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rds912
08-07-2008, 01:09 PM
couldn't they just add low profile rv type AC units to the top of the new monorail cars or is there a clearance issue. some of the low profile units are onlu a few inches tall.

Bytebear
08-07-2008, 06:15 PM
There isn't enough juice in the track to run the units. They would have to rewire the entire track to get the extra electicity they need. Remmeber, they would need a unit for each car. I think they should replace the winows with grating, since the roof scoops don't seem to be working.

SoCalDisneyLover
08-08-2008, 11:06 AM
They want to use the same approach with this, as they used so many years for CA Adventure. Build something with problems, and then use a patch/cookie cutter approach to fixing, by trying to tinker and use lame solutions(like wind scoops).

What's needed is something far more comprehensive, and possibly costly. Either redo the monorails, or come up with an air conditioning solution that works.

Or you can just inconvenience the "guest," by greatly reducing the capacity, limiting the trains, or suspending service completely when the temperature "surprisingly" rises during the summer months.

My guess is they'll continue wasting money on these minor fixes, and after wasting more time, will realize that when you screw up something this important, you actually have to spend some significant money in order to resolve the issue.

Another Dimension
08-08-2008, 11:23 AM
^Unfortunately that's true.

TheDisneyDude
08-08-2008, 01:08 PM
I agree totally with SoCalDisneyLover! I just can't understand why they put all this time and money into something so important and then trying fixing it cheaply.

Bytebear
08-08-2008, 01:48 PM
I think they are just hoping to limp through the tourist season. Also, the focus of the budget should be DCA. They need to get that park in shape before worrying about long term solutions for the Monorail. I would rather them do a short term fix and then in a couple years revamp the entire track (perhaps even extend it). I say, let DCA have the money for now, and Disneyland can suffer for a little while.

gtpinoy
08-08-2008, 02:25 PM
I'm with Bytebear.

What's "Disney"?
08-09-2008, 07:00 AM
I think they should replace the winows with grating, since the roof scoops don't seem to be working.

That gives me an idea.

Most people have screens on their windows at home.

Why can't the monorail windows have screens?

Would the state allow the Mark VII to have Mark V windows if they had screens?

It's not like the screens would be a HUGE eyesore; they are generally pretty subtle.

Darkbeer
08-09-2008, 07:29 AM
Well, if you look at what the Sun Wheel has a screens, yes, the state would allow that, but it wouldn't "look" that good, but it is a solution....

Bytebear
08-09-2008, 10:38 PM
yes, the gratings on the window was to mean something like what the sunwheel has. The probelm is when it rains, you will get wet. Of course, the same thing would happen with the roof scoops (as far as I can tell).

hefferdude
08-10-2008, 09:34 PM
There isn't enough juice in the track to run the units. They would have to rewire the entire track to get the extra electicity they need. Remmeber, they would need a unit for each car. I think they should replace the winows with grating, since the roof scoops don't seem to be working.


“yes, the gratings on the window was to mean something like what the sunwheel has. The probelm is when it rains, you will get wet. Of course, the same thing would happen with the roof scoops (as far as I can tell).”

I would like to suggest a combination of the following ( if it has not been applied yet - or ever will ) but hear me out:

OK - At each station of the monorail, install an air condtioning “curtain” that would flow over the entrances of each car to reduce the introduction of hot so cal air much the same way Vegas or Reno does the entrances of the casinos.

Now for the Train part.

First - Solar reflective coating on all window panels on each section of the monorail. The composition of the film should be wavelength adjusted in a bandpass manner allowing the visible spectrum to pass while reflecting the lower wavelength IR ( infra red = heat ) and the higher band of UVa and UVb ( sunburn ). Could this material be adjusted “on the fly” much as an LCD operates. Hmmmmmm.

Second – The cabin air temperature could be lowered slightly by passing it over solar powered thermoelectric or cryostatic materials that are cooled by the introduction of voltage. The voltage generating panels could be incorporated onto the outer roof of each car. The batteries needed for the solar system should be kept lightweight ( LiH ? ) so as to not add mass to the already overweight train.

Third – Since the proposed system will be monitored by an onboard computer, a segment of program would know to adjust the control algorithm seasonally.

Aha you say “ it gets cold sometimes at Disneyland? Now one may suppose that as we progress into much colder periods, the entire process could be reversed so the air stream could be redirected over the portion of the system that is “dumping” the heat so that the cooler now becomes a heater.

Call me crazy but might work…it would be a testimony to the very idea of "Tomorrowland". If I'm over the top, stop me, I can never tell:fez:

MLSfan
08-11-2008, 06:41 AM
They should throw the train away, scrap what ever they can, hire some engineers who know what they are doing, bite the bullet and start over.

mohavewolfpup
08-11-2008, 06:56 AM
They should throw the train away, scrap what ever they can, hire some engineers who know what they are doing, bite the bullet and start over.

nah, better yet. tear out massive chunks of the monorail beam, leave a few pieces here and there, let the bushes overgrow them and wreck the monorails in the dirt nearby remaining sections of the track, just like the old mine train attraction now sitting abandoned near the rivers of america.... if you want it to be "futuristic" wait until a grad nite comes and all the tagging happens ;)

Bytebear
08-11-2008, 09:04 AM
They should throw the train away, scrap what ever they can, hire some engineers who know what they are doing, bite the bullet and start over.

They don't need to throw away the 21st century technology just because it can't run on 1960s technology. They need to upgrade the track completely. Yes, it would mean the Monorail goes down for a while (but we have lived with Space Mountain down for a year). And it meas money, so limp along for a couple years, and then do a major overhaul, but don't scrap the new technology because the old technology can't handle it.

SoCalDisneyLover
08-11-2008, 09:45 AM
They don't need to throw away the 21st century technology just because it can't run on 1960s technology. They need to upgrade the track completely. Yes, it would mean the Monorail goes down for a while (but we have lived with Space Mountain down for a year). And it meas money, so limp along for a couple years, and then do a major overhaul, but don't scrap the new technology because the old technology can't handle it.

They have shown a complete aversion to doing anything with the track itself. I imagine they would rather shut the monorail for good, rather than have to redo the track.

Does it make sense? Sure. Could they use the track to their benefit, perhaps by expanding, and routing through CA Adventure, or even maybe adding a 2nd stop inside DL. Probably. Will anything be done in that regard, of course not. Remember, they have this other park to fix, and after that $1 Billion gets spent, there won't be anything left for "insignificant" DL attractions like the Monorail.

Bytebear
08-11-2008, 10:07 AM
They have shown a complete aversion to doing anything with the track itself. I imagine they would rather shut the monorail for good, rather than have to redo the track.

Does it make sense? Sure. Could they use the track to their benefit, perhaps by expanding, and routing through CA Adventure, or even maybe adding a 2nd stop inside DL. Probably. Will anything be done in that regard, of course not. Remember, they have this other park to fix, and after that $1 Billion gets spent, there won't be anything left for "insignificant" DL attractions like the Monorail.

You are right, and it could easily go the way of the People Mover, but it should be revamped, and extended, not to DCA or Disneyland, but to the parking structure. That is what should be done, but I agree it shouldn't happen until after DCA is completed. So, they will and should limp along for a couple more years, and then extend Downtown Disney, add a new parking structure, tear down and rebuild Hotel Disney, and in the process revamp the track. It's a lot easier to do when it's part of a larger project.

MLSfan
08-11-2008, 11:47 AM
nah, better yet. tear out massive chunks of the monorail beam, leave a few pieces here and there, let the bushes overgrow them and wreck the monorails in the dirt nearby remaining sections of the track, just like the old mine train attraction now sitting abandoned near the rivers of america.... if you want it to be "futuristic" wait until a grad nite comes and all the tagging happens ;)

LOL, I like your thinking...However I do think that if anything is to be done, why not have a station inside DCA?

cstephens
08-11-2008, 01:52 PM
LOL, I like your thinking...However I do think that if anything is to be done, why not have a station inside DCA?

Problem with that is that they'd need to check tickets before anyone can be left off to make sure they have the right admission media into DCA as well as checking that those boarding have admission media into Disneyland. It's obviously doable but would take more time than just a simple stop because of having to check tickets of departing passengers.

rds912
08-11-2008, 02:17 PM
I like the idea of a stop at the parking structure, and a DCA along with stops in DTD for people wanting to go there and the hotel guests and the current stop in DL it would by truly functional

Malcon10t
08-11-2008, 09:40 PM
It will be interesting to see next week.

Matterhorn Yodeler
08-12-2008, 11:39 AM
You are right, and it could easily go the way of the People Mover.

I don't think that this is the case...Whereas the People Mover was just an attraction (Disneyspeak for "ride" ;)), the Monorail is both an attraction and an important mode of transportation at DLR. One of the appeals of staying "on site" at the three Disney properties, is the convenience of getting on the Monorail and whisking you into the heart of Disneyland. Without the Monorail, it is quite a long walk from the Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier to the front gate of Disneyland.

There has always been some sort of transportation provided for hotel guests to make their way to the entrance of Disneyland. In the early years, there was a tram. Then, they brought the magic of the park right to the front steps of the hotel with the addition of the Monorail. No doubt, this drew hoards of guests to stay there. It made a stay at the Disneyland Hotel unique. Nowhere else were you provided with this wonderful means of accessing the park and returning to your accommodations.

So I believe that the Monorail is a huge promotional tool in selling the hotels and is the string that ties together all of the elements to make it a resort. Without it, they are merely just another option for a place to stay which is in walking distance of the parks.

Matterhorn Yodeler
08-12-2008, 11:51 AM
...but it should be revamped, and extended, not to DCA or Disneyland, but to the parking structure.

I truly love this idea. I am a huge Monorail fan. However, I can't imagine this happening for the time being. There is a very efficient tram system from the Mickey and Friends structure, which is certainly far cheaper to construct and maintain than a Monorail extension. Where this idea becomes viable would be in the eventuality that they build parking structures at a distance from the parks that demands crossing public roads. Then, having an overhead thruway from those locations would be a safe and practical way of transporting guests to the park entrance.

Given the two park scenario, there is a finite number of parking spaces that are required, before reaching capacity. Does the Mickey & Friends structure provide this number? I don't know. There is certainly room for expansion at the site to build another structure right there...

So, much as I would love to see an expansion of the Monorail making it a truly useful transportation system, I can't imagine this to even be a low priority in expansion plans for the resort.

pixar
08-12-2008, 01:26 PM
So I believe that the Monorail is a huge promotional tool in selling the hotels and is the string that ties together all of the elements to make it a resort. Without it, they are merely just another option for a place to stay which is in walking distance of the parks.

As much as I want to believe that, I don't think the monorail is a selling point. People stay at the hotels because it's Disney. They get to experience the Disney magic the whole time they're there, day and night, and not only when they're in the parks. And depending on which of the 3 hotels you stay at, the monorail might not even be a good option to get into the park. And there's also DCA, which the monorail is useless for.

Toocherie
08-12-2008, 01:48 PM
I truly love this idea. I am a huge Monorail fan. However, I can't imagine this happening for the time being. There is a very efficient tram system from the Mickey and Friends structure, which is certainly far cheaper to construct and maintain than a Monorail extension. Where this idea becomes viable would be in the eventuality that they build parking structures at a distance from the parks that demands crossing public roads. Then, having an overhead thruway from those locations would be a safe and practical way of transporting guests to the park entrance.

Given the two park scenario, there is a finite number of parking spaces that are required, before reaching capacity. Does the Mickey & Friends structure provide this number? I don't know. There is certainly room for expansion at the site to build another structure right there...

So, much as I would love to see an expansion of the Monorail making it a truly useful transportation system, I can't imagine this to even be a low priority in expansion plans for the resort.

actually, isn't Mickey and Friends on the other side of a public road (Disneyland Drive?) Or is that private? I thought that when you are on the tram you go underneath that street?

Bytebear
08-12-2008, 02:34 PM
actually, isn't Mickey and Friends on the other side of a public road (Disneyland Drive?) Or is that private? I thought that when you are on the tram you go underneath that street?

I think the point is, if you cannot have a direct tram path, then the monorail is a better solution. Unfortunately, Harbor Blvd is still an emergency air strip and so you cannot have any overhead bridges, which makes the monorail a moot point for going to the other side. It would be great to have a third gate with parking structure over near the Gardenwalk with a monorail station nearby (maybe even a Disney hotel at the Gardenwalk with a monorail station, but, alas, it doesn't seem feasible at this time.