley, and Ward Kimball. Photo by Alex Stroup.

On a more historical note, Alex Stroup happened to be walking across

the intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Ball Road near Disneyland late on the evening of May 6 and noticed

a flatbead truck with a train engine as cargo. Forgetting the Ward

Kimball had already been moved, for a moment he thought that was what

he was seeing, but quickly realized it wasn’t. The markings indicated

that it was instead the Marie E. of the DLR&J line. Being no

expert on trains he didn’t know what to make of it, but asked at Main

Street Station the next day.

The Marie E. train sits atop a flatbed truck at the corner of Harbor and Ball. Photo by Alex Stroup.

According to the cast member on duty, the Marie E. has some connection

to Disney animator and one of the core train enthusiasts Ollie Johnson

(and if he understood correctly Johnson owned or owns it). At some point

later this week, well before the park opens, the Marie E. will

pull into Main Street Station for some form of photo shoot and Ollie Johnson

will take her on a few laps around the park. She will then be taken back

to the roundhouse, put on a truck again and back to whence she came.

The cast member also reported that once the Ward Kimball comes

on line, the number 3 engine, Fred Gurley, will be taken offline

for an unknown length of time.

The Fred Gurley loads passengers at Main Street Station. Photo

by Alex Stroup.

Other golden vehicle clarifications

Storybook Land Canal Boats suffered the first golden vehicle casualty

on May 6 when motor problems took it out of commission. It was still not

in service during the afternoon of May 7. We also previously said that

every golden vehicle would have both a ridable version and a picture posing

version. This isn’t correct, as Peter Pan’s Flight and Mr. Toad’s Wild

Ride have only the outside versions for photos. It probably goes without

saying that Casey Jr. Circus Train, Jungle Cruise, and Storybook Land

Canal Boats do not have duplicates of their vehicles out in the walkways

of Disneyland.

Those worried about the slim odds of getting a gold car at Autopia can

rest a bit easier, as instead of just one, there are four, with one car

for each lane.

The missing photo murals

The photomosaic murals are also not quite done. One mural still needs

to be installed near Plaza Pavilion on the Central Plaza hub area. This

mural will showcase the spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp.

Others disappointed that their pictures aren’t found in the Happiest Faces

database should keep in mind that the database is not yet complete, and

several murals have not had their data entered. Assurances are being made

that everybody who submitted an e-mail address with their photos will

eventually receive an e-mail telling them whether their photos were used.

The Steamboat Mickey photomosaic mural is so huge that those standing directly in front of it cannot tell see the Mickey image—and it isn’t the largest one. Photo by Jeff Moxley.

If you’re wondering, they definitely did not stick to a one use per photo. One name looked up had a single photo in the Steamboat Mickey mural 23 times. Of 16 names looked up for MousePlanet readers, 14 were in the database at least once, and each of them appeared in the Steamboat Mickey mural. Repetitions of the same photo in even the smaller mruals are easy to find.

Some have expressed regret that so many of the murals are situated in

locations that make it difficult to see individual photos. The Steamboat

Mickey mural is at least 20 feet tall, Buzz Lightyear is 15 feet off the

ground, the Winnie the Pooh mural is suspended from wire and spins freely,

while the gigantic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea mural is on the second-floor

exterior above Club Buzz. There are also four Pixar-themed murals in Sunshine

Plaza at Disney’s California Adventure (hopefully nobody appears in just

one of those).

If you’re trying to find your photos, there are two kiosks on Main Street

where you can look up your name or e-mail address. One is to the left

of the City Hall stairs and the other is to the right of the Steamboat

Mickey mural by Mad Hatter. A third kiosk will eventually be added at

a location to be announced. If you do use the kiosk, keep in mind those

people in line behind you, and print your list rather than trying to memorize

it. Everybody will thank you (on the inside).

The Happiest Faces on Earth information kiosks are so easy to use, even Goofy can do it. Photo by Matthew Bassett.

New Main Street windows

Even though the Emporium put in new window displays on May 4, it took

three more days beany of the MousePlanet staff crawling the park daily

noticed. Though there are still two windows advertising DVD releases for

Pooh’s Heffalump Movie and Pocahontas, the new displays

focus on the history of those windows.

The tradition of putting in dynamic displays for Disney movies began in the 1960s and continues (with varying degrees of effort) to this day. Each window brings back elements of former displays and has a fairy tale book open to a page describing some aspect of this history.

Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in their band costumes decorate one of the windows at the Main Street Emporium. Photo by Alex Stroup.

Even the often-forgotten The Fox and the Hound make an appearance in an Emporium window.

Photo by Alex Stroup.

This page discusses the different stores that have been on Main Street. Photo by Alex Stroup.

A new annual pass

It is now clear why Disneyland did not get a new annual pass design for

the early part of 2005, continuing instead to stick with the previous year’s Goofy design. As

of May 5, those purchasing annual pass on property are receiving passes

with a new gold design consisting of the 50th Anniversary castle logo.

There is no word yet as to whether mail renewals also receive this design,

or if they will continue with the Tinker Bell or Tower of Terror choice

they have had.

Regis and Kelly

The media didn’t finally go away and leave the regular park guest alone

after May 5. On May 6, a four-day closure of significant portions of the

Central Plaza began so that a stage could be build for Sunday tapings

of the Disney-syndicated morning interview show, Live with Regis and

Kelly. On Sunday, they taped two not-particularly-live shows and will

next move on to Walt Disney World where it will be possible to tape live

during daylight hours.

The well-themed stage built for Life with Regis and Kelly. Photo

by Alex Stroup.

Fortunately most closed areas were reopened for fireworks but at no point

over the weekend was it possible to “welcome yourself home”

by walking through the gate of Sleeping Beauty Castle. That treat returns

Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, park guests didn’t seem too bothered, as they

stood around taking pictures of Teamsters setting up camera platforms or a

technical test a boom camera that was swopping over the crowds and projecting

them on the giant screens that are still in place to either side of the

castle.

Somebody should have proofread this sign. Photo by Alex Stroup.

Going to Disney World?

if you’re going to check out the 50th Celebration at Walt Disney World, the Radisson Resort Parkway has announced reduced room rates from May 13th through August 13th. The rate is $87/night except for Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends when it is $117.

Ears to the ground

…The celebratory events did not seem to affect the attendance at

neighboring Disney’s California Adventure park much at all. With Disneyland

never making it to capacity there was no overflow. On May 4 when invited

guests and contest winners were kicked out of Disneyland at 5 p.m. to

make room for the more-invited guests, only a fraction headed to DCA,

while the rest were off to the parking garage.

MousePlanet later learned why most of the 5,000 Annual Pass contest winners

likely headed home. This group consisted of 2,500 actual winners and their

2,500 guests. The 2,500 winners had tickets good for Disneyland and DCA,

while the guests had tickets good for only Disneyland. The only way an

Annual Pass contest winner could go to DCA was by ditching the company.

This was not true of people who won their tickets through radio contests

or through other channels.

Saturday afternoon and the third show stop for Block Party Bash could barely collect an audience. Photo by David Michael.

Thursday and Friday saw only slightly elevated crowds, at best, and the

new parade left other parts as ghostowns by soaking up all the people.

If this doesn’t improve, you can expect the annoying Block Party Bash

video traffic cone to remain in the Esplanade for quite a while.

…Hopefully our samples were not representative, but while sitting

through two showings of the new 50 Magical Years film, the total

combined audience wasn’t much over 75 people. Cast members were calling

to passersby about the new show but even when people went in to see the

exhibit they frequently didn’t stick around for the movie. If the exhibit

is already falling victim to indifference that is too bad, as it is well

done.

It was a nice touch that DCA circa 1955 was included in the 1955 model of Disneyland. Photo by Alex Stroup.

If you do get in to see the exhibit, make sure you take a close look at the Sleeping Beauty Castle model for a nice little touch.

…This isn’t really new news, but we hadn’t mentioned it before. The weight problem with the new Splash Mountain logs has been fixed and now all seats are in use again.

Every seat in a Splash Mountain log can now be used. Photo by Alex Stroup.

…Strollers, wheelchairs, and ECV rentals have not yet moved back inside Disneyland even though their building right next to the right side train tunnel is available again. The move has proven so popular with cast members and guests alike that there is now an internal movement to make the move permanent. No decision has been made, but it seems a good one.

…For the most part, not much has been obviously done in the submarine

lagoon, but as this photo shows, on at least one mound all the clam shells

have been gathered together.

Maybe Ariel can sell seashells… Photo by Alex Stroup.

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Current Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Disneyland

• Space Mountain opens July 15.
• Haunted Mansion closed September 6–29 to install Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay; closed Jan. 9–25, 2006 to remove overlay
• Pirates of the Caribbean closed October 3 through December 13 (this is what we’re hearing, it could change; feel free to send the paniced emails, but that’s the response for now).
• Submarine Lagoon is currently beginning work on a new Finding Nemo attraction; still unofficial at this time with an opening date unannounced.

Disney’s California Adventure

• The former SuperStar Limo building is now the future Monster, Inc.: Mike and Sulley to the Rescue which will open January 2006.

Note: Refurbishment schedules are estimates only. All information is subject to

change without notice. To get the most recent updates, call Disneyland at (714)

781–7290.

Park Events

June

• Robert Olszewski merchandise release. June 18 at Disneyland Park.

  Two new Main Street pieces in his “Disneyland in Miniature”

  collection: Main Street Train Station and Main Street Train. Also released will

  be Dapper Dan and Fab Five character packs.

• Shag merchandise release and reception. June 24 at the Paradise Pier Hotel.

  Five new Shag paintings and associated merchandise will be sold and a reception

  and meet–and–greet with the artist will be held. Reservations open

  May 9 (link).

• 2005 Summer Pin Festival. June 24 – Aug. 15 at the Disneyland

  Resort. No details have been announced (link).

July

• Disneyland 50th Anniversary special event. July 15–17. Three days

  of merchandising events with multiple purchase plans (link).

• July 2005 NFFC convention.

  July 9–13. The Show and Sale is scheduled for July 10.

• Robert Olszewski merchandise release. July 16 at Grand Californian

  Hotel. The first non–Main Street piece in his “Disneyland in

  Miniature” collection: Mad Tea Party.

September

• Robert Olszewski merchandise release. September 10 at Disneyland Park.

  Several new pieces in his “Disneyland in Miniature” collection:

  Disney Showcase/Magic Shop/20th Century Music and Jungle Cruise as well as a

  pin trading cart and a marching band character pack.

Current Discounts & Promotions

Unfortunatley, we have not had the opportunity to do a full review of travel discounts and promotions in the last couple weeks. The following section is being left in because many of the offers are still current, though some may have expired and other new offers may be missing. Getting this section updated will be a prioirty for next week’s Park Update.

Several current promotions offer discounted admission to the Disneyland Resort.

For convenience sake, we have grouped the discount offers based on the number

of days the tickets are valid. Check out the category that best matches the

amount of time you plan to spend at the resort, and pick the offer which works

best for you. And keep those tips coming – let us know if you find a

better / different offer, so we can share it with other readers!

50th Anniversary Package, revised

The Happiest Homecomings on Earth package has been revised for the new year. The

previous promotion was good only for three–night stays at the Disneyland

Resort hotels; the new offer is valid on longer stays and includes Good

Neighbor Hotels as well.

Instead of the 50th anniversary commemorative clock and Walk in Walt’s Footsteps

tour, the new packages include all the following:

• “Enchanting” commemorative certificate (one per package)

• Park Hopper bonus ticket, which includes one early entry into Fantasyland and a

  $10 ESPN Zone game card. (Park hopper tickets can be upgraded to an annual pass

  for an extra fee)

• Preferred seating to select shows at Disney’s California Adventure

• Entry into Mickey’s Toontown Madness

• Walt Disney Travel Co. lanyard and pin (one per person)

• Walt Disney Travel Co. luggage tag

• Walt Disney Travel Co. fun book (one per package)

The “Happiest Homecoming on Earth” package is available for arrival

dates through December 31, 2005. The package can be booked through the

Disneyland Web site (link), or by calling (714) 520–5060.

ESPN Zone MVP Club

If you sign up online for ESPN Zone’s MVP Club (link)

you can receive a $20 voucher (for food, merchandise, or game cards), a

40–point game card (about $10 worth), and an ESPN Zone mini–cooler.

ESPN Club in Orlando is excluded from this offer. You must pick up these items

in person, although they do not have to be used as the same store from which

you get them. There are some fairly strict requirements for registering and

getting your rewards, so make sure you read the details carefully (link).

Park Schedule/Blockout Dates

DL: Disneyland

DCA: Disney’s California Adventure

Annual Pass blockout dates:

• SL – Southern California Select Annual Pass

• SC – Southern California Annual Pass

• DX – Deluxe Annual Pass

Visit our Annual

Passholders Blockout Dates 2005 page to see more dates. You can

see future calendar schedules at Disneyland.com here.

Entertainment schedule: Go directly to the Disneyland Resort schedule

for this week at Disneyland.com here.