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Monorail Update January 2015
- Thread starter WeekendGM
- Start date
dstrawn9889
Well-Known Member
the ones with white on 'em
DisneyFans4Life
Well-Known Member
That's what I was thinking. At first I thought they had to turn off the power or something, but realized it's FL and rains, so getting wet isn't an issue. It is an obvious difference between the cleaned and uncleaned portions though. I'm glad WDW is doing this.
I find it funny that the monorails were updated from the Mark IV to the Mark VI after only 20 or so years of service, but the current Mark VI have been in place now for around 30 years.
dstrawn9889
Well-Known Member
yes the bem must be UNPOWERED. there is a difference between individual droplets falling and a STREAM OF WATER that can conduct electricity back to
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
The Mark IVs were not replaced because they were not longer fit for operation (two even continued to operate in Las Vegas) but because there was need for larger, higher capacity trains. The years are pretty irrelevant. The Mark VII chassis is from the Mark III and most of the body from the Mark Vs.
s8film40
Well-Known Member
Not all the Mark IV's were 20 years old either. They added Lime and Coral and the 6th car to several trains in the 80's.
DisneyFans4Life
Well-Known Member
I just think it would be cool to have updated Monorails...something more futuristic looking. I remember reading how that was one thing Walt wanted in the monorail back in the 70s..something futuristic looking. Now...I don't know how to go about making something look more futuristic, but something different than we have now. Maybe even just a new paint scheme would go a long way. I remember just a few years ago thinking how cool the Avengers wrap was.
DisneyFans4Life
Well-Known Member
I know they won't do it, but it would be cool if they'd allow guests to ride up front again. I think with the newer safety features that have been put in place it would be ok for guests to be up there now.
Monorail_Red
Well-Known Member
I think that ship has sailed...if you look at one of my earlier posts, there is a YouTube video of Orange entering Contemporary. They replaced one of the "co-pilot" seats with an equipment cabinet. I assume its a permanent thing.
WDWtraveler
Well-Known Member
Photo update as of Tuesday, Nov. 17. Precast concrete steps in place at the Magic Kingdom monorail station, for the new emergency exit.
DisneyFans4Life
Well-Known Member
You're probably right...but it was still a neat experience to get to do. I remember doing it a couple times as a kid and I thought I was the coolest kid around for getting to ride up front. And I always remember thinking, "are we going to fit" as we entered the Contemporary.
EvilQueen-T
Well-Known Member
I sadly agree with you. It was sooooo much fun riding from Epcot to TTC in July without a/c.
WDWtraveler
Well-Known Member
Photo update as of Friday, Feb 19. Emergency stairway exits are being added to the Epcot monorail station at the Epcot front gate, near the security checkpoint. Gray construction walls hide the addition of these narrow stairways.
COProgressFan
Well-Known Member
Wow, clearly for emergency use only - they look steep!
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Why would there be a staircase along side a ramp. Isn't a ramp easier to exit through then a stairway? What am I missing here.
WDWtraveler
Well-Known Member
Photo update as of Tuesday, Feb. 23. Finally, the precast concrete steps at the Magic Kingdom monorail station have railings installed, for the new emergency exit. The railings are painted black. Still a work in progress. Additional emergency exit steps are now under construction at the far end of the outer waiting areas (directly behind where this photo was taken), to exit onto the grass areas on either side of the monorail station.
Most likely answer is that the current means of egress for the area in question (ramps at the MK and EPCOT) could not safely handle the throughput of people to safely evacuate a given area within a specified time.
Each of those platform areas are rated for X number of people. It is safe to assume that someone discovered that only say 1/2X can flow though that point during a Y minute period. So if they didn't want to get sued for $$$ by the Z number of people who were trampled by the X minus Z people who escaped over a period of time Y, they needed to build a new means of egress.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Maybe, but, I would take my chances on the ramp before I would even consider the stairs. Stairs are not safer then ramps in my humble opinion. Those ramps are fairly wide and if you get pushed or slip you aren't going to fall down a flight of stairs, the worst you will do is roll a few feet. So it's still a mystery to me.
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
Actually I think it is really a cash grab.
Want expedited security screening?
Want exclusive entry into the park?
Want to bypass the unwashed masses at the gates?
Just step right up to this stairway and pay $xxx to be escorted into the bowels of the Magic Kingdom through our new backstage entrance. "Mind the tracks and no pictures please"..............