Designer Times
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24. Ford Magic Skyway at The 1964-65 New York World's Fair
As the production engineering progressed on the New York World's Fair Ford Magic Skyway ride, we needed the final specifications on the chassis of the new 1964 Ford cars that would be used on the ride. I had to design the platen mountings for each chassis; Lincoln, Mercury, Falcon, Comet and a new secret one called the "R" car. In October 1963, I was at the Ford Motor Company Proving Grounds Special Process Lab in West Dearborn Michigan to see the "R". It turned out to be the 1965 Mustang. I was told to keep quiet about what I was shown, but I sure was excited at seeing America's first Ponycar. I got my chassis dimensions and left. My Ford friends thought I would also enjoy seeing a second secret project, the very first Shelby Cobra under construction in a small nearby shop.
I made a number of visits to the NYWF site from late 1963 thru April 1964 to assist in the final installation of the Magic Skyway ride. The methods used by the unions and contractors at the site were sure a revelation to me. New Yorkers have their own way of doing business. First they taught me correct "New Yawk english" if I were to communicate correctly with the workers. Then I had to learn to not wear a tie (engineers are not paid any attention to). A hierarchy existed amongst all the Ford on-site contractors and I was introduced to a supervisor to whom I was to take all my concerns and requests. He would then pass out my "suggestions". By getting down and dirty with the workers, schmoozing NY style, I made some great friends in the hole.....Hey Gurr? Ya wannit, ya gottit. Soon I had the NY accent down pretty good.
Some events however took some getting used to. The electrical union was restricted from connecting more than five wires per hour. I learned to sit by with them hooking up the track drive units telling each other stories until the hour was up. Then we'd do another hookup. The bottom of the Ford ride was left as bare earth to save money....why pave a black hole. I'd be eating my lunch with the guards sitting on the dirt piles. A rat would scamper by. BLAM. A guy pulled out a 45 and splattered the innocent creature right in front of me. We sometimes had to receive three deliveries of building materials in order to have one for use. Everything was under armed guard at night. One night we watched the first delivery come in, then get picked up by burglars, all while the guards "guarded". But everything was done in sort of a NY good natured way. These were lessons in humanity that I never forgot.
Soon the day arrived for the first full ride test, right around New Years of 1964. We had two tracks with a total of (714) drive motors. I forget how many cars were on the ride, but it was a lot. All the high profile Ford Plant Engineering guys were ready to watch. Just as one track had been completely loaded, the low bidders elevator used to bring the cars up several floors to the track broke down. Stuck in it was a brand new red Mercury convertible, slowly being crushed as the elevator very slowly sunk down it's shaft. Every few minutes there'd be a pop and a crash as another window shattered. I'll never forget that sight.
Anyway, the order was given that track start was moments away and everyone was to stand clear. Almost silently the whole monster started moving. Car after car glided by. I heard a big commotion.....guys screaming and yelling, then the thing stopped. Minutes later all the Ford guys gathered up all us Disney guys and led us to a nearby hotel suite. They had food and booze set out like no tomorrow. Everybody was cheering and glad handing. Roger Broggie and I just stared in disbelief. Turns out, Ford was scared silly that the whole kaboodle would not work, but they set up a party just in case it did. I then realized this was not your usual victory celebration, but a cry of relief!
We then loaded up the second track and began several months of test and adjust. Every day some new failure occurred with the budget whacked low bidders equipment. Nothing serious, but still aggravating to everyone. The worst shortcoming was in the simplified method used to keep the cars spaced apart safely. Every time the ride stopped and restarted, some cars would get closer to the ones ahead, enough to bang bumpers. Now days, cars are built with Federal Bumper Standards, but not in 1964. The Mercury had big steer horn bumper corners which crushed the Comet tail lights to bits, totally missing the Comet's rear bumper. These two cars were designed in the same studio by the same guys! Very funny. Ford had a local car dealer set up a body repair shop at night to do body and paint work to fix the damage caused by each day's test runs. Ford decided to save money on the smaller cars by not removing any engines so they could sell them complete after the fair as used cars, but I think they must have been VERY used by that time.
During the long test periods in New York. I used to ride in the empty engine compartments of the Lincolns to observe the track drive and steering actions up close. One day Marty Sklar, who was assigned to lay out the audio trigger points for the spiel he had written that was to be played in each car in four selectable languages watched as I made trip after trip around the track. Someone saw the hood was up and closed it on me. Each time I came to a worker, I asked for the hood to be opened. I had to ride for a long time before I was let out. Sklar was quoted as saying "Bob is right where we want him".
The day before opening day in April 1964 found the night time body shop still pounding out and repainting bashed cars. The worst damage happened as cars would tangle going around the many sharp turns on the ride. To compound opening day, President Lyndon Johnson was to dedicate the Fair, then his motorcade would pass right under our Magic Skyway Control Booth. A Ford guy had a brilliant fix for the bumper bashing on the turns. He sent everyone available out to buy every baseball bat in New York City, and buy all the yellow ribbon material they could find.
Just before President Johnson was due to pass nearby, a squad of Secret Service Agents with their little green triangle buttons showed up. When they saw all the Ford guys and the newly hired ride operators standing at the turns with yellow ribboned baseball bats, a serious inquiry started. It didn't help that I was standing next to a window with my hands in my pockets looking down on the parade route. The words that were exchanged must have been hot. I spent the afternoon away in a peaceful corner of the fair and missed the President of The United States and the bumper bash baseball bat inaugural run. When I returned, a fuming Roger Broggie wanted to know what I'd said to the Palace Guards.
oOo
Next month: GE Carousel of Progress Audio Animatronic Figures
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-- Bob Gurr
Bob Gurr began working with Disney in 1954. He retired in 1981 but occassionally consults for the Company. Since Disney he's worked on the sinking ship at Las Vegas' Treasure Island, Universal Studios' King Kong, Godzilla for the film by the same name and much more. Among his proudest accomplishments he lists "making Walt tickled pink that some of the things he wanted to build actually worked. You could tell how proud he was when he would show off things to his friends and the press. Lincoln and the Monorail were two big ones for him."
Designer Times is normally posted the second Wednesday of each month.
The opinions expressed by Bob Gurr, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future of Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted April 10, 2002
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