Designer Times
Page 2 of 2
Just as I finished the Bobsled design for Arrow. Roger told me to start a track layout to fit inside the "styling shape" of the Matterhorn Mountain model that Fred Joerger had built in the Studio Model Shop. This was going to be a new kind of roller coaster. Walt told me to take my son out to ride all the roller coasters I could find so I'd know what I'm doing. I hated roller coasters at that time, but we went anyway.
Working with Arrow's preliminary calculations. I started laying out both track courses. I needed to learn trigonometry real quick....l'd failed Geometry 1 in high school but found I could learn enough trig just from a chart in one afternoon. I had a ball laying out tracks in a plan view and a side view by hand with pencil and paper. I had to design a new track every day just trying to get everything to fit inside the mountain model, (that's a whole 'nother story)
One day I was able to give the concrete foundation folks a design that looked like it would all fit. They called back the next day to tell me "no more changes, the concrete mix trucks are on their way to Disneyland right now". That's how fast Walt's folks moved in those days. Somehow paper, pencil, and slide rule was way faster than plotters and computers are today. And now I could take a breather at last. WRONGI
In October 1958, Walt returned from Europe with his long wished-for Monorail System idea, and Roger put me to work immediately on our own Disneyland version of the German Alweg style monorail. The latest E-Ticket Magazine, Fall 2001 Issue number 36 has the full story.
Looking back in recent years, I'm still amazed at how much work was done so fast by so many back then in '58-59. I think this was Walt's golden time in building Disneyland. When you look at all the complicated civil engineering, massive amounts of concrete work, to say nothing of engineering from scratch four totally new rides, this was unprecedented in the theme park industry.
I remember going almost nuts at the time. what with one new baby in our family and another on the way....and the United States was also suffering thru the first post-war economic recession at the time. Everyone at WED and Disneyland was pushed to the limits but seemed to enjoy the madhouse. Walt never looked like he was pushed......'course he was the pusher and we were the pushees.
oOo
Next month: The Matterhorn
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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 July 11, 2001
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