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View Full Version : Monorail is 45 years old today



CRS24
06-14-2004, 07:42 PM
I saw this on the ABC local news today. Happy 45th Birthday to the Monorail! :fez:


Here is the story from: abc7.com (http://abc7.com)

Disneyland's Monorail Honored

ANAHEIM — It's been 45 years and three million miles since Disneyland first opened its Monorail... and Monday it was time to celebrate!
When it first opened it was the only Monorail to operate daily in the United States, but since then it's carried an estimated 156 million passengers.

Disneyland's system was born out of Walt Disney's love of steam trains. at first it was only a Tmorrowland attraction, but now it's two and a half miles in length and has operated longer than any other Disneyland attraction.

stan4d_steph
06-15-2004, 05:33 AM
Happy birthday monorail. Too bad you're showing your age a bit too much.

merlinjones
06-15-2004, 08:39 AM
Happy Birthday, Monorail. I hope your derelict guardians will buy you some new trains.

2Fast4U
06-16-2004, 10:28 AM
I was at DL last nite, and around 10 or so, they had to remove Blue from the mainline.......

Disney Vault
06-16-2004, 01:59 PM
Did anyone read what they said at miceage.com how someone said they are getting all new monorails.

smd4
06-17-2004, 07:52 AM
The Disneyland Monorail "...has operated longer than any other Disneyland attraction."

Oh really?

Except, of course, for the Disneyland Railroad, Mark Twain, Autopia, Jungle Cruise, Main Street Horsecars...

How difficult is it to do a simple fact check on stuff like this?

jrad32
06-17-2004, 09:29 AM
I just read the Miceage article. I don't know that a story from a monorail driver can be categorized as 100% true, but it is exciting. If it is true that we are getting new monorails it seems like this could be a step in the right direction for Tomorrowland. Now if we can just get the Peoplemover back.

danyoung
06-17-2004, 09:32 AM
I've heard the same thing from several sources. Basically they're stripping down Monorail Orange and reverse engineering at a part level. They'll then be able to kick out as many trains and parts as they need. Looks like they'll have new vehicles for 2006. It's almost a crime that they waited this long to do this, but at least they're finally moving in the right direction.

Princess Booker
06-17-2004, 10:56 AM
If it's true, it's about time. I'd love to see a purple monorail back in action, instead of just on a pin.

Cloud Buster
06-27-2004, 01:01 PM
I realize my posts are often met with a bit of sketpticism, but I'll reply on this topic since I have the info first hand. I watched Monorail Orange be disassembled and loaded onto trucks, taken away to Glendale where WDI is working on it. A few days later I went upstairs in the roundhouse to check on Monorail Purple and see how it's rehab is going.

Monorail Purple's rehab coming along very well complete. For those of you that don't know, the electrical system was being upgraded along with an upgrade to the dynamic braking system. Part of Monorail Orange's disappearance is to do research into elimination of dynamic braking completely, replacing it with air-spring hybrid brakes (pretty close to air brakes on a large truck). Monorail Purple saw the light of day for the first time in a while a few days ago when it was moved from track A to track D in the roundhouse (it was towed). When I was in Monorail Purple last week, wiring on the drive system was almost complete, as I was told by the independent contractor who was there working while I spoke to him. The cockpit (front compartment) is still in a hundred pieces but will probably be the last thing to be fixed.

The primary reason for Monorail Orange's field trip is to examine the frame. As you may or may not be aware, all the Monorails (as told to me by a lead mechanical technician) are still using their original frames. While new bodies and such have been added over the years, the frames are the same and they are riddled with cracks. WDI wants to find a way to replace the FRAMES on the Monorails, as well as the dynamic brakes, but at this time there are no plans for new bodies or other new features. That being said, it's also not being ruled out. Monorail Orange is going to be a bit of a a guniea pig in Glendale, so we'll see what they come up with.

To reiterate, the idea at this time is NOT to build entirely new Monorails, but to replace / rebuild the frames and how this is going to be accomplished is yet to be discovered. These are not plans to upgrade the Monorails for the 50th per say, but there is a chance it would be happening in the time frame.

As far as Monorail Purple goes, I'd say you should be able to ride in it again soon - probably before the end of summer. (But I'm admittedly no authority on that.)

EDIT: I uploaded a few pics of Monorail Purple's rehab I took last week.

Some of the newly installed circutry (http://cloudbuster.home.infionline.net/Monorail/1.jpg)

One of the main drive wheels (http://cloudbuster.home.infionline.net/Monorail/2.jpg)

Looking down, A track on the left, B on the right (http://cloudbuster.home.infionline.net/Monorail/3.jpg)

A stabalizer wheel. Much smaller than a drive wheel (these are the ones you can see be looking up from under the Monorail). (http://cloudbuster.home.infionline.net/Monorail/4.jpg)

A section of the cockpit, in pieces (http://cloudbuster.home.infionline.net/Monorail/5.jpg)

Overview (http://cloudbuster.home.infionline.net/Monorail/6.jpg)

Mark Goldhaber
06-27-2004, 02:17 PM
Great pics, Cloud Buster! (We'll have more on the fate of Orange in tomorrow's DLR park update.)

I had to convert your inline images to links. Please see our FAQ (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=10101) on inline images.

splashmtngurl
06-28-2004, 01:38 PM
If you read the article on the homepage (disneyland resort news) you will find that sometime after 2005 Matt Oumiet (or however you spell it, lol) has planned to replace the Monarail trains with new more modern trains. He claims that the trains have been in need of replacement for the past five or more years and i must say i agree. I am very pleased to see that such a change will be taking place....Matt is making a huge difference in the parks if you ask me....i mean all of the painting, refurbishments, practically everything!!! i think thats just neat that he is taking such a huge jump with the company!