Lately the internet’s been a gold mine for recovering long-lost treasured memories of my childhood. One particularly awesome find is this old postcard of Van Nuys Busch Gardens’ Skyrail back in its heyday (thanks to Vintage Disneyland Tickets).
The question of the universe: Why did they shut the Skyrail down?
I went to Busch Gardens a couple of times as a kid in the ’70s, but sadly the only real memories that I have of it are a lake, flamingos, a bird show, and my dad and uncles being happy that there was free beer (I’m certain the free beer is what convinced dads to spend “quality time” with their families there on the weekends).
The only way I remember the Skyrail, though, is seeing it abandoned and “frozen” in its tracks throughout the early ’80s, each time we passed the facility on the 405 Freeway.
Literally, there was one solitary train eerily hanging from its rails, devoid of passengers, on one random curved section of track high up against a building. Each time I saw it, I would trace the track it would have traveled on, noticing how it snaked around the brewery and even inside it!
Eventually, the abandoned attraction became a strange obsession of mine as I attempted to peer through its shroud of mystery. For one, how could I have not ever been on that ride, knowing that my parents always took full advantage of L.A.’s amusement parks in my childhood? Its design was so classic and awesome—Why did they close it down? And, why did they keep the tracks—and a whole train—up if for so many years, if they weren’t ever planning to open it back up again?
The Skyrail Station in its better days. I would've loved this when I was a kid.
Property of Peopletron
There had to be someone else I knew who had the same questions. I began to ask my friends about it in junior high and even through high school, and nearly everyone, except perhaps the biggest nerds, could give a rat’s ass about some “stupid abandoned train hanging over some stupid brewery in the stupid valley.”
Finally, I was able to get some kind of answer from my folks, who said they’d heard that somebody had fallen to their death from the monorail as it toured the inside of the brewery. I’m supposing it caused such a scandal that they just shut it down. I could just see it now, though—shocked and terrified onlookers with the signature gasps of sudden fright and the blood-curdling horrific female scream as they see someone plummet to the ground. That monorail was pretty high up, so I’m sure it wasn’t a pretty sight if that had actually occurred.
Interestingly, I found an old Busch Gardens thread from 2005 in which one comment gave a somewhat chilly insight to the “dark side” of the Skyrail:
Another memory I have is that every so often the brewrey tour monorails would somehow jump the track and de-rail. YIKES! Especially since they were the hanging type of monorail. I remember them being controlled by the tour guide/driver so maybe they were always going too fast around the curves when they should have been slower.
Meanwhile, on a happier note, I’ve found more pictures of Busch Gardens which have blown away more cobwebs in the attic of my mind:
Property of Patricksmercy on Flickr.com
This picture totally unearthed a long-lost memory of me seeing—and even posing for a picture with—that eagle mascot, who strolled the grounds alongside the other exotic birds around the lake. Funny how some memories virtually disappear until something conjures them back into existence. Strange indeed, how our brains function.
I chuckle every time I see that picture. Friendly Greeter. Is there an Unfriendly Greeter at the other entrance?
It just so happens that Patricksmercy (in whose collection the above photo resides) rode the Skyrail back in its heyday, and was more than happy to share his experience with us here on Lefty Limbo. As he recalls:
It was fun! My Catholic School St. Augustine took us on a field trip there, two classrooms of 2nd graders in school uniforms with two Nun escorts and a couple of mothers. The Sky Rail took us through the various plants showing the beer being processes step by step as we viewed from the sky rail.
Thanks, Patricksmercy, for sharing your delightful story of the Skyrail in happier days. Yet the darkside beckons ever so pervasively, so off I go once again to dig for evidence…
