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Magic Kingdom Monorails at Reduced Capacity Due to Beam Damage
- Thread starter hollywoodj
- Start date
TheDisneyMagic
Well-Known Member
Here is a link outside of that networked blogs link, when ever I seem to open sites through those links the CSS formatting goes Kaput.
http://blog.touringplans.com/2012/0...nning-at-reduced-capacity-due-to-beam-damage/
Hopefully they are able to repair the beam quickly, and hopefully it will not cause any damage to the trains themselves.
http://blog.touringplans.com/2012/0...nning-at-reduced-capacity-due-to-beam-damage/
Hopefully they are able to repair the beam quickly, and hopefully it will not cause any damage to the trains themselves.
DonaldDoleWhip
Well-Known Member
This easily reinforces our decision to no longer stay at the monorail resorts 
PirateFrank
Well-Known Member
I thought they were fixing all of these beams with the reduced monorail schedule that started last summer?
:brick::brick::brick::brick::brick::brick:
Yet they spend a billion dollars to bring Cartman on tv screens to small world?
:brick::brick::brick::brick::brick::brick:
Yet they spend a billion dollars to bring Cartman on tv screens to small world?
Rasvar
Well-Known Member
Sounds like an expansion joint contracted too far in the cold and slipped out of alignment if it was something from the cold. I would be curious if operations are back to normal now. If they are, the joint may have just contracted to a a distance out of nominal leaving a bumpy gap that would slow close as the beam warmed up in the sun. Protection would tend to preventing beam cracking in intense summer heat so a good strong cold snap could bring an issue in the right condition. Especially if it was cold all day yesterday.
Now if the joint slipped so far out of alignment that it won't go back in position, they will need to work quickly to get that fixed before it does get too warm. Hotter temps will put extra pressure on the beam if the joint is not in position to take the expansion and cracking can occur from the pressure.
Now if the joint slipped so far out of alignment that it won't go back in position, they will need to work quickly to get that fixed before it does get too warm. Hotter temps will put extra pressure on the beam if the joint is not in position to take the expansion and cracking can occur from the pressure.
googilycub
Active Member
:brick::brick::brick:
Some people just don't get it... It sounds like a frost break in the concrete. I have seen it happen to brand new roads, so what they are doing to small world has nothing to do with it. I know, I know, never let the facts get in the way of a rant, right?:wave:
PirateFrank
Well-Known Member
You're missing the point. The monorail system has been falling apart over the past few years. We weren't discussing monorail issues 5 years ago. At least, not to this extent. When you say you've seen it happen to brand new roads, you are correct. But that's usually because they've screwed up the pouring of the 'brand new road'. Preventative maintenance and proper repairs to cracks...and the chance for frost heaves is significantly reduced, as water will have less of a chance of getting into a crack, expanding upon freeze, etc, etc. I hate to sound like Mike Holmes here...but do it right, you won't have to fix it. Fix it right, you won't have to fix it again.
When we see a billion dollars go into recreating cartman at small world, it becomes a head scratcher when at the same time, the monorail system repeatedly falls into disrepair.
Rasvar
Well-Known Member
Highly unlikely that it was frost heave. Temperature in the region has not dropped below freezing, even during this cold snap.
PirateFrank
Well-Known Member
I wish I had known that before responding above (I had assumed it had dropped under freezing, since the water parks were closed up).....
..without frost heaves being the cause, we're now talking about a true lack of preventative maintenance. Why again, are they spending all of this money to allow people to book fastpass reservations for Nemo 180 days out?
googilycub
Active Member
No you seem to missing the point. It is very possible that this IS a new section, and they got poor concrete, it happens. Even with proper preventative maintenance, frost damage happens.
BTW I thought the billion the price tag for NEXT GEN total, not just the price of the rumored small world changes, or is the facts getting in the way again.:brick:
PirateFrank
Well-Known Member
Facts aren't getting in the way. If you spend 56 grand for a car that's worth 10...and included in the price of your car (that is 46k more expensive than it should be), you get a pink perfume dispenser installed in the dashboard, you really have to wonder if the 46k is being expended with any level of responsibility.
It's already been established that frost heaves are likely not the cause. what's the cause now? Because now it's looking like either crappy repair or no repair. One of the two...pick it. It still makes it very hard to swallow that pink perfume dispenser they're installing at small world when they could have allocated some more money in disney transportation's budget line, instead.
Rasvar
Well-Known Member
It still depends. I don't know if there was any beam replacement or work done. I don't think any beams in that section have been replaced. The section between Grand Floridian and MK are the most difficult to work due to their location, height and curve. If a beam was reset in summer, it is possible that being reseated a mere centimeter off could cause a cold expansion joint to come misaligned in cold temperature. Also, if they did work on the expansion joint in the summer, it could have been thrown slightly out of alignment and just popped a bit to the side when the joint contracted. It should not be a difficult fix but it will require getting a crane or two to do the realignment.
googilycub
Active Member
32 degrees in Lakeland last night, 33 at Orlando Executive. WDW is pretty much right in the middle.
http://www.wunderground.com/history...tml?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA
http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KORL/2012/2/12/DailyHistory.html
maxairmike
Well-Known Member
This very same issue occurred last year as well when it got cold for a few weeks. The monorail barely moved over that section of the track. It took about 5 minutes to cross over the channel into the Lagoon alone. It is likely just the plates getting out of alignment due to the cold weather. I've noticed that most all of the joints are pretty much widened to as far as they can go without being completely disconnected across most of the beams the last few trips. I've assumed that it's for maintenance reasons, and with as far apart as they've had them, I imagine it wouldn't take much to cause an issue.
Rasvar
Well-Known Member
Yeah, way to warm. Not even under 32. Expansion joint is the most likely suspect. Back when you could still ride in the front cab. I rode on a very cold morning and the gap in the expansion joints were very visible. If you ride it in the summer, there is very little gap. The beams go through a lot of contraction and expansion. I was actually surprised the gap was so wide that morning I saw it. It was in the upper 30's.
Rasvar
Well-Known Member
That makes sense. Sounds like the beam has probably slid slightly out of alignment when it gets cold and then moves back into place when it warms up.It would probably take shutting down the monorails a couple of days to realign those beams so they don't get out of alignment on cold mornings. It is not going to fall off but you probably have a slightly bumpy ride and if it is far enough, you have to deal with the electrical contacts as if you are doing a beam change through the switch beam making sure all of the contacts reset as you go through the gap since the contacts also spread at the expansion joint.
disney fan 13
Well-Known Member
Do I even need to comment on the lack of matenence in this one :shrug:
draybook
Well-Known Member
This easily reinforces our decision to no longer stay at the monorail resorts
The prices made that decision easy for us.
disney fan 13
Well-Known Member
the dark side of USO, SW, and everything else made that decision for us..:shrug:
Rasvar
Well-Known Member
I don't see this as a major maintenance issue. This is something that could happen maybe five or six days out of the year. Almost like the inevitable lightning strike down time in the summer. Now the beams have been up for over 40 years. It may be time to come and realign some of the beams. But that will be something that will require an extended period of disruption to do. A lot of running the monorail much like they did in the late '80s to refit the Contemporary for the new monorails. Probably take a significant period to go through the whole Seven Seas Lagoon loop. The EPCOT loop would be more disruptive to check. It is something they are going to have to consider some time in the future. Catch 22 on this one. I'm guessing this current model probably has about another ten years of operational life. They may just order new models of a current design. But other upgrades may be needed to the beams. So I am not sure what is the best long term plan on this right now. Just plan on degraded service on the MK loop on the days when the temp drops below 35 from the looks of it. No idea what the long term plan is on this. If it starts happening at warmer temperatures, they will have to address it sooner.