| Watch the on-ride POV |
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| The Red Mk. VI train in 2010 | |||||||||
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| Statistics | |||||||||
| Manufacturer | Alweg | ||||||||
| Product | Monorail | ||||||||
| Designer / calculations | WED Enterprises | ||||||||
| Type | |||||||||
| Capacity | 3 Monorails seating 120 guests each | ||||||||
| Height | 41 feet | ||||||||
| Speed | 35 mph | ||||||||
| Track length | 13,200 feet | ||||||||
The Disneyland Monorail (also known simply as the "Monorail") is a Monorail located at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, United States. Opening on June 14, 1959, the ride was extremely innovative in its unique premise for a futuristic way of public transport.
The ride's impact is felt globally, as monorails are now a public transportation method in many parks and cities around the world and becoming the first daily-operating monorail system in the world.[1]
History
During the late 1950's, Disney envisioned that there was going to be a reliable, practical transport method of the future. He already had a transportation ride in his park, in the Viewliner. The Monorail was first going to be handled by Standard Carriage Works of East Los Angeles, but by pressure and time, Walt had to move work elsewhere to his Burbank studio.
One of Walt's young designers, Bob Gurr, led a team of engineers to help design, create and build what would become the MK. I Monorail trains. For the innovative, straddle-beam design of the track, monorail manufacturer Alweg was called in to assist with the building of the Monorail.[2] The station of the ride was to be built on top of the Submarine Voyage ride, and other rides needed to be closed as well to fit in the track.
The monorail opened on June 14, 1959, with a re-dedication of Tomorrowland alongside Submarine Voyage, the Motorboat Cruise, and a new Autopia and Matterhorn Bobsleds.[3] The ride was dedicated by then Vice-President Richard Nixon and his family, who also had attended ribbon cutting.[4]
When the ride originally opened, it had a fleet of 2 MK. I trains, in Monorail Red, and Monorail Blue. During the first few years of its life, the ride only had 1 station; it had been installed as a sightseeing attraction overlooking Tomorrowland and part of Fantasyland. The original length of the ride was 8/10 of a mile, or 4,224 feet, or 1287 meters.[5] However, the Monorail wasn't quite finished, and there was more to come of this new attraction.
In 1961, the monorail was expanded to now exit the park, over the parking lot and now enter the Disneyland Hotel.[6] This expansion also introduced the MK. II trains and transformed the Monorail from being a simple attraction - to an actual transportation method, taking guests to and from the Hotel to the park. The trains were also expanded to have 4 cars, and a new Monorail was added - Monorail Yellow.
In 1968, the platforms for both stations were lengthened to accommodate the new five car Mk. III trains - Monorail Blue, Yellow, Red, and a fourth, new color - Monorail Green. The trains were more sleek versions of the Mark II trains that debuted 7 years earlier. In 1976, the ALWEG naming was removed,[7] though the company went defunct in 1964.[8]
By 1986, the Mk. III vehicles were becoming old. In 1985, one by one, the Mk. III vehicles were taken off the track and stripped - Yellow, Blue and Green were decommissioned, and Red leaving the track the following year in 1986. During this time, however, a new design would debut on the tracks.
In 1987, the Mk. V vehicles were introduced and started roaming the tracks.[9] These new vehicles were similar in posture to the Mk. III vehicles but stripped down to the chassis. Red and Blue remained as Red, Yellow become the purple train, and Green became the Orange Train. These trains carried a similar body design to the Monorail trains used at the Walt Disney World resort in Florida.
In 1995, the Monorail tracks had to be rerouted in order to incorporate the inclusion of Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. This had only been done prior in 1967 to include the addition of Pirates of the Caribbean. However, something larger was looming over the horizon.
In 1997, demolition started inside the original parking lot for Disneyland.[10] This multi-year project was done to facilitate and prepare for the construction of the new park, Disney California Adventure, set to open in February 2001. During 1998, 1999, and early 2000, the monorail was shuttered up while construction was happening. This was due to the monorail going directly over the parking lot, which is where the park was going to be located. During this time, the Disneyland Hotel was being renovated, and the original station was demolished in 1999 to incorporate a new station behind Downtown Disney.[11] In early 2001, though, the ride resumed operations as the park and resort as a whole were wrapping up construction.
In 2007, the Mark V trains were decommissioned one by one, and by early 2009 the Mark VI trains were introduced in their place.[12] This current fleet runs with 3 vehicles - Monorails Red, Yellow, and Blue, just like with the Mk. II fleet. The designs are much closer to the original Bob Gurr designs, but without the overhead "bubble" window the original first 3 fleets had. The monorail has been operating with these current trains ever since.
Design
MK. I
These were the original trains during the opening day of the park. There were 2 colors, Red and Blue. They were phased out around the same time the Mk. II trains were introduced.
MK. II
This fleet of monorail vehicles were introduced in 1961 to coincide with the expansion of the ride into a true transportation system. A third color was added, Yellow, and an extra car was added to all trains. They were phased out completely in 1968. Design wise, they were identical to the Mk. I vehicles, just with the extra cars added.
MK. III
The Mk. III vehicles were rolled out in 1968 and replaced the Mk. II vehicles by 1969. This fleet added a new color in Green and added a fifth car to each vehicle. Green and Yellow were decommissioned in 1985, and Red in 1986, to be replaced with the Mk. V vehicles. The designs of these vehicles were a sleeker, newer versions of the original 1959 Mk. I vehicles. These were the last vehicles to bear the "ALWEG" naming.
MK. V
Mk. V was first rolled out in 1987, with the full fleet added by 1989. Red and blue remained as colors, but in Green and Yellow's place, Purple and Orange were added. These vehicles were designed to ride and look like the Monorail vehicles found at Walt Disney World's in Florida. They were first decommissioned in 2007, and the last vehicle, was taken out in 2008.
MK. VII
This fleet is the current set of trains running on the track. They include 3 colors, Red and Blue - which began services in 2008 - and Yellow - which was introduced in 2009. They were built by Dynamic Structures,[13] and are inspired by the Mk. III fleet in terms of looks and design.
Maintenance Routes
The 3 monorail trains can enter 4 slots inside a maintenance building, only accessible via a switch track, which is how the vehicles access the maintenance building. It is located in between the building of It's a Small World and the roadway near the park. The bottom level of this building houses the maintenance sheds for the Disneyland Railroad. A certain set of Maintenance staff help work on the monorail trains and track nightly.
References
- ↑ Strodder, Chris (2017). The Disneyland encyclopedia: the unofficial, unauthorized, and unprecedented history of every land, attraction, restaurant, shop, and major event in the original magic kingdom. Solana Beach, CA: Santa Monica Press. ISBN 978-1-59580-090-9.
- ↑ Weinberg, Christy (2021-10-22). "A History of the Disneyland Monorail". WDW Magazine. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ↑ "Photos: A look back at Matterhorn Bobsleds, Submarine Voyage and Monorail on 60th anniversary of Disneyland rides". Orange County Register. 2019-06-11. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ↑ "Vice President Nixon Dedicates the Monorail at Disneyland". D23. 1959-06-14. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ↑ "Yesterland: Disneyland-Alweg Monorail System". www.yesterland.com. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ↑ "Yesterland: Disneyland-Alweg Monorail System". www.yesterland.com. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ↑ "Yesterland: Disneyland-Alweg Monorail System". www.yesterland.com. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ↑ "Hitachi-Alweg History". alweg.de. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ↑ "Yesterland: Disneyland-Alweg Monorail System". www.yesterland.com. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ↑ "Yesterland: Disneyland Parking Lot". www.yesterland.com. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ↑ Hotel, Magical (2008-06-08). "The Original Disneyland Hotel: Mixed Bag". The Original Disneyland Hotel. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ↑ Weinberg, Christy (2021-10-22). "A History of the Disneyland Monorail". WDW Magazine. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ↑ Weinberg, Christy (2021-10-22). "A History of the Disneyland Monorail". WDW Magazine. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
