flynnibus
Premium Member
Load and Unload are the big constraints. Capacity helps, but they have to load up quicker too..
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Upgrades and Improvements to Disney Transport
- Thread starter MagicHappens1971
- Start date
Load and Unload are the big constraints. Capacity helps, but they have to load up quicker too..
roj2323
Well-Known Member
Ban strollers and it will be much quicker. short of that they need to reconfigure the cabins to the more open footprint to give strollers more room.
From this thread: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/screamscape-monorail-expansion-rumor.835346/page-24
edit: btw the side configuration will support 5 seats per side not 4 as drawn.
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articos
Well-Known Member
Future version will be flush to the platform, which will allow for faster load of wheelchairs and strollers. Banning them can't happen.Ban strollers and it will be much quicker. short of that they need to reconfigure the cabins to the more open footprint to give strollers more room.
From this thread: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/screamscape-monorail-expansion-rumor.835346/page-24
edit: btw the side configuration will support 5 seats per side not 4 as drawn.
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Filby61
Well-Known Member
More decisions made by an elite management that rarely experiences what the customers experience. Get these guys out of their offices and make 'em start sweatin' with the guests, and you'd see services improve fast.
roj2323
Well-Known Member
Amen to that! Upper management especially should be forced to work at least one week a year as low level cast members in their area and Park managers should spend at least a day shadowing every position in their respective parks to take notes on what needs to be changed, fixed exc.
articos
Well-Known Member
They used to have to do just that.
roj2323
Well-Known Member
The department heads still spend one day a year in their department at the bottom of the food chain but that's a far cry from a full week of experiences. The park managers spend a day as management of each department but that again is a far cry from being or at least shadowing the low people on the totem pole. It's quite frustrating as while they go through the motions they really don't get an honest experience that's useful in the way it was intended.
articos
Well-Known Member
Agree on all counts.
Monorail_Red_77
Well-Known Member
The below trams pertain only to WDW, not Disneyland.
I wouldn't doubt that the current trams are the same first generation maybe with different body panels, etc. After reviewing several other historical videos in my collection from Nov 1971 through to mid 1980's I have found at least 6 different versions of parking trams. I think that based on tug setup of Disney Tug #2 and Disney Tug #3 could be the same tug chassis with body refreshes and engine refreshes.
PHOTO COMING SOON
Airport Tug #1 - This airport tug was with an open-air driver area.
Airport Tug #2 - This airport tug had an enclosure for the driver. Notice in this pic it has the light blue tram cars that remain after the Disney Tug #1 come on-line. Tram car length at this time was only three cars instead of the common place seven cars of today. video 1973 ft wilderness resort
Disney Tug #1 - I think that this was either the first tugs that Disney both through Ford that had the overheating problem, or that Disney re-designed in-house with Bob Gurr. They looked similar to Version 2 and 3 below at least structurally. video 1972 MK/TTC Parking
Disney Tug #2 - I think that this version was an upgrade/refurb of the Disney tug #1. Theses were in the 1980's with brown and orange markings. video 1987 EPCOT Parking
Disney Tug #3 - This is the current verison tug with the Disney Transport and purple markings. video 2011 MK/TTC Parking
Disney Tug #4 - This is the new tugs recently announced that are coming online soon. Colors may be different of course.
Early Boardwalk Area Tug - These trams looked to be the same style as Disney Tug #1, with some fringe added to the driver roofline. Except that they are still running after Disney Tug #2 version is on-stage. Maybe these were a few remaining tugs from the upgrade to #2? they only needed probably two tugs for this area. These ran for a short time in early 1990's. This was when Dolphin/Swan was built and Yacht/Beach was being built and construction was starting on Boardwalk. Oddly enough this ran directly on the wide paths from EPCOT International Gateway and on the wooden promenade in front of current Boardwalk Resort. video 1992 Boardwalk Promenade area
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Brad Bishop
Well-Known Member
The sad thing is that I think that, sometime in our lifetimes, they'll close the monorail as "too expensive to operate / maintain". It'll be something like enough of the beams need to be replaced that it just won't be cost effective for them to do so, plus the trains will be continued to be ill-kept.
I could totally see the, "Summer of the Monorail - get your ride before it's gone!" thing happening and them just circling buses from the TTC to the MK and, of course, have resort buses.
Probably not in the next decade or two with the recent automation upgrades but it's pretty obvious that show quality expectations aren't what they once were and if Disney can't see where the dollars are coming from to support the cost of something that they'll just dump it. The Monorail fits that pretty well.
I could totally see the, "Summer of the Monorail - get your ride before it's gone!" thing happening and them just circling buses from the TTC to the MK and, of course, have resort buses.
Probably not in the next decade or two with the recent automation upgrades but it's pretty obvious that show quality expectations aren't what they once were and if Disney can't see where the dollars are coming from to support the cost of something that they'll just dump it. The Monorail fits that pretty well.
Figment2005
Well-Known Member
With the amount of money they just spent, are spending, not going to happen.
A couple thoughts as a former MK Watercraft Pilot:
1. So much focus is on monorails/trams, but MK Watercraft is also stretched to capacity. The DVC additions are increasing traffic on the boats and they do not have capacity to handle it. They desperately need at least 1 if not 2 new cruisers to handle the load AND allow for proper rotation and cleaning.
2. Even with additional capacity, there is still the human factor to these operations. That's really the biggest benefit to the automation of the monorails since I believe the driver will only initiate motion, but train speed and distance between trains will be controlled by the system.
3. At least at MK, the same situation applies to watercraft. The boats experience multiple service disruptions everyday - Ferryboats in the water bridge, Light show in the water bridge, guests on the blue route in ECVs needing transfers to another blue route resort, adjustments for lightning etc. The pilots have to be actively aware and engaged to keep the cycles moving efficiently despite the interruptions and several of them have absolutely no brain when it comes to that. For that matter, neither did(does?) some of management, but that's another story.
4. To give credit where credit is due, the dual main slip construction for the ferryboats keeps guests moving. Although the actual throughput may not be any different, the perception is that you're always in motion and that's what guests want. Holding = frustration.
5. The Ferryboats have also been upgraded in terms of their mechanical components and configurations. So they have maintained their maintenance schedule on the boats and allowed for a much easier loading process due to re-configuring the lower deck to allow easier ECV and stroller access. I hope they are able reconfigure the cruisers as well. They were not designed for triple wide strollers and amateur ECV drivers(which most people are and I have nothing against that, but 2/3 of the boats were not designed for it)
1. So much focus is on monorails/trams, but MK Watercraft is also stretched to capacity. The DVC additions are increasing traffic on the boats and they do not have capacity to handle it. They desperately need at least 1 if not 2 new cruisers to handle the load AND allow for proper rotation and cleaning.
2. Even with additional capacity, there is still the human factor to these operations. That's really the biggest benefit to the automation of the monorails since I believe the driver will only initiate motion, but train speed and distance between trains will be controlled by the system.
3. At least at MK, the same situation applies to watercraft. The boats experience multiple service disruptions everyday - Ferryboats in the water bridge, Light show in the water bridge, guests on the blue route in ECVs needing transfers to another blue route resort, adjustments for lightning etc. The pilots have to be actively aware and engaged to keep the cycles moving efficiently despite the interruptions and several of them have absolutely no brain when it comes to that. For that matter, neither did(does?) some of management, but that's another story.
4. To give credit where credit is due, the dual main slip construction for the ferryboats keeps guests moving. Although the actual throughput may not be any different, the perception is that you're always in motion and that's what guests want. Holding = frustration.
5. The Ferryboats have also been upgraded in terms of their mechanical components and configurations. So they have maintained their maintenance schedule on the boats and allowed for a much easier loading process due to re-configuring the lower deck to allow easier ECV and stroller access. I hope they are able reconfigure the cruisers as well. They were not designed for triple wide strollers and amateur ECV drivers(which most people are and I have nothing against that, but 2/3 of the boats were not designed for it)
articos
Well-Known Member
Disney tug number 1-3 are the same Gurr/WDW chassis (with various changes or improvements), with new shells over the years. 4 is the new one. International Gateway was a repurposed Disney Tug 1. I believe the original parking lot tugs were repurposed to Ft Wilderness. The windshield folded down.
DznyRktekt
Well-Known Member
Thanks all for the nutrient rich posts. The infrastructure of WDW is always of interest to me.
Creathir
Premium Member
100% agree.
They are too iconic as well.
If cost was REALLY a factor as so many like to claim, the DL one would be LONG gone.
It serves literally NO purpose, yet it still remains...
Why? Because it's iconic. People associate monorails with Disney and Disney with monorails.
"Have you seen the Las Vegas monorail?"
"Yeah! It looks just like Disney World's!"
They will maintain and upgrade them for perpetuity.
Monorail_Red_77
Well-Known Member
Thanks for your feedback, I thought I was on the right track.
Monorail_Red_77
Well-Known Member
Not really sure where to put this. So, I'll just put this here. Does anyone know what this hoist-type of rolling crane support is used for. It is located at TTC above the Resort Monorail Concourse only. The Express Monorail Concourse does not have one. EPCOT Concourse does not have one either. Plus I have not seen this at any other stations along the Resort, Express or EPCOT beams. I'm sure this type of hardware exists in the Monorail Shop backstage though.
Here's a closeup below. It runs the entire length of the station.
Express Beam seen below does not have one.
Here's a closeup below. It runs the entire length of the station.
Express Beam seen below does not have one.
I would totally be ok with skipping the upgrades and giving us more buses!!!
roj2323
Well-Known Member
It's a safety device (fall protection) for monorail inspections.
Creathir
Premium Member
That's pretty interesting.
They don't do this on the Epcot or Express lines? Just the resort?
Is that due to the amount of stops being so much higher? (Use of brakes presumably is higher on Resort line trains)