Opening ceremonies were presided over by Walt himself and Dr. Walter Smidt, the Swiss Consul General of Los Angeles. There were 42 round gondolas that could carry 2 guests at a time, seated in fiberglass patio chairs bolted into the floor. Moving at a slow and steady 4 mph (making it the slowest 101), gondolas were dispatched approximately every 9 seconds.
The Skyway gave guests an overview of the park between two stations: one in Fantasyland (where the drive system was located) and the other in Tomorrowland (where 35,000 pounds of ballast kept the 2400' long cables taut). In between was the peak, a support tower located on Holiday Hill (basically a mound of dirt). In 1959, the Matterhorn was added in the path of the Skyway, complete with 2 holes for the gondolas to pass through.
The original round buckets were replaced in 1965 for the Tencennial Celebration. Each bucket was now able to carry four guests. The
grips on the cars also changed; the original 10 sheave
rollerbatteries and the entire tower in tomorrowland were removed. During the Fantasyland remodel, the towers there were beefed up with extra supports at the urging of Von Roll Tramways.
The Skyway was removed in November 1994 because it was too costly to make safety upgrades. People also through objects & spit at guests below as they went overhead. For the final ride, Mickey & Minnie made the last crossing as guests watched below. The Fantasyland Skyway station remains, but the Tomorrowland station has been mostly removed and was at one point a service area for the 1998 attraction Rocket Rods. When the Skyway closed, the holes in the Matterhorn were filled in and the supports were dismantled within weeks. Another reason was because the ride was in technical violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. It was very difficult to load and unload mobility-impaired guests (guests had to step up when boarding and down when de-boarding), and this usually required having to stop the ride. Furthermore, wheelchairs could not be loaded onboard because the vehicles were too small. Approximately 150 million guests rode the Skyway. The Disney World version closed exactly 5 years later.
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Interested in more Skyway info? Join the Disneyland Skyway Yahoo group—click here.
Most photos available for purchase as enlargements; email your request. To view photos, allow popups in your web browser & click thumbnails below.
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