Mr. Toad's Train

[phlegma]

Remember the train that headed toward your car on Disney's Mr. Toad's Wild Ride?

Any tips how to recreate this?

[John Coen]

A light on a cable.

[Mr. Haunt]

Back in the day when there was a haunt in Minnesota called Spooky World they did a train thing like you are talking about on their hayride. I thought that it was the coolest thing that they had.

I was young at the time, about 15 or so. We were going along and there was a man standing in the road holding a lantern. He said " It looks like your just in time for the train"! I was thinking to myself, what train?

Yeah it was the most realistic prop that I had ever seen. They had a life size front section and cab of a locomotive. The cab was lit up. It had head lights like a train. Very realistc sounds with a very loud horn blast. AND YES THERE WAS A MONSTER IN THE CAB!!!! It must have been on a hydralic line and came fast up to the wagon.

Very cool! Spooky World no longer is in operation, but it is a part of the ride I will never foreget.

Brian

[horrorfiend99]

Yes, the effect in Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is acheived in the following way...
The car enters a pitch black tunnel where the sound of teh oncoming train can be heard. Almost imidiately the light comes on and the train comes at you. Basically it is just a light and the top part of the train engine mounted to an overhead track. As the train "collides" with your car, a sound effect and strobe light "explosion" go off just as the train prop passes over your head. It is a fairly basic trick that is not hard to figure out but can be convincing if pulled off correctly.
Are you planning on using such a gag in a walk-through attraction? It would seem much harder to pull off in a setting without a moving vehicle.