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By Michael - June 4th, 2009  Seriously, how cool would this be? Thanks to a tip by the paterfamilias, I was directed yesterday to a website devoted to the Fort Wilderness Railroad. This very cool site had somehow escaped my notice until now, and it has lots of fantastic images and history about this fairly undocumented attraction. The crown jewel of the site, however, is an amazing video from a ride on the railroad. I’ve never ever seen video of this attraction before – it closed in 1979, after all! – and this is an amazing and rare treat.
 The Fort Wilderness Railroad, which operated from 1974 until 1979, provided internal transportation service for Walt Disney World’s Fort Wilderness campground. Its itinerary was similar to today’s bus service; it included stops at the Outpost and Settlement Depots and passed by the Meadow Trading Post. It also provided service to River Country upon that attraction’s opening in 1976. The 3 1/2 mile track loop was longer than any of the train routes in Disney parks, and it provided many scenic views for guests aboard the 4/5th scale steam engines.
I’ve always regarded the Fort Wilderness Railroad as a mere historical curiosity; it was gone well before my first trip to Walt Disney World and I’d never even heard of it until Disney fandom exploded on the internet. Looking at the pictures on the tribute site, however, really make me long for a return of this attraction. Fort Wilderness is the true hidden jewel of Walt Disney World, and the railroad would provide a definite touch of themeing that the internal bus routes lack. What’s odd is that much of the depot infrastructure was re-purposed after the railroad was closed, explaining many of the strange features of Fort Wilderness’s bus depots.
After the closing of the railroad, the tracks and rolling stock were allowed to rot in the Florida sun. Thankfully, those lucky folks at the Carolwood Foundation eventually stepped in to save and restore the trains. Faint traces of the railway remain around the campground for those who know where to look.
While it seems unlikely that the Fort Wilderness Railroad will ever return, there was a brief window in time during which it was poised for a revival. During the so-called “Disney Decade” of the 1990s, plans were underway for a new resort between the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness. Alternately called “Wilderness Junction” or “Buffalo Junction”, the hotel would be similar to Disneyland Paris’s Hotel Cheyenne. It would resemble the street of a western town in the late 19th century, providing a thematic link between the early frontier theme of Fort Wilderness and the early 20th century national park theme of the Wilderness Lodge. The hotel would combine lodging with dining venues, shops and entertainment; it would also allegedly feature a stateside version of Paris’s Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.
 A proposed layout for the Wilderness Lodge hotel; note the train loop to the south linking the hotel with Fort Wilderness Most important to our tale was that in order to provide day visitors transportation to these new attractions and River Country, a return of the Fort Wilderness Railroad was discussed to link Fort Wilderness, Wilderness Junction and the Wilderness Lodge. Sadly, due to tourism concerns stemming from the first Gulf War and accompanying recession, the 600-room Wilderness Junction was postponed in late 1992. It was re-announced as “Buffalo Junction” in 1993, but never heard from again.
Someday, though, with some creative new leadership, it might be possible to once more hear the sound of live steam in Fort Wilderness and to take the train from the parking lot to the Hoop-Dee-Doo or a revitalized River Country. That would be nifty.
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By Michael - June 2nd, 2009 
I’ll bet that when you woke up this morning, you didn’t expect your day would involve a picture of former Disney CEO Dick Nunis on a waterslide. Yet here we are.
This picture, from May of 1976, shows Nunis testing out the “Whoop-‘N-Holler Hollow” slide that was then under construction for River Country. River Country, which would open that June, would be Disney’s first water park.
My favorite thing about the photo is the clamps on the side holding the track into place. It’s obvious that the structure around the slide had yet to be installed or completed, so this must have been more of a wild ride than usual. Nunis, though, was no stranger to aquatic adventures; he was an avid surfer and had been the one responsible for the installation of the briefly-operational surf machine in the Seven Seas Lagoon.
River Country was closed in November of 2001 and continues to rot away on the shores of Bay Lake today.
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By Michael - May 31st, 2009 
For quite a while, the most popular post here on Progress City was a text-light collection of stills from WALL-E. While I try to take this as a reflection of that film’s popularity and not a referendum on my writing, it’s obvious that people love to get online to find pictures of their favorite characters. So for everyone looking for more images of Carl, Russell and Dug, here’s a collection of images from Pixar’s most recent triumph, Up.
Hopefully, I’ll have a commentary about the film online soon, but until then enjoy the eye candy!
Continue reading Up!!! Photos! Here!
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By Michael - May 21st, 2009  Imagineer John Cutry programs the new animatronic of President Barack Obama (Disney) Sometimes it seems like there’s no news, and then all of a sudden… the deluge.
The New York Times has provided the first official confirmation of the long-rumored changes to Walt Disney World’s Hall of Presidents. The attraction, which has been closed for refurbishment since last October, will re-open on the 4th of July with an entirely new show and the addition of an animatronic Barack Obama.
Details in a moment, but first I have to say that I’m incredibly excited about this in the most nerdy way possible. The Hall of Presidents has long fascinated me, and grown into one of my favorites over the years. For obvious personal reasons, I haven’t been able to properly enjoy it for the last eight years. Even before the recent troubles, though, there was the ill-conceived refocusing of the attraction’s narrative in 1993 that muddled the theme of the show and added an awful narration by Maya Angelou.
Thankfully, all that seems to be in the past as an entirely new show has been created with a narration by actor Morgan Freeman. Even more exciting is the fact that the new presentation is based on a treatment by presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of the bestselling Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln . I’m quite the fan of Goodwin, and the fact that her work on the project began two years ago shows that this won’t be a fly-by-night upgrade.
The article mentions that the theater will receive a new sound system, which is a blessing, and that Abraham Lincoln will now recite the entire Gettysburg Address. This is indeed news, and should make for an excellent and relevant presentation. The Times also mentions something that we reported last year; for the first time in the Hall of Presidents (or any Disney attraction), George Washington will have a speaking role. Not only is this much deserved, but think of the impact – all of you who are life-long Disney fans, think of Abraham Lincoln. I guarantee that you have a voice in your head and a notion, at least, of his personality. Then think of Washington. Despite his incredibly prominent and crucial role in American history, he’s far less vivid (in my head, at least). I chalk this up, in part, to Lincoln’s constant presence in Disney parks since 1964. I’ve seen Lincoln speak. It will be fascinating to see him joined by Washington.
Then, of course, there’s President Obama. On March 4th, Obama was joined in the White House Map Room by Imagineering writer Pamela Fisher and senior show producer Kathy Rogers. He then recorded a short speech that had been drafted by Disney’s writers and polished by White House speechwriter Jon Favreau. Mr. Obama also recorded a re-enactment of the presidential oath of office, which will apparently be part of the new show. The article mentions that the new figure created for Obama is Disney’s most detailed yet; they have made some incredible strides in animatronic technology in recent years, so it should be fascinating to see in action.
There’s something about the atmosphere that the original Imagineers created in Liberty Square that I find incredibly appealing. Perhaps it’s because the land features a theme that WDI has not attempted since; the American Adventure pavilion at EPCOT Center is less an exercise in placemaking than an architectural brainteaser to cloak the massive war wagon that drives the show inside. It’s why I long for Disney’s America – the attraction lineup for that park is fairly unexciting, but the theming would have been exquisite.
In any case, we’ll get to see how it all comes together this Fourth of July. The involvement of Doris Kearns Goodwin gives me hope that the new film will be both classy and coherent, and hopefully will provide a perspective on the role these 44 men (although I’m on to you, Chester A. Arthur) have played in the history of our nation.
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By Michael - May 21st, 2009  The S.S. Disney, from bow to stern: the Orbitron, a ferris wheel, the glass-covered multideck hub area, the Casey Jr. Circus Train and glass-canopied carousel, and its a small world ( Mark Hickson) Hey, remember in 1994 when Disney built a traveling theme park inside the hull of a massive supertanker? You don’t? That’s because it’s insaaaaaaaane!
Alain Littaye has dropped this 100-megaton bomb in his interview today with former Imagineer Mark Hickson. Hickson worked at WDI on the S.S. Disney project in 1993-94, and has posted some images from the project on his website.
This surprising project began with an off-handed joke by a Navy Admiral to Disney executive Jim Cora, suggesting that Cora build a theme park on an unused aircraft carrier. Somehow this wacky notion found purchase in the ranks of management, and soon Imagineers were casting about for the proper type of vessel to contain an actual floating theme park.
Hickson was brought on board the project because of his previous experience with shipbuilding. He suggested that Disney use a supertanker; the ship’s vast internal capacity would allow Disney to build a full five decks of attractions and guest areas. It was decided that the ship would be used to tour the Pacific Rim, stopping at many tourist-friendly ports in China, southeast Asia, and Australia. The ship would stay roughly two and a half months in each port, returning to each city only every four or five years.
As to what would be contained in this floating park, Hickson mentions the following:
On the top deck there was the Orbitron, Casey Jr. Train, a large Ferris Wheel, Alice in Wonderland’s spinning Tea Cups, Dumbo, and a Fantasyland Carousel under a glass dome! At the stern end of the top deck, there would be It’s Small World.
…
Other attractions included Peter Pan’s Flight, Snow White’s Scary Adventures, Indiana Jones, Star Tours, a 3D movie theatre, and even a Space Mountain roller coaster!
Due to technical issues there would be no water flume attractions; its a small world would utilize an omnimover ride system instead of boats.
The ship would contain six restaurants – five quick-service and one table service. It would have a full entertainment division, and Disney considered a separate barge which would provide a nighttime fireworks show. A third ship would be added to the fleet to transport cast members from port to port.
 The S.S. Disney model, amidships, reveals the Casey Jr. Circus Train circling the glass-canopied carousel. The facade of it’s a small world is visible to the stern. ( Mark Hickson) You can read the full interview at Alain’s site, but I’ll point out one key item. Like so many other projects we talk about, you’ll notice that the relevant dates for this concept are 1993 & 1994. So now the S.S. Disney joins Port Disney, WESTCOT and Disney’s America in the pantheon of great abandoned projects from that era. Why was this particularly fantastic project abandoned? Says Hickson, “Michael Eisner and Frank Wells both loved the project, but after Frank’s death, things changed.” You said it, brother.
The strategic planning group at corporate didn’t want to do a floating theme park, they wanted to do a cruise ship. Eventually they convinced Michael that a cruise ship was easier to do.
Long-time Disney watchers are well familiar with the infamous “strategic” planning group. Not surprisingly, they also had their hands in the demise of the S.S. Disney.
Perhaps this plan will be revived someday; I love the design of the ship – the giant steampunk gears and Victorian canopies give it a very distinctive, cool look. I’m not even that crazed about the mix of attractions they selected – it’s just such a crazy, appealing idea that you can’t help but wish it had come to pass. In a way its self-contained, multistory design is a descendant of Walt’s original “location based entertainment” concept, the unbuilt Riverboat Square. It’s amazing to discover this long-lost project, and kudos to Alain for uncovering it and to Mr. Hickson for sharing his art and story with the public.
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Seriously, how cool would this be?
The Fort Wilderness Railroad, which operated from 1974 until 1979, provided internal transportation service for Walt Disney World’s Fort Wilderness campground. Its itinerary was similar to today’s bus service; it included stops at the Outpost and Settlement Depots and passed by the Meadow Trading Post. It also provided service to River Country upon that attraction’s opening in 1976. The 3 1/2 mile track loop was longer than any of the train routes in Disney parks, and it provided many scenic views for guests aboard the 4/5th scale steam engines.
A proposed layout for the Wilderness Lodge hotel; note the train loop to the south linking the hotel with Fort Wilderness
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