SnarkyMonkey
Well-Known Member
Even the thought of that makes me so so sad. It's my favorite ride.
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Monorail beams
- Thread starter kgaf99
- Start date
Even the thought of that makes me so so sad. It's my favorite ride.
FettFan
Well-Known Member
Just for the heck of it...Here's a neat pic of the Mark IV Monorails when they were decked out in Vegas..
And what did Vegas do them after they retired them?
UGH.
jensenrick
Well-Known Member
Those last words are so important
Brad Bishop
Well-Known Member
That would be my guess. Once it's time to replace the beams the monorails are done, if not before that time.
WDW Monorail
Well-Known Member
Why? There isn't a whole lot to take care of on a precast concrete structure in a non corrosive environment and an environment in which there isn't much temperature difference throughout the year.
Ensuring that no hard materials are dragged under the trains is pretty much the only thing to worry about damaging the beam and bus bar. Bus bar has been very recently replaced so there isn't much issue there either for quite a few years.
RedDad
Smitty Werben JagerManJensen
You can see pretty readily how many times the beams have been repaired over the years, though it's relatively small areas. On a structure that size, there will always be maintenance issues related to imperfections in the original construction, and normal wear and tear. All it takes is a single rebar having been placed too close to the surface, or a small crack (all concrete cracks), and over the years it will corrode and cause the concrete to spall.
The repairs are typically done by chipping away the damaged concrete and then applying a high strength repair mortar (these are the places you can see along the beams that are darker than the original concrete). The beams are regularly inspected and repairs made when necessary.
As for replacing an entire section, it's my understanding that the beams are not only precast, but post-tensioned through up to 6 spans. This means that removing one section of beam would be extremely difficult without a lot of shoring, de-tensioning tendons, etc. There is very little chance of them needing to do something so drastic, however, barring a major disaster.
I think that is the secrete to their survival, no frozen precipitation or salt to melt it.. Simply having cold weather alone isn't that much of an issue, its the water seeping into crack and then freezing that causes concrete to fall apart.
Victor Kelly
Well-Known Member
Then it would be time to build elevated track for a property wide WEDWAY people mover system. The system would constantly be in motion. Enclosed cabs with AC. Hubs similar to the boarding area in tomorrowland. Once on open beamway they could be sent out at 50mph. Make them maglev or even linear induction. You can see them in the diorama of EPCOT on the people mover ride.
Brad Bishop
Well-Known Member
That will never happen because, on paper, buses make FAR more sense
Buses aren't exciting. No one ever gets off of a bus and talks about the miraculous time that they had. They are incredibly practical, though.
Monorails - people talk about those. The "highway in the sky"! Monorails are neat. I'm with you.
On paper, monorails look crappy. Buses look good. I even have to side with buses on this. If a bus breaks down then you just drive around it (sending out another bus to take care of the situation, of course). If a monorail breaks down - now the line is stuck because they have to coordinate getting that train off of the line so that passage can continue.
Monorails are sexy - until they're not. Buses are never sexy - but they get the job done.
I can fully see them, sometime in the future, selling deluxe resort based on their proximity to the theme park and not on monorail access.
WDW Monorail
Well-Known Member
Yes exactly, grout or some Sika mortar and even epoxys are used for the repair of scratches from foreign objects as I mentioned.
I thought I had a couple of pictures showing the tensioning of the beams but they are of the LV beams.
Victor Kelly
Well-Known Member
That is the problem.........bean counters.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
The WEDway PeopleMover was intended as localized transit stemming off of the monorail system that connected all of Disney World.
Daniel Johnson
Well-Known Member
You obviously have never Been on a greyhound from salt lake to Kansas City....
Absolutely the sexiest smelling bus I've ever been on...
No, it wasn't.
Timon
Well-Known Member
How long will the Monorail beams last?
Disneyland Monorail 1959 and counting.
Seattle Monorail 1963 and counting. (Same company made the WDW beams around 7 Seas) This track is subject to occasional freezing conditions which can be protected with various concrete sealers and good maintenance.
About buses -
Ponder this: If the buses had to provide the same service as the MK Express and Hotel local lines during the same number of years how many buses would have been needed and replaced in 43 years.
Monorails = 24 trains
Buses - How many times would the roads be repaved, widened and rebuilt in 43 years if buses had to do the job of the monorail?
My point is Monorails excel at moving large numbers of people between a limited number of locations. Buses offer the flexibility of serving smaller numbers to many locations. Buses should be integrated into a cohesive transit plan to provide feeder service to Monorail Stations and serve remote areas directly. Boats, Trollies and Trains all have areas they excel at and limitations but together they can provide seamless transportation.
Disneyland Monorail 1959 and counting.
Seattle Monorail 1963 and counting. (Same company made the WDW beams around 7 Seas) This track is subject to occasional freezing conditions which can be protected with various concrete sealers and good maintenance.
About buses -
Ponder this: If the buses had to provide the same service as the MK Express and Hotel local lines during the same number of years how many buses would have been needed and replaced in 43 years.
Monorails = 24 trains
Buses - How many times would the roads be repaved, widened and rebuilt in 43 years if buses had to do the job of the monorail?
My point is Monorails excel at moving large numbers of people between a limited number of locations. Buses offer the flexibility of serving smaller numbers to many locations. Buses should be integrated into a cohesive transit plan to provide feeder service to Monorail Stations and serve remote areas directly. Boats, Trollies and Trains all have areas they excel at and limitations but together they can provide seamless transportation.
Victor Kelly
Well-Known Member
The people mover can be redesigned to become a primary instead of a secondary transport system. I know what it was supposed to be. If Disney would have expanded the monorail, then built the wedway system, there would be less use for buses. The bus system is slow and cumbersome and very out moded for use at WDW.
MaryJaneP
Well-Known Member
Just as unlikely as wedway, but given the other thread on the FWRR, a WDW-wide RR could easily connect all the parks, be a grade level (most of the way), and be relatively high capacity. Given Walt's love of RR, it could be a fitting way to approximate/replace the Monorail if it ever become non-functional/non-repairable. Same problems as monorail given that expense and bottleneck problems still exist. People may consider RR something to write home about. Because RR at Disneyland and WDW predate anything at USO, you can just shake off any "me-too" criticisms.
Timon
Well-Known Member
A PeopleMover scaled up to equal the capacity of the Monorail is likely more expensive per mile than the Monorail. A two direction track would require much more massive amounts of concrete and even more if a roof is included. Placing thousands of motors in the track over miles of track isn't efficient vs motors in the vehicle from a maintenance view point.
A PeopleMover or PRT is better suited to low volume routes like between Ft Wilderness-Wilderness Lodge-TTC using 20 passenger "on-call" vehicles.
Personally I would prefer a Steam Trolley for a Ft Wilderness-Wilderness Lodge-TTC route. Better themeing and unique. I would use propane as fuel with several propane & water service points on the route.
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Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
That would be my fear that once they are no longer repairable or able to be brought back up to safety standards it would signal the end of Monorails all together. They would have to replace it with something, but at that point a light rail system would probably be the method.
Although very few things surprise me anymore, not maintaining the Monorail Tracks to the highest degree would amount to the absolute dumbest thing that the Disney Company could possibly do. The results that would be forthcoming if the rails could no longer hold up the trains is catastrophic. I don't care how deep the Disney pockets are there would not be enough money to take care of paying off the lawsuits, fines and loss of business that would result. Even some of the most hated Disney Executive could not be that stupid could they? On top of that if any lack of maintenance is cited, charges of gross negligence directed at the people that determined that maintenance was not important would be forth coming. The finger pointed would ultimately end up pointing at the upper leadership and that would be legitimate place for it to point. That would be big time problems that anyone with an IQ higher then 10 would not be willing to risk. At least I hope so!!!
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Walt replaced a railroad with the monorail. How would the opposite be fitting?