I am officially Jealous: Monorails discussion

[nemofinder22]

About the A/C I think it also has to do with the weight and power supply since the DL monorail beams are much smaller than WDW's. Plus the ride isnt even that long unless your going for a roundtrip from Tomorrowland to Downtown Disney and back.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

WOW, that looks aweosme...I want one!LOL

 

[bliss]

I thought they were adding the roof scopes to the top of DL's new monorails to help circulate air from the outside into them. Of course it probably isn't much of a help during the middle of the summer.

I read somewhere that the new roof scopes do allow outside air in but also allow the rain to enter the cabin when it is raining.

 

[MattyFresh]

Yes they did, and it helps a little when they are moving...but nothing when stopped, so no relief on the hot days.

Could you imagine being packed in with all those hot, sweaty, and smelly people.......ummmmmm what a way to end the day:ROFLOL:

 

[YodaGirl]

Those do look nice, but I agree with a couple of the PP's...I like our paint job the best.

 

[jorgetheviking]

They look sleek and cool but in reality our monorail system is much better. We have AC, we have a fleet of 12. We have better painjob's in my opinion.
I can't imagine not having AC on the monorail but then again the climate in Cali is different. No need to be jealous at all. Think about it if our monorails now are better how great are they going to be whenever we finally do get new ones.

 

[TP2000]

Could you imagine being packed in with all those hot, sweaty, and smelly people.......ummmmmm what a way to end the day:ROFLOL:

Well, again, there is a huge difference in climate between SoCal and Florida. When in California, you really don't sweat like you do in the Southeast. Just last week at Disneyland my group had sweatshirts or long sleeve shirts on from Fantasmic! time to Midnight. The temps drop into the 60's, the ocean breeze kicks in, and it can get just a bit too chilly for t-shirts at night, even in July.

Tonight it was a bit warmer, but I live on a hill a few miles from Disneyland and this past weekend we sat around on the deck at night with beach towels wrapped around our shoulders to stay toasty warm.

It can be hot enough to be a bit sweaty in the afternoon, especially if you are running around a lot. But by the time night rolls around in SoCal no one is sweating or being obviously stinky, even in summer.

The climate in Southern California is vastly different from that of central Florida. And summertime is when it is most different. :wave:

 

[LuckyFin24]

The offical capacity for the new Mark VII's is actually 22 people (the Mark V's hold 25 people per car), but is restriced to only 15 people when the temp is up. When it hits 80 outside the Mark VII's are taken out of service because of the heat inside the cars.

The other thing to know is that the Disneyland Monorail is more of a ride than a form of transportation. When my friends and I were there last December, the Monorail closed before the park did. It also was quicker to walk from the hotel to the front gate, than to take the Monorail.

 

[WishIwasThere]

I doubt WDW monorail fleet will be updated any time soon. The original trains ran from opening into the 1990's, so the current mark VI fleet has only been around for a little over 10 years. The purpose behind the monorails are different for the two parks as well. DL is still more of a ride than necessary transportation, where as for WDW there is only two ways, (walking from the CR not included), to get to the park. It is either a boat or the monorail. Which is why when the WDW fleet was updated, they added more cars to the train to increase the overall capacity.

 

[marni1971]

And once the window issue gets fixed, it will all be back to normal.

Therin lies the problem - there is no quick or cheap fix. Disneyland Safety Committe said no windows can open fully - probably sensible - but no one thought about an alternate. The scoops don`t work well, and as said direct rain (and hot air) through the small gaps.

Notice the vents at the ends of the MKVI windows to allow an airstream to flow even though the windows don`t close? No one thought about asking Gurr or McGinnis what they are for. The new design was done behind closed doors and along with the chassis issue is a bit of an embarrassment.

 

[montyz81]

I doubt WDW monorail fleet will be updated any time soon. The original trains ran from opening into the 1990's, so the current mark VI fleet has only been around for a little over 10 years. The purpose behind the monorails are different for the two parks as well. DL is still more of a ride than necessary transportation, where as for WDW there is only two ways, (walking from the CR not included), to get to the park. It is either a boat or the monorail. Which is why when the WDW fleet was updated, they added more cars to the train to increase the overall capacity.

How about allot over 10 years. The Mark VI's replaced the Mark IV's in 89 - 91. Next year the first Mark VI will be 20 years old. If you think about the Mark IV age, these ones are older. The Mark IV's were installed in 1971 when the park opened. The were replaced 20 - 22 years later. We are hitting 20 years old for the first Mark VI. I would suspect that it would take more then th 6 months we have to design, plan and install the first Mark VIII. Even though they appear to be in pretty good shape, I gotta believe there is much more metal fatigue then we all want to know about.

BTW: Does anyone know which Mark VI was the first to be installed at WDW?

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

How about allot over 10 years. The Mark VI's replaced the Mark IV's in 89 - 91. Next year the first Mark VI will be 20 years old. If you think about the Mark IV age, these ones are older. The Mark IV's were installed in 1971 when the park opened. The were replaced 20 - 22 years later. We are hitting 20 years old for the first Mark VI. I would suspect that it would take more then th 6 months we have to design, plan and install the first Mark VIII. Even though they appear to be in pretty good shape, I gotta believe there is much more metal fatigue then we all want to know about.

BTW: Does anyone know which Mark VI was the first to be installed at WDW?

You know what's funny about this? When the Mark VIs first came on line at WDW, there were numerous remarks by CMs that it was highly unlikely that the M-VIs would even come close to approaching the lifespan of the M-IVs. The M-IVs survived for over 20 years, a number which the M-VIs are rapidly approaching. So despite some doubts early on, the M-VIs have done just as well, probably even better than their earlier counterparts.

With all that said, I doubt we'll see any new monorails for WDW in the near future. I can still keeping dreaming for 2011, but I'm certainly not holding my breath.

And in all honesty, I like the Mark VIs quite a bit, so there's no real need to rush as far as I'm concerned.

 

[TP2000]

Therin lies the problem - there is no quick or cheap fix. Disneyland Safety Committe said no windows can open fully - probably sensible - but no one thought about an alternate. The scoops don`t work well, and as said direct rain (and hot air) through the small gaps.

Yes, I know, I read Miceage too. :lol:

 

[jorgetheviking]

And in all honesty, I like the Mark VIs quite a bit, so there's no real need to rush as far as I'm concerned.

I agree with this statement. the Mark VI's are probably the best monorails. I would love to have them around for another 5-10 years.

 

[NJDVCMembers]

A while ago we had the opportunity to see the WDW monorails up close on one of the tours. The guide pointed out the just about everything, including the onboard climate controls and where they are located. Looking at the new DL monorails, it would seem that climate control was added. The blue is not yet in service, and the red is only few weeks old, is it possible that there is AC?

These vents would emit the heat caused by the condenser.

Just a thought... we can give you the first hand account in October.