CablesEric Posted October 7, 2010 Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 There are no stairs leading to the Tower Catwalks in any of the towers. The only access to the catwalks is from inaccessable ladders. The door in the skyride station for tower 1 leads to a small platform used for storage of cleaning supplies for the ride, the rest is a big pit. Tower 2 has a small set of stairs leading to the 'Half-Level walkway' for employee access and to the lower portion of the fort. The lower area houses the counter weights for the sky ride and used to serve as a maintence shed. The small 'attic' in Tower 3 is an access to the ladder that leads to the tower catwalk. I presume there is nothing up there but mounds of pigeon droppings. I've never been inside the doors of tower 4, but I believe it is storage for the leather shop or what ever may be operating underneath the runaway train exit. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
av8r296 Posted October 7, 2010 Report Share Posted October 7, 2010 As Cables Eric stated, the door in the Skyride station to tower one does lead to a small platform over looking a very large pit. Mounted to the inside of this tower however is a ladder that will take you up to the cat walks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrill-Pics Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 (edited) thanks guys! so i guess this means that the plans for the catwalks being accessible by guests were never put in effect. so those towers are completely empty on the inside? like hollowed out from the base to the catwalks? with a ladder running up them? also, how do you access the ladder in tower 2? is there another hatch like in tower 3? Edited October 11, 2010 by Thrill-Pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted October 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2010 In regards to the catwalks, from what I understand access to them was suppose to be available from a sixth tower that was never built. The unbuilt tower can be seen in the renderings below. Guests were going to be able to walk into the fort's courtyard and choose from the Skyride to left, Runaway Mine Train to the right, or the Fort Lookouts by walking straight ahead and up the tower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrill-Pics Posted October 12, 2010 Report Share Posted October 12, 2010 ahhh i see! yeah that makes perfect sense. the idea that sparked my research into this was that I saw the half walkway in the front of the fort come to a dead end at a wall...which looks like there should be a door there. Then I saw that in your book, you have a blueprint of the front, and the wall has a symbol over it...which i thought might mean a change in the original plans. and it would make sense for the fort to have the insides that i depicted above, in my mind. again, this is the kind of stuff i love exploring when it comes to GADV's history =D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThemeParkRider Posted October 14, 2010 Report Share Posted October 14, 2010 Has anyone noticed that there are a few more lights on the Fort? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAcoaster Posted October 15, 2010 Report Share Posted October 15, 2010 Yeah, they added Fright Fest lighting this year. It looks really good and makes me wish they had the same lighting all season! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThemeParkRider Posted October 15, 2010 Report Share Posted October 15, 2010 ^ I agree! In fact, they could keep them up all year. The lights are just regular spotlights with the exeption of one red one at the bottum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted April 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2011 I was reading in an old article about the park that Warner LeRoy wanted to have fire and smoke shooting out of the Fort's cannons. That would have been cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batmanrobinchiller Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 I love the fort! Its a great part of the frontiers adventure area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted January 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 The first picture below was taken in September 1978. Check out the lower wall in the Fort's infield were the queue lines are located. Originally it featured a low wooden wall capped off with a see through chain-link top. I am not sure of when the wall has replaced with solid wood, but having it lower must have provided some great views of the Runaway Train (especially since there wasn't a bridge and walkway on the opposite side of Lahaway Creek). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 My guess it was replaced because people could and probably did hop over the old fence due to it's design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterDan Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 I have noticed that when you exit the skyride through the fort, as the staircase comes to a mid landing, a small square trapdoor is on the ceiling, complete with a ladder-like structure attached to the wall leading up to it. Is this attic-like trapdoor an access method to the top catwalks, or is there another portion of the building it accesses? Or is it just storage? Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAcoaster Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 It's really just a service access for maintenance of the lights/flags/etc. up on the catwalks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted February 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 The first picture below was taken in September 1978. Check out the lower wall in the Fort's infield were the queue lines are located. Originally it featured a low wooden wall capped off with a see through chain-link top. I am not sure of when the wall has replaced with solid wood, but having it lower must have provided some great views of the Runaway Train (especially since there wasn't a bridge and walkway on the opposite side of Lahaway Creek). Here's what the wall looked like from the other side! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted May 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2014 The first reference to a shop under the Runaway Train's stairs in the Fort appeared on the 1976 park map which simply named the shop as "Sign Maker". Here is a photo from 1976 of the shop sporting a "Woodcarver" sign. Note how you can see the slope of the stairs above the shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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