Skyway Articles

A few years ago most guests wandering near Casey Jr. Circus train in Fantasyland were oblivious to the alpine chalet on a little hill half hidden among lush trees.. this chalet was the old Fantasyland station of the extinct Skyway to Fantasyland Skyway to Tomorrowland attraction. Guests who never got to experience the Skyway may find it hard to appreciate its greatness but great it was especially back in the 1950s and 60s when cable suspended gondolas were still a decade away from becoming ambiguous transit systems at ski resorts. Disneyland souvenir books claimed that the Skyway was the first elevated aerial tramway of its kind in the United States though a larger and higher elevated aerial tramway the Sky Ride had operated at Chicago's Century Of Progress exposition in 1933

Like the PeopleMover and Monorail the Skyway was an ambitious attempt to introduce efficient public transportation into Disneyland unlike any other attraction the Skyway afforded guests a lingering view of Disneyland from high above the park the attraction poster certainly emphasized the ride vista views making it look as if guests were hundreds of feet aloft and rising on steeply pitched cables. While the ride was not quite that dramatic the site of Disneyland from 5 stories up in the air was even more breathe taking than it was at ground level providing a full open air view of the parks vast expanse

The Skyway to Fantasyland and the Skyway to Tomorrowland were really the same attraction operating in opposite directions both Skyways ran on the same cable both shared the same support towers and both connected the same two stations in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. The Fantasyland station had a Swiss theme though the inscription on the building came from Alice In Wonderland "Up above the world you fly like a tea tray in the sky said the dormouse" the futurist station a quarter mile away near Autopia had a more spartan design.Guests rode in small red, blue, yellow and green gondolas with flat roofs and no glass in the windows

Over the years the design changed while the 1956 originals were cylindrical and included only 2 individual patio style chairs by the mid 1960s the gondolas were rectangular and contained benches for four passengers In the early years the ride could be taken for either a one way pass or a seven minute round trip but in later decades all trips were one way only the altitude varied depending on where the 42 gondolas dangled along their journey but usually they averaged a height of between 40 and 60 feet. The central suspension tower standing tall on the hill where the Matterhorn would be built topped out at 85 feet

Along the way guests got incredible views of Tomorrowland and Fantasyland because it would block the Skyway path when built the Matterhorn was erected in 1959 with a passageway running east west through its center enabling guests to make an exciting trip through the mountains interior. Inside the mountain guests witnessed bobsleds hurtling through the mountain on their angled tracks also on view below the Skyway was the Submarine Voyage, Alice In Wonderland, the Pirate Ship restaurant and Casey Jr. Circus train..

Stories of severe accidents and even deaths have long swirled around the Skyway all of these rumors have been exaggerated however and none of them pertain to the reason the attraction finally closed in the fall of 1994 A more probable reason was the irresistible temptation for some guests to spit, litter or pour beverages over the side of the gondolas onto visitors below there was also the more serious possibility of an eventual calamity plus the presents of the steel towers and cables in the charmingly remodeled Fantasyland

After the Skyways last celebratory run with Mickey and Minnie aboard the Matterhorn's holes were sealed up the Skyway towers removed and the Tomorrowland station disappeared into memory. The Fantasylan chalet was removed in 2016 The Skyway was simultaneously a mild sightseeing ride and a bit of a thrill ride. Some guests find it scary to be dangling from a slender cable high in the sky. The bucket sways back and forth whenever the cable goes over a support tower, causing occasional gasps from guests.

The cable was 2,400 feet long with 44 gondolas. The Skyway stations were equipped with a large digital meter to gauge wind speed. It usually fluctuate between zero and three knots. If the meter hit twelve knots employees shut the ride down.For dangerous situations, in the mid-1970s Disneyland installed speakers on the Skyway towers and microphones in the stations. By depressing the "All Ride" switch, operators could give announcements or warnings "from on high." Hosts were to use the device for emergencies only, since upon hearing a deep voice suddenly resounding from the sky, guests typically froze in terror. As such, the device became known as "the God Switch."

The drive mechanism was in the Fantasyland side with a 35 thousand pound ballast on the Tomorrowland side to keep the cable tight.Skyway was built by Von Roll Iron Works of Bern Switzerland. From WED Disneyland Dictionary 1968 From a modern station in Tomorrowland, the four-passenger cars rise above the Monorail Station and Submarine Lagoon, drift through Matterhorn Mountain caverns with views of racing Bobsleds and emerge high above Alice in Wonderland's Adventure, the Pirate Ship and other features of Fantasyland. The 1,200-foot journey ends in a quaint Swiss Chalet. There are 44 streamlined gondolas.Skyway is the first of its kind installed in the United States. It carries streamlined gondolas aloft on a moving cable for an unobstructed view of the "Magic Kingdom" 60 feet above ground level.

Specs Capacity 2500 per hour -- Capacity per gondala 4 -- Cycle Time 8:02 -- Load Time :09 -- Unload Time :07 -- Trip Time 3:30 -- Trips per hour 312 -- Distance Traveled 1155 feet -- Speed 3.8 MPH

The first ride of this kind to be built in the United States.

The cable was 2,400 feet long with 44 gondolas.

The Skyway stations were equipped with a large digital meter to gauge wind speed. It usually fluctuate between zero and three knots. If the meter hit twelve knots employees shut the ride down.

For dangerous situations, in the mid-1970s Disneyland installed speakers on the Skyway towers and microphones in the stations. By depressing the "All Ride" switch, operators could give announcements or warnings "from on high." Hosts were to use the device for emergencies only, since upon hearing a deep voice suddenly resounding from the sky, guests typically froze in terror. As such, the device became known as "the God Switch."

The buckets reached a height of 60 feet.

The drive mechanism was in the Fantasyland side with a 35 thousand pound ballast on the Tomorrowland side to keep the cable tight.

Skyway was built by Von Roll Iron Works of Bern Switzerland.

The first gondolas had fiberglass patio chairs bolted in them.

Required a "B" ticket in 1956-1957

Required a "D" ticket in 1959

Required a "D" ticket in 1964-1965

July 1964 Skyway shutdown for 5 days for the cable to be replaced.

From WED Disneyland Dictionary 1968
is the first of its kind installed in the United States. It carries streamlined gondolas aloft on a moving cable for an unobstructed view of the "Magic Kingdom" 60 feet above ground level. From a modern station in Tomorrow-land, the four-passenger view-cars rise above the monorail station and submarine lagoon, drift through Matterhorn Mountain caverns with views of racing Bobsleds and emerge high above Alice in Wonderland's Adventure, the Pirate Ship and other features of Fantasyland. The 1,200-foot journey ends in a quaint Swiss Chalet. There are 44 streamlined gondolas.

Required a "D" ticket in 1970's

From Steve Birnbaum brings you the best of Disneyland 1982:
Walt Disney well understood the joys of people-watching, and this attraction offers one of the best examples of how Disney put that knowledge into practice. Traveling to Tomorrowland through the friendly skies of Disneyland, 60 feet up, allows a peek at the people below riding in the Teacups, eating ice cream, and otherwise going about the business of having a terrific time. You are also able to see the submarines gliding through the aquamarine waters of the la- goon, and as you pass through the center of the Matterhorn you'll see the bobsleds hurtling down- hill past a growling Abominable Snowman. The touchdown in Tomorrowland, so sleek and futuristic in its way, always comes as a bit of culture shock after Fantasyland's enchanted environment. The Skyway was the first of its kind installed in the United States. There are 44 gondolas, each large enough to accommodate four passengers, and the cable that carries them is 2,400 feet long. Note that the Fantasyland end of the Skyway is almost invariably less crowded than the Tomorrowland terminus.? The trip is pleasant enough: four-passenger cars suspended from a 2,400-foot-long moving cable ride 60 feet above the ground across the Submarine Lagoon and through a tunnel in the Matterhorn, where you get an idea of the thrills available there. But the Tomorrowland end of the Skyway is always the busiest, and unless you're just looking for transportation, it's best to board in the chalet-like Fantasyland station.

During construction of the New Fantasyland in 1983 the Skyway ran round-trip only.

Why Did They Close The Skyway?
That is kinda complicated. The reason that Disney gave was it was not very popular and expensive to maintain. A couple of things may or may not have lead to it closing: In April 1994 a guy jumped out and landed in a bush with minor injuries, sued Disney and lost. The Skyway was a popular place for teen boys to spit on guests below. ADA was pushing to make the Skyway wheelchair accessible.