Rainbow Caverns in Radiator Springs Racers

[MrsMonroe]

yes you are correct

[4Apples4Disney]

Stalagmites are those on the ground, stalagtites are those on the ceiling. And I think I spelled that wrong!

[Mojave]

Stalagmites are those on the ground, stalagtites are those on the ceiling. And I think I spelled that wrong!

Thanks, and yeah I had to look it up, it's stalaGmites, but stalaCtites. Oh, spelling is just so interesting.

[Bob Weaver]

Thanks for posting the photo. There are caverns along or near Route 66, such as Meramec Caverns, Bridal Cave, Onondaga Cave, Cathedral Cave and Fantastic Caverns in Missouri as well as Grand Canyon Caverns in Arizona. The picture of RSR at the beginning of this thread reminds me of two of them: Meramec Caverns because of the multi-colored lighting, and Fantastic Caverns which is the only ride-through cave in the U.S. You actually ride a specially designed vehicle. To me, what they have done at RSR seems like a tribute to those 2 caves. At least going by that picture. The important thing to remember about Rainbow Caverns at Disneyland was that it was all done with black lights and fluorescent water in 6 colors. There were no colored lights, no ambient lighting, no spotlights, and no outside light leaking in. I believe the train did not use its headlight while in the caverns; it was only turned on for the staged photo for National Geographic magazine. The Rainbow Caverns were very dark; the only light in them was the colored light emitted by the fluorescent waters, which had a milky look. In fact the first time I saw it, I thought it was colored milk. There were a couple of painted signs too. None of the other things mentioned have the same look. The first lift on BTMRR has colored lights and spot lights, and a lot of light leaks in from the outside during the daytime. The Calico Mine Train at Knott's has colored lights. From the photo, RSR appears to use colored lights and light fixtures. It's too bright, too. To be like Rainbow Caverns it has to be very dark, with the glowing colored water the only thing you can see - that's required to give it that "otherworldly look." It's very nice of them to recall the Rainbow Caverns and attempt to pay tribute to it, however I would still argue that they still don't have a real tribute. To be a proper tribute it would have to have flowing water in 6 fluorescent colors, and no light source - just black lights to make the water glow. They could rebuild the Rainbow Caverns as designed by Claude Coats; they must still have the blueprints. It could be used as part of a new attraction, or as a queue, or even a walk-through. It was too dark to be used as a restaurant or snack area.

[MrsMonroe]

ohh good point. so the rainbow caverns were more or less like the bubbling pots found in the first tunnel of Knotts' mine train?

[Bob Weaver]

I just watched a video of the Calico Mine Train at Knott's and it appears to me they are using colored lights to illuminate those features. The Rainbow Caverns used no colored lights whatsoever - everything was done with black light. The colors were in the water as fluorescent pigments - and very heavy too, as the water appeared almost opaque. There were 6 colors and thus 6 separate, independent plumbing systems were built. An engineer warned Disney that the colors would become hopelessly mixed together to a muddy brown, but Walt famously said, "We do the impossible here every day." The colors stayed separate for the entire 21 years the Rainbow Caverns existed. There were pools of colored water, geysers, waterfalls, and even colored rivers of water on the floor. At one point the train passed over several channels running under the tracks, each channel maybe 6 inches wide and a different color from the channel next to it. It was a pretty impressive feat of engineering as well as artistic design. There were also "bubbling mud pots" in various colors on the Mine Train attraction, but those were outdoors, with the bubbling "mud" in several colors and illuminated by sunlight in the day, flood lights at night. But inside the Rainbow Caverns there were no visible lights, only black light.

[MrsMonroe]

see someone should make a 3D recreation of the ride like they did with Adventure Thru Inner Space so younger ones like me can see the ride in the eyes of our parents and grandparents instead of pictures that dont capture its awesomeness haha i propose redoing thunder mountains queue to look like the caverns. by making it indoors and in a cave that leads to the building

[Mojave]

see someone should make a 3D recreation of the ride like they did with Adventure Thru Inner Space so younger ones like me can see the ride in the eyes of our parents and grandparents instead of pictures that dont capture its awesomeness haha i propose redoing thunder mountains queue to look like the caverns. by making it indoors and in a cave that leads to the building

Kinda like this? Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland

[MrsMonroe]

Kinda like this? Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland

oh my! yes!!!

[NettyVal09]

Sounds cool if it's true!

[Bob Weaver]

The Rainbow Caverns building was located very close to where Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is located. Last year on this forum, someone showed an overlay comparing where things were "then" to where things are "now." I believe a portion of the Big Thunder Mtn. RR sits on land that was occupied by Rainbow Caverns. Had they wanted to, they could have integrated the Rainbow Caverns into the Big Thunder Mtn. RR attraction in some way, either as part of the queue, or as a slow part at the beginning of the train ride, or as a slow part at the end of the ride. But instead, they chose to demolish the caverns in 1977.

[Seawolf]

Is this section of RSR long or brief? I am really hoping this is more than just one small room, that would be too big of a tease to bare.

[Mojave]

Is this section of RSR long or brief? I am really hoping this is more than just one small room, that would be too big of a tease to bare.

I think it's relatively small. After the finish line of the outside section, and a couple final right turns, you enter the show building again briefly for the Taillight caverns.

[Skunkwerx]

I agree that it would be nice a intended throwback to the old Rainbow Caverns...but the imagineers were probably thinking a CARS tie in rather than the old attraction. I'm glad they kept and created references to the old Mine Train through Natures Wonderland attraction in BTMRR. I'll wear my Rainbow Caverns tee none the less (to represent the old school) when I get around to seeing RSR..

[MrsMonroe]

Is this section of RSR long or brief? I am really hoping this is more than just one small room, that would be too big of a tease to bare.

very brief