Fantasyland Skyway Station

Disneyland's Skyway opened on June 23, 1956. The gondola system, the first of its kind in the United States, gave riders a bird's-eye view of the Magic Kingdom as it traveled between stations in Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. The system was manufactured by Von Roll Iron Works of Switzerland and featured 42 gondolas seating two passengers each when it opened. The two stations were appropriately designed for their area of the park, in true Disney style. The Fantasyland Station, where the drive system was housed, was themed to an Alpine chalet while the Tomorrowland Station, where 35,000 pounds of ballast held the cables taut, had a more futuristic appearance.

In 1957, the Skyway was temporarily closed for construction of the new E-ticket attraction, the Matterhorn Bobsleds. The new attraction was built directly in the path of the Skyway, and two large holes were incorporated into its design so that the gondolas were still able to pass through. In 1965, the Skyway also received new gondolas as a part of Disneyland's Tencennial Celebration. The new gondolas were able to seat four passengers, and the entire system received various upgrades.

By the 1990s, the Skyway was experiencing metal fatigue and increasing costs for safety upgrades. On April 17, 1994, a passenger jumped from one of the gondolas landing in a tree suffering only minor injuries. On November 9, 1994, the Skyway finally closed. Shortly after the Skyway's closure, the Tomorrowland Station was removed. The Fantasyland Station remained largely unused until it was finally torn down June 14, 2016 during construction of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.

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