Re: D&S 83

In the third photo of this series, 481 is seen heading north in the Durango yard with the daily passenger train, including the boxcar with men and equipment on top. In 1983, Disney was looking to update their long-running Circle Vision 360 feature, America The Beautiful. The equipment on top of the boxcar is their special cameras used to create the 360 degree surround film. I doubt the D&SNG management would have allowed the men to ride on top of the boxcar after leaving the yard, but we stopped at several locations along the trip to Silverton, primarily along the high line, to setup and film. The following year while visiting Disneyland on my son's obligatory first visit to the park, we stopped in at the Circle Vision 360 theater and, sure enough, there was the dramatic surround vision footage of the train traveling north over the high line. The feature was titled American Journeys, and it ran for about 10 years. Haven't been back to Disneyland since, but I think the original Circle Vision 360 theater was replaced over 20 years ago.