PHANTOMS INDEED: The tourist front in Orange...

PHANTOMS INDEED: The tourist front in Orange County keeps changing. Remember the early days of Disneyland, the large-finned “phantom” boats, the futuristic Viewliner train and the old Rocket to the Moon? Sadly, none have been preserved for history, says Walt Disney Co. curator Dave Smith. . . . Today there’s a more conscious effort to save, such as the signs from Fantasyland before its 1983 remodel. . . . “The problem is saving the big things,” Smith says. Some are sold: A Skyway bucket and a Dumbo the Flying Elephant went to collectors.

STILL COASTIN’: Many still miss the Corkscrew at Knott’s Berry Farm from the 1970s, the first roller coaster to feature upside-down loops. The ride faded in popularity as coasters got faster and scarier. . . . But the Corkscrew is still packing ‘em in--in Idaho. Knott’s sold the ride to the Silverwood Park in Coeur d’Alene, outside Spokane, Wash., where it’s now in its sixth year. . . . “It’s beautiful. It’s one of our best rides,” says park spokeswoman Pat Bondi.

WAX NOSTALGIC: The Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park throws a party with every new wax figure--Geena Davis and Tom Hanks are up next. But what happens to Hollywood has-beens? Owner Ron Fong, above, just sends them into storage. . . . “We have a big room full of them,” says his son, Rodney Fong. “Sometimes their parts are recycled.” For instance, he says, Johnny Carson now sports a new hairdo in his new role as an extra in the “Spartacus” set: “If I had not told you, you would not recognize him.”

ROAR NO MORE: The sign off Irvine Center Drive still says “Lion Country.” But Lion Country Safari closed in 1984. Its road leads to the Wild Rivers water park and Irvine Meadows Amphitheater. . . . The old drive-through safari park--where you could mingle with lions and hippos--is intact but grown over, says Harry Shuster of Beverly Hills, who developed the attraction and holds the lease through 1997. Shuster is still wrangling with the landlord, Irvine Co., over the land’s use. In the meantime, he says, “It’s all closed. It’s earning money for nobody.”