Monorail Accident

[Rob562]

From the subtitle under the picture it sounds like the only difference between the setup from the old monorails to the new ones are the cameras. So that leads me to ask, if the WDW monorails fall in between those two generations why do they have such a small control center in comparison? It seems like they should be very similar in design but they are not.

Disneyland's monorail has more space to work with in the cab because it only has one entry door. They could build out to the side wall on the right-hand side. In WDW the console needs to be small so that you can get around it to access the doors on both sides.

Speculation here, but I think that just before the impact occured is when the pilot in Pink would have been realizing what was happening. If he didn't realize he was backing into Concourse, instead of Base Express before he was in the station, there's no way he COULDNT have noticed once he was in the station, as the Central tower is RIGHT THERE on your left. If you were in Base on Express Central Tower would be way off to your right. It seems the Pilot was about 40 feet into thestation when the impact occured.

At 15MPH, the train would travel 40 feet in under 2 seconds. So unfortunately even if the driver realized they were in the wrong place at the point of entering the station, there wasn't much reaction time (both human and monorail) to do anything on consequence.

Another point that I thought of today... The Epcot beam dips down a little when entering Concourse, and then rises up again after exiting, correct? It's possible that the roof of the station itself also contributed by blocking the view Austin had of the track beyond the station, and the Pink coming toward it.

One of the Walk-around-the-World tiles seems more appropriate. There are a few memorial ones there, hidden for those who know. By the monorail track, on the path to MK from contemporary seems the most subtle and appropriate.

They could also locate it there at the TTC. There are WATW bricks already there (mine is there, between the automated ticket machines and the gift shop). It'd have to be between the ticket booths and the tram loading area, but perhaps they could find a spot for a brick under the Epcot beam as it passes through this area.


-Rob

 

[deix15x8]

What I am being told now is that, in fact, the rear car of Purple will be replacing the rear car of Pink, to create a new train. Also, there are apparantely serious talks from Directors of retiring Monorail Purple as a color.

This is going to lead to some serious thinking for upper management. They are going to be running 1 mono down and have a full set of passenger cars sitting with no cabs. It seems like the perfect time to consider if it is better to build two new cabs or invest in a new fleet and use the existing cars as part of a test train prior to the full launch. It probably is not worth building brand new 20 year old monorail cabs. Either way I agree with the retirement of the color purple. Just like after a serious accident in other transit systems the vehicle is replaced but they do not keep the same identifier for it. To many people will be turned off by knowing that someone was killed in purple. That is something that even after an entire new mono is designed and launched will still not go away. Ironically using the exact same vehicle with a different color is often more capable of getting rid of those feelings than the new mono would. Retirement is the only solution. There are probably purple, but not purple colors that could be used, kind of like how coral is not pink or lime is not green.

Edit: Monorail Grape (a deeper purple color).

 

[Rob562]

There are probably purple, but not purple colors that could be used, kind of like how coral is not pink or lime is not green.

Edit: Monorail Grape (a deeper purple color).

"Oh... THAT'S puce..."

-Rob

 

[lightboy]

At about 3am or so this morning, looks like they were either doing testing or some re-enactment (without the collision part) with two of the good monorails. Looked like one being green (possibly lime), the other red or orange (it was dark). This was taking place at the location of the crash.

Green was pulled up just about where purple would have been. And the other was making reverse runs from the switch to the station.

Chills.

 

[Bluewaves]

Maybe its time for some new control cabs on these trains all together, add night vision cameras, back up cameras, proximity sensors, I see 2 trains right now that need some rebuilding might as well start with some modernization as well, it couldn't hurt. Don't see why they couldn't put rfid tags in the beam itself so the pilot could know exactly where he was at all times down to the foot, that could be useful in low visibility situations. The trains could also talk to each other then and say hey I'm at beam so and so right up here in front of you and then relay all that info back to a central dispatch. The same way the parade floats know where they are in the magic kingdom so the right music plays.

I know its a rough time but you have to rebuild two cabs completely so the time is good to put some technologies in them. Presumably the passenger cars are fine and they can't make them any larger than they already are so the only upgrades would be in the control systems, possibly newer engines or just minor cosmetic stuff on the insides.

 

[TraceyC/FL]

What I am being told now is that, in fact, the rear car of Purple will be replacing the rear car of Pink, to create a new train. Also, there are apparantely serious talks from Directors of retiring Monorail Purple as a color.

I almost would rather see pink go away, and purple stay as an honor to Austin.

Frankly, the sight of EITHER color won't be a happy thing for me, but if i have to see one, i'd want to remember the hero.

At about 3am or so this morning, looks like they were either doing testing or some re-enactment (without the collision part) with two of the good monorails. Looked like one being green (possibly lime), the other red or orange (it was dark). This was taking place at the location of the crash.

Green was pulled up just about where purple would have been. And the other was making reverse runs from the switch to the station.

Chills.

That would NOT be what i'd want to see right now, but crash dynamics fascinate me and i'd have to stop and watch.

AND to touch on the Manager being at Denny's - i don't care if it didn't matter to the outcome of the crash - that sounds like a career ending meal.

 

[MarkIV_railie]

At about 3am or so this morning, looks like they were either doing testing or some re-enactment (without the collision part) with two of the good monorails. Looked like one being green (possibly lime), the other red or orange (it was dark). This was taking place at the location of the crash.

Green was pulled up just about where purple would have been. And the other was making reverse runs from the switch to the station.

I would suspect that they were documenting the sight lines... who could see what and when. Possibly trying to determine where Pink was when Purple saw it and attempted reversing.

 

[TraceyC/FL]

I almost would rather see pink go away, and purple stay as an honor to Austin.

Frankly, the sight of EITHER color won't be a happy thing for me, but if i have to see one, i'd want to remember the hero.

I just asked my 13yo DD (who, oddly wrote of goal of driving a Monorail the day before the accident) what she thought, and she said the same thing. It would be a Honor to keep purple, and seeing pink would make her mad (hey, she's 13!).

 

[tomm4004]

Haven't seen this mentioned, but according to story in Sentinel:

"The Disney employee, (who) spoke to the Orlando Sentinel only on condition of anonymity, said the monorail-central coordinator who had been working that night went home sick and had handed responsibility for the system to an on-duty manager. But that manager was off site and communicating by radio when the accident occurred, the person said."

I'm assuming this is the guy eating at Denny's. It also says that the monorail central has "a display grid that the coordinator can use to ensure that a track switch has been realigned before instructing a train to begin transferring to the other line. It also has a red, mushroom-shaped emergency-shutdown switch that can be used to stop all trains." But it also says that the Shop has a display as well.

So how was the "okay" given to Pink if nobody was watching the console at central to confirm? To a layman, this sounds very damaging without an explanation.

 

[MarkIV_railie]

Haven't seen this mentioned, but according to story in Sentinel:

"The Disney employee, (who) spoke to the Orlando Sentinel only on condition of anonymity, said the monorail-central coordinator who had been working that night went home sick and had handed responsibility for the system to an on-duty manager. But that manager was off site and communicating by radio when the accident occurred, the person said."

Assuming this is true, does anybody know why this would have been done or how often it was done? I was under the impression that there were always supposed to be multiple "Central qualified" CMs around to cover breaks/meals/illness? Back in my era, there were very few managers that I felt were qualified to run Base or Concourse during switching.

 

[epcot85]

According WFTV local news @ 11 PM, both the Manager (Monorail One) and the Central Coordinator were at a local Denny's restaurant at the time of the tragedy.

Isn't the Central Coordinator a costumed position? Meaning it is a violation to wear the costume off property or the Central Coordinator had already assumed he was done for the day and changed back to street clothes?

Unfortunately, it's not required anymore, I saw a Star Tours CM pumping gas in costume at a 7-11...

 

[MarkIV_railie]

So how was the "okay" given to Pink if nobody was watching the console at central to confirm?

Because in an ideal world, a radio call telling you the status is good enough. But we don't live in an ideal world.
Based on what other current or recent CMs have said, I don't believe that the Central coordinator is required to stay at the console. I suspect/hope that policy will change, at least during switching activities.

 

[BadTigger]

Since when is there a Denny's "across the street"? The only one that I know of is at least 5 mins away.

 

[Eeyore]

Since when is there a Denny's "across the street"? The only one that I know of is at least 5 mins away.

There is a Denny's across the street from one entrance to the WDW property on 535 near crossroads.

 

[Hoop Raeb]

Surely that will be the case....

...their career is pretty much 'over' at WDW.

Haven't seen this mentioned, but according to story in Sentinel:

"The Disney employee, (who) spoke to the Orlando Sentinel only on condition of anonymity, said the monorail-central coordinator who had been working that night went home sick and had handed responsibility for the system to an on-duty manager. But that manager was off site and communicating by radio when the accident occurred, the person said."

I'd agree that his/her career is over but I wonder if (s)he can be brought up on some type of criminal negligence charges or even homicide? Could go deeper than "you're fired".

And did anyone catch there were 6 passengers on purple that were treated. Isn't the front car limited to 4 or 5 people? Could be why the front wasn't offered to a family of 6.

 

[tomm4004]

Because in an ideal world, a radio call telling you the status is good enough. But we don't live in an ideal world.
Based on what other current or recent CMs have said, I don't believe that the Central coordinator is required to stay at the console. I suspect/hope that policy will change, at least during switching activities.

But what I'm trying to figure out is did anyone actually ever flip the switch? Reports indicate that it was not a mechanical failure. So who directly told Pink to go ahead? And why did that person know (or believe) that the switch had been flipped?

 

[monothingie]

What I am being told now is that, in fact, the rear car of Purple will be replacing the rear car of Pink, to create a new train. Also, there are apparantely serious talks from Directors of retiring Monorail Purple as a color.

Do you think their plan is to get an 11th train in operation as quickly as possible and then repair the 12th at a later time? Or just move to an 11 train fleet?

-Andrew

 

[PhotoDave219]

Haven't seen this mentioned, but according to story in Sentinel:

"The Disney employee, (who) spoke to the Orlando Sentinel only on condition of anonymity, said the monorail-central coordinator who had been working that night went home sick and had handed responsibility for the system to an on-duty manager. But that manager was off site and communicating by radio when the accident occurred, the person said."

It was mentioned and explained a few pages back by several posters. In fact YOU mentioned it. Small explanation here.

As ridiculously bad as this looks - I know when i was a CM i sure couldnt just up and eat off property while on the clock - it more than likely had zero bearing on the collision.

EDIT: For those who are wondering, the nearest Denny's appears to be at 535/Palm Parkway. I can make it to MK within 10 minutes from there.

I don't think that a manager who's eating is going to clear a monorail to move in override. Of course i think that his Disney career is effectively over.

 

[tnichols]

But what I'm trying to figure out is did anyone actually ever flip the switch? Reports indicate that it was not a mechanical failure. So who directly told Pink to go ahead? And why did that person know (or believe) that the switch had been flipped?

I don't know if we will ever find that out. We might only be able to speculate about it.

 

[mmzplanet]

This is such a sad story. It is both good and bad that he saw Pink coming towards and was able to react. He could have jumped and taken the injury from the drop instead, but he chose to stay in control of his vehicle. Hero 100%.

Being a former WDWRR CM, I keep imagining uncontrollably in my head if this sort of event could happen there as well. Its very unlikely as the steam trains have a conductor helping them back off the line and essentially driving. Conductors are also responsible for walking out and setting/verifying switches themselves. I was always more worried while stopped on the backstretch at night. There is also a few other places with very little forward visibility (because of plant life combined with curves) and Blocklights are crucial. Any collision there would be awful considering the amount of fuel and mass that would be there along with a boiler.