Hearing news of a monorail crash today.

[chiefs11]

If it were me I would just permanently extend the frame of the tractor out to where the tow bar typically meets the trains tow hook. This way any impacts would be frame to frame instead of fiberglass versus steel frame. Something kind of like this below. Of course when they designed these they probably didn't think they would be running into trains as much as they are.

That would be a good short term fix for the current fleet.... but it wouldn't help in a train-to-train collision.
I really don't think it's a bad idea to incorporate them in a future design for obvious reasons, and there's no reason they couldn’t be integrated in an aesthetically pleasing way.

 

[ford91exploder]

That would be a good short term fix for the current fleet.... but it wouldn't help in a train-to-train collision.
I really don't think it's a bad idea to incorporate them in a future design for obvious reasons, and there's no reason they couldn’t be integrated in an aesthetically pleasing way.

You could also extend the coupler flush with the nose of the monorail and hide it in a fairing

 

[s8film40]

You could also extend the coupler flush with the nose of the monorail and hide it in a fairing

Obviously this is a completely different design, but it does seem like the frame extends out into the nose.

 

[Figment2005]

Show quality is of little interest in today's Disney

So instead of keeping it in a confined space, you would rather then drag it either through the contemporary or through the poly, grand, Magic Kingdom in the middle of the day? Yeah, Disney doesn't care about show anymore. Just stop.

 

[Figment2005]

I've been examining the news coverage and photos of the "incident" (Disney given word). I have personally watched a few monorails being towed before. I've also watched the track being repaired and cleaned several times. The Tug and the Maintenance Vehicle are 2 different types of vehicles. The photos of the vehicle I've seen look exactly like the Maintenance one, NOT the Tow one.

Anyone else spot that yet? If so, why would it be out there in the way? I know that one of the Maintenance vehicles is stored on the new spur near the TTC, but why would they even be loaded onto the same beam when they were conducting a test like this?

All the tractors are the same. Any could be used for a tow situation or a maintenance situation by either adding or removing a trailer.

 

[GhostHost1000]

Obviously this is a completely different design, but it does seem like the frame extends out into the nose.

ahhh.. modern monorails

 

[montyz81]

Why does it feel like there are more Monorail crashes in recent years then ever before. I don't think it is because of social media either. I think it is an indicator to the significant reduction in spending to properly train employees, maintain equipment, update everything.

 

[Goofyernmost]

And no doubt it is "over engineered". What there needs to be is a fail safe, and it is kind of sad if there isn't.

I'd be interested in knowing what the color of the sky is in your world. In my world there is no such thing as completely fail safe. Things happen all the time that are not supposed too happen. It isn't any sadder then life itself.

So many people here drinking the Disney kool aid. And accident is an accident. It happened and there's no trying to hide it or explain it away. Usually monorail tests and evacuation drills are done over night, out of guests view. So for this to happen if front of guests view today then Disney telling their CMs to tell people to keep hush about it screams something is obviously wrong. Disney always over-compensates with guest service in these situations and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out they are trying to hide their mistake. They try to deny there is a giant elephant in the room when everyone in a 100' radius can smell it.

Conspiracy theories are always interesting, however, when something like this happens that are not likely to be dangerous to the general public it is advisable to keep it as quiet as possible. This thread is the prime example of that. People with rose colored glasses and amateur engineering degrees think they have some sort of inside knowledge of how things work (or don't work, in this discussion).

If we stopped to evaluate every possible thing that could happen to mess us up we wouldn't be sleeping nights. If it isn't something that directly affects the public in any palpable way, it would be stupid to go crazy with the transparency of things that people don't really need to know. It is apparently the life style of those of us that are on Disney boards to feel that we know all the answers and all the procedures to make us safe. The safest way to live is in a concrete bunker and never leave it. Even that has it's dangers. Panic is a really bigger concern then a dented Monorail hood. And unless we or someone else is injured we have no reason to think that what happened is any of our business. Yet, this group always seems to think that they are entitled to know. We aren't! If we don't trust Disney... then we should just decide not to go there and just like Disney Magic... our problem is solved.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Why does it feel like there are more Monorail crashes in recent years then ever before. I don't think it is because of social media either. I think it is an indicator to the significant reduction in spending to properly train employees, maintain equipment, update everything.

It very well could be social media coupled with a number of people that for some unknown reason think that it is possible to be sheltered from all possible harm. By now, if one isn't mature enough to realize the crap happens, then they might want to hide in a cave someplace, because venturing out in the real world can potentially be hazardous to your health.

 

[montyz81]

Hope they saved the nose cone molds. What color is coral going to change to?... JK!

 

[Mouse_Trap]

Excuse my crude drawing but here you can see where the work tractor was in relation to the monorail from the marks on the roof. I certainly wouldn't want to have been sitting in that seat. I suspect the tow hook, which is the first part of the monorail frame came in contact with the tractor and that's what stopped it.

I'd say no.
Look at how much that front buffer is out in-front of the edges you marked. If those edges hit the top of the cockpit, then that buffer would have gone far further in and the damage would be as far back as the drivers door.

I'm no expert, but that's my thinking.

Are those marks something else that appears on every cockpit?

Sorry if this is discussed later, as I haven't gotten to page 15 yet, and by the time I do it will probably have reached page 30.

 

[flynnibus]

Why does it feel like there are more Monorail crashes in recent years then ever before. I don't think it is because of social media either

I think everything under the microscope is true.. and we see more of the minor stuff... but stuff like needing a whole new nose cone and a train being MIA for months would probably have gotten out eventually. The difference now is the speed of information moving around..

 

[s8film40]

I'd say no.
Look at how much that front buffer is out in-front of the edges you marked. If those edges hit the top of the cockpit, then that buffer would have gone far further in and the damage would be as far back as the drivers door.

I'm no expert, but that's my thinking.

Are those marks something else that appears on every cockpit?

Sorry if this is discussed later, as I haven't gotten to page 15 yet, and by the time I do it will probably have reached page 30.

I wasn't basing this just on this photo. In the photo below you can clearly see that those railings on the tractor are "making contact" with the roof. Also if you watch the raw helicopter video, when they fist started shooting the video it was still in the original position. Over the course of the video the train is pulled away from the tractor by the tractor at the other end.

http://www.wftv.com/videos/news/raw-disney-monorail-damaged/vDfLkM/

 

[JoeCamel]

So it looks like the nose of the train went under the much lighter tug and lifted it allowing the tug to run back til the guard rails contacted the top of the cab. Sounds like the towbar acted like a broken driveshaft on a drag car and launched the tug up enough to allow contact. Maybe it broke or maybe there was not enough ballast on the tug to keep it down on the beam.

 

[s8film40]

So it looks like the nose of the train went under the much lighter tug and lifted it allowing the tug to run back til the guard rails contacted the top of the cab. Sounds like the towbar acted like a broken driveshaft on a drag car and launched the tug up enough to allow contact. Maybe it broke or maybe there was not enough ballast on the tug to keep it down on the beam.

I think the nose was pushed up and into the cab. I don't think there is any space for it to go under the tractor. I can only imagine how scary that must have been for the pilot.

 

[JoeCamel]

I thought there wasn't anyone on that end? Was there? I don't know but if the tug was lifted by the train on the end of the towbar that would be a truly scary ride for the tug operator.

If you look at the first part of your raw video you can see where the guard rails contacted the top of the cab but when they pull the tug back there is no way for that to happen unless the tug went up into the cab space as most of the cab from the front of the windshield back is still intact

 

[s8film40]

I thought there wasn't anyone on that end? Was there?

If you look at the first part of your raw video you can see where the guard rails contacted the top of the cab but when they pull the tug back there is no way for that to happen unless the tug went up into the cab space as most of the cab from the front of the windshield back is still intact

I heard there was but haven't heard this confirmed yet. That would be the end the pilot would be in, so there should have been someone there unless they had towed it from the station.

It looks like the nose of the train went up and back toward the pilot seat while simultaneously going through the bars on the tractor. If you look at this photo while it's hard to see you can see the coral color stripe pointing up at approximately a 45 degree angle.

 

[flynnibus]

If you look at the first part of your raw video you can see where the guard rails contacted the top of the cab but when they pull the tug back there is no way for that to happen unless the tug went up into the cab space as most of the cab from the front of the windshield back is still intact

Look at the tug's profile.. There is a lower platform, and then the next level up is quite far back. You can see in the photos how the nose cone can go over the lower deck without too much contact allowing the train to penetrate the tug's footprint quite significantly before you get to a solid, perpendicular surface to ram into. This is why we see the tug's tubular frame hitting the top of the cabin.. without the entire nose being smashed into that point. The nose cone literally 'penetrated' the tug's footprint.. instead of the cone hitting something like a flat wall, or opposing nose cone.

You can even see the monorail's windshield laying on the frame of the tug. It looks like it popped out instead of being smashed to bits.

Looks like the lower portion of the nose cone gets shredded as they try to pull it apart from the tug's tubular frame and platform.. while the upper half of the nose cone more slide 'into' the space inside the tug's frame.. with the roofline hitting the top of the tug's frame.

 

[Nubs70]

I heard there was but haven't heard this confirmed yet. That would be the end the pilot would be in, so there should have been someone there unless they had towed it from the station.

It looks like the nose of the train went up and back toward the pilot seat while simultaneously going through the bars on the tractor. If you look at this photo while it's hard to see you can see the coral color stripe pointing up at approximately a 45 degree angle.

So did the tug pilot try to stop the monorail after the tow bar broke? Did he forget KE= 1/2×mv^2?

 

[s8film40]

So did the tug pilot try to stop the monorail after the tow bar broke? Did he forget KE= 1/2×mv^2?

I haven't heard exactly what happened.