Monorail Accident

Fun2BFree

Active Member
They have more knowledge of how the world works

Worldliness doesn't matter. Street-smarts aren't book-smarts nor are they common-sense necessarily. If anything, society is more jaded, but innocence can be a virtue -- Disney built an empire on wholesomeness.

But where this relates to the topic I don't know. WW2-era 21 year olds wouldn't have found themselves in control of a monorail, so it's not really relevant.
 

tomm4004

New Member
... Then the train backed up toward the bay, tearing off more pieces that were protruding...

This is the second report I've read of the trains going towards the station after the crash. The other report said 10 to 15 seconds later. What I'm wondering is how exactly is the monorail propelled? Does the driver have a lever? If Pink backed into Purple, would it just stop or would it keep pushing? If you back into something while driving you jam your foot on the brake? Can the driver of a monorail do the same thing, and quickly, or would it keep moving for a few seconds?
 

janoimagine

Well-Known Member
Worldliness doesn't matter. Street-smarts aren't book-smarts nor are they common-sense necessarily. If anything, society is more jaded, but innocence can be a virtue -- Disney built an empire on wholesomeness.

But where this relates to the topic I don't know. WW2-era 21 year olds wouldn't have found themselves in control of a monorail, so it's not really relevant.

I agree. We seem to have gotten off topic.
 

unkadug

Follower of "Saget"The Cult
Interesting theory from former pilot. (No sound until halfway through, but it's not really needed)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QBZ_S7iAHU

[youtube]<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0QBZ_S7iAHU&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0QBZ_S7iAHU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>[/youtube]
 

BwanaBob

Well-Known Member
A comment such as what the witness made was completely unnecessary and was for sensationalism only.

Still find the term 'regular speed' funny... if not incongruous.
 

unkadug

Follower of "Saget"The Cult
I see this thread is denigrating into personality conflicts between a few members.

This really needs to stop.
 

TalkingHead

Well-Known Member
A comment such as what the witness made was completely unnecessary and was for sensationalism only.

Still find the term 'regular speed' funny... if not incongruous.

I'm impressed. You must be a mind-reader.

I'm still a little fuzzy on exactly what happened where, but it wouldn't be normal for a train to approach the station at 60mph. Thus, the "regular speed" would be quite a bit lower. Nobody knows how fast Pink or Purple was moving, but it's ridiculous to suggest an eyewitness couldn't notice if one train was moving faster than it should have been.
 

TraceyC/FL

New Member
Question and a statement....

1. I agree with the physics that it appears to have been pink moving into purple. The pictures outside on the rail show a more "compressed" view, and on the platform it appears to have been stretched some, which to me goes with pink pulling it into the station. But hey, i don't know 'nutin :shrug:

2. How come i'm the only one remembering or thinking they already HAVE quit letting people ride up front? I'm 99.9% sure i was on vacation during the 85 fire though, i remember (hey, i was 15 back then - cute monorail drivers were more important :D) in the middle of the trip not getting to ride up front - that 15 thing, we always waited for the front - and they started having a CM ride in the back to smell things out.

Did this not last a long time?

I love riding in the front, my kids do too, but i can see it going away "again" for awhile.

I also can't imagine being at a Monorail resort and not being able to use it :( (friends just stayed at the Contemporary 3 weeks ago). All for them taking the time to get it investigated right and everything checked out.
 

hp200lx

Member
Interesting theory from former pilot. (No sound until halfway through, but it's not really needed)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QBZ_S7iAHU

[youtube]<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0QBZ_S7iAHU&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0QBZ_S7iAHU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>[/youtube]


Great video but just an FYI, you may want to give credit for this video to Jose Eber from for taking it. He put a lot of time and effort into making it.
 

MissM

Well-Known Member
2. How come i'm the only one remembering or thinking they already HAVE quit letting people ride up front?
I have no idea why you'd remember that but I know for a fact you can ride up front since I've done it within the last six months or so. I've also asked more recently but didn't want to wait for the family ahead of me. Unless they stopped for awhile and started again, they let up to four guests ride up front on ALL of the lines. (Resort, Express, Epcot)
 

TraceyC/FL

New Member
I have no idea why you'd remember that but I know for a fact you can ride up front since I've done it within the last six months or so. I've also asked more recently but didn't want to wait for the family ahead of me. Unless they stopped for awhile and started again, they let up to four guests ride up front on ALL of the lines. (Resort, Express, Epcot)

Oh i know they do now - we've been local for 5.5 years, and the kids got to ride up front before that too.

I was just thinking, that they HAVE stopped letting you ride up front after an incident (in the past), but what i'd have no clue about is if it lasted a length of time. LIke was it just for a week back then? The rest of the year?

And gee, did i get the date right? i'm thinking i typed 95 instead of 85? 95 was that really cold January i was here when the WL had recently opened - bringing it's own transportation issues with it.

ETA: Ha, i did get the date right... i'm not that old!
 

J.E.Smith

Active Member
Kevin Yee mentioned that Purple has had problems in the recent past:

rumor time: I have seen Monorail Purple have problems first-hand in two of the last two times I went to the MK. One time resulted in kicking us all out of the MK station to use the boat while they towed purple. The other time required a restart of the electrical systems while we were at the TTC (also on the MK line). We actually made a verbal joke about purple becoming dangerous. Ouch.

Even though pink crashed (and the driver of pink is presumably the one who died), could it be because of a failed sensor on Purple? Did purple have an electrical outage that allowed Pink to not realize Purple was ahead?
 

BwanaBob

Well-Known Member
I'm impressed. You must be a mind-reader.
no.
Just been on these boards for a while.
Am a local as well...and go to/have been to the parks just as much as yourself, if not more. But not the point.

Sorry I quoted you. You misunderstand what I'm trying to say.
Edited and leaving, thanks.
 
Kevin Yee mentioned that Purple has had problems in the recent past:

We rode both Pink and Purple hours before the crash. Pink from Epcot to MK around 7ish and purple back to epcot after the fireworks.

We had a delayed boarding for Pink going to TTC from Epcot due to Maint. Issues. Driver got off 23'd boarding went into the control room came back out and then boarded the train and allowed boarding. All anyone would say was maint. problem. Pink also came in to Epcot terminal really really slow.
 

EpcotFanForever

Active Member
Thoughts

The speculation here is pretty amazing, given that so little information is currently available. It seems that only Lee has added facts to the random noise (thank you!).

As for the discussions on collision physics, what happens with trains is very different from what happens with monorails (yes, I'm an engineer who specializes in transportation systems). On a train (such as the Metro accident in Washington DC), the momentum of the train lifts the lightweight car off the heavy wheel assembly, hence the "climbing" result.

On a monorail, the ends of the train are not structural, and they were crushed in the collision. Think of them as two styrofoam cups. It is probably not possible to discern from the tangled nose cones which was moving and which was stationary.

So how about we wait for facts instead of arguing over theories?
 

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