The Wonders of Nature's Wonderland [ PART 3 ]

More incredible additions to Sam Towler's stunning scale model of Disneyland's extinct Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland.

Bear Country before water is added.

New, fake water.

A little beaver for Beaver Valley.

The icing on the cake. A Mike Fink Keel Boat (in-the-making)

Fog! Produced by a fog machine for the purposes of taking this photo. Oh how fun it must have been to ride Mine Train in the fog.

Tastefully-placed LED lighting makes for a gorgeous night shot. 

A great new technique for making waterfalls:

Two years ago we posted a wonderful collection of Sam's behind-the-scenes photos of the model-making process. Sam recently mentioned on his blog that this labor of love has hit the seven year mark. As we've said before, this model with its moving parts is "one of the coolest examples of 'Backyard Imagineering' we've ever seen."

For even more fabrication photos, "like" the Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland Model Facebook page and follow Sam's progress.

Related posts:

The Wonders of Nature's Wonderland [ PART 1 ]
The Wonders of Nature's Wonderland [ PART 2 ]
Big Thunder Mountain Model
Mechanizing a Miniature Main Street Electrical Parade
Swiss Family Treehouse Model
EPCOT City Model [Part 1]
 

Inside Walt Disney World Maintenance Shops

Let's take a behind-the-scenes look at the kind of work that goes on in backstage maintenance shops at Walt Disney World. Friend of the blog, Nomeus, share these wonderful photos from 2005 from one of his family members.

There are many buildings, trailers, and underground areas at Walt Disney World dedicated to the creation and maintenance of props, figures, signs, ride vehicles, and other pieces for the parks. If you ever have a chance to tour any of them with permission, I highly suggest you do. Some of my most fond memories are from working in some of these places and visiting others. You never know what you'll run into. Half-dressed animatronics, Captain Hook with missing limbs, an old "Rover" dog from Carousel of Progress who's been renamed "Steve". A big thanks to Nomeus and one of his family members for providing these amazing glimpses into various creative processes.

Fox News recently interviewed Nomeus, Leonard Kinsey, and Adam The Woo about their explorations around Walt Disney World through areas that are normally off-limits to the public. Kinsey states, "To me it’s like you live in a house for 30 years and you’ve never gone in the basement. That’s just weird." 

We do not suggest anyone go anywhere at Disney without the proper permission. There are tours and other ways to see some of these things. In the mean time, watch this:

Nomeus is a prominent Urban Explorer, mostly around Florida. You may remember some of his fantastic photos we posted of the abandonded Bin Laden mansion just minutes north of Magic Kingdom. Photos from his other explorations are found on his website, Nomeus Photography - Abandoned Florida and Beyond.

Related posts:

ABANDONED DISNEY: River Country [Part 1]
ABANDONED DISNEY: Country Bear- Max
ABANDONED DISNEY: Haunted Mansion Hitchhiking Ghosts
Bin Laden Mansion Minutes From Walt Disney World
Pirate Animatronic Behind-the-Scenes
Little Box of Treasures

Walt Disney World in 1971 [Part 2]

Walt Disney World and Magic Kingdom opened almost exactly 41 years ago. Let's look at some more of the park as finishing touches are added. Then let's enjoy the new park with some photos taken right after opening. Another big thanks to Nomeus of www.flurbex.com and his grandfather who took these photos while working on the construction of Walt Disney World. These photos are exclusive to ImagineeringDisney.com.

Early early Jungle Cruise photos are so rare! Look how clean and beautiful it was.

Haunted Mansion.

Walt Disney World Railroad.

Cinderella Castle.

Empty moat. Wait, was this taken before the sea serpent topiary was installed as seen in Part 1? I think so.

Central Hub.

A look at Walt Disney World just after opening. Mickey leads the way.

Snow White and five, maybe six Dwarfs. Dopey might be hiding in there somewhere. The great original Market House in the background. 

A 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea queue full of people. But there's a construction crane in the background. Could this have been a pre-opening test group? Maybe the crane was still used after opening.

Huge thanks to Nomeus and his family for these amazing and rare photos. Oh to have a time machine!

Related posts:

Walt Disney World in 1971 [Part 1]
WDW Before Opening Day 1971
MK Jungle Cruise
Sounds of the Jungle Cruise
The Haunted Mansion Like You've Never Seen It
THEN AND NOW: Liberty Square [Part 1]