Thunder, 1987.
BTMRR opening shift.
Track walk.
In the quiet moments before the Park opens, a small crew of mine train operators walks the track on a safety inspection.
The charcoal pants, rose shirts, blue bandanas, full boots, vests and wide brimmed hats make up their outfits.
This team of dedicated miners are looking for lost items and signs of trouble.
What kind of trouble?
Cracked welds, broken wires, leaking hydraulic fluids, failed animation, any other obvious indications of mechanical problems.
This post focuses on the lost items.
The myriad of objects that bounced off of guests during their harrowing runaway train rides.
The obvious ones are here: sunglasses, an occasional hat, Disneyland merchandise bags (often with merchandise and receipt still inside), random children's shoes (never in a pair), pens, gum, false teeth.
False teeth?
Oh yes. Found the uppers from a set of dentures just past the spinning opossums.
What's this?
A camera bag.
A baby bottle.
A t-shirt - used. (Hmmm. I don't remember any guests coming back into the station topless...)
A diaper, also used. (Really? We have trash cans just past the exit.)
A cup. (Hey, no food or drink, please).
A belt.
A belt? (I'm not going to posit how this managed to fly off the ride).
A plush toy. (What are the chances?)
$20.00 bill. (Better hang on to that...)
Coins. (Plenty of 'em tossed by the dynamite goat).
An umbrella stroller - kidless. (Thank goodness---they're usually out of sorts and not too cooperative on the trip to Lost and Found).
Souvenir Guides. (They're everywhere!).
Large, swirling, circular, multi-colored sucker. (Looks like it came from the Candy Palace over on Main Street - wow, still in one piece).
Grad Nite button. (From 1985? - how'd we miss that for so long?)
Purses and handbags. (Lost and Found again - hopefully someone's ID is inside so they can be contacted).
A women's size 5 flip-flop (left foot).
Sippy cups.
Binky.
Wristwatch.
Earring (never a pair).
Hair piece.
Yes.
A complete hair piece. (How'd you like to have been the person sitting behind THAT guy!).
Sock.
A shoe, I can understand.
A sock?
What ARE these people doing while on this ride?
At the back side of the mountain, by Thunder Trail, the outside edge of the circular turn has a stream of strewn bits and pieces.
Videotape cartridge.
Handkerchief. (These are just gross. Who blows their nose into a small cloth and THEN sticks it right back in their pocket for RE-USE later????).
Coonskin cap. (Hey! We still sell these?).
It was always interesting to see the things that flew off our guests or from their grasp.
Truly, the wildest ride in the wilderness!
---Mike
