Monorail in early World Showcase design

[Slowjack]

Hey, I just got the Imagineering Field Guide to Epcot, and seeing a picture in there that I had seen before made me wonder. It's the concept drawing of World Showcase back when it was a park unto itself, and to be located right next to the Transportation and Ticket Center (in the Epcot Field Guide it's on page 25, in the book "Imagineering," it's on page 69).

Anyway, there's a monorail line running from the TTC right through World Showcase and heading off to the south...much like the current TTC-Epcot line runs. But my question is, under this design, where would the monorail have gone? I mean, if World Showcase is right there, what would there be to go to in the south? Any ideas?

 

[sbkline]

Maybe they planned on some of the resorts being to the south.

 

[metscool]

Maybe it was supose to go to Epcot. Walt had plans to build Epcot and it was supose to be the first park in the "Orlando Project". But when Walt died they did the MK instead. And Epcot and World Showcase were going to be two different parks.

 

[SirNim]

Future World aka the E.P.C.O.T. industrial park(s)...

Perhaps the WDW Int'l Airport...

Or perhaps the Monorail line would only be a giant loop through and around the World Showcase...

 

[Tim G]

Hey, I just got the Imagineering Field Guide to Epcot, and seeing a picture in there that I had seen before made me wonder. It's the concept drawing of World Showcase back when it was a park unto itself, and to be located right next to the Transportation and Ticket Center (in the

You just said it yourself...

It's a concept drawing... less than 10% of the ideas and drawings, never make it to construction...

 

[Slowjack]

You just said it yourself...

It's a concept drawing... less than 10% of the ideas and drawings, never make it to construction...

:veryconfu Clearly it's a earlier design of the concept that never made it to construction. My question is, under this design, where would the monorail have gone? I don't think Carlos Diniz included a monorail line on a whim. There's a plan drawing of this layout (page 87 in "Since the World Began") that also shows the monorail line.

 

[Slowjack]

Maybe it was supose to go to Epcot. Walt had plans to build Epcot and it was supose to be the first park in the "Orlando Project". But when Walt died they did the MK instead. And Epcot and World Showcase were going to be two different parks.

I thought about that, but I think that by this time they had already abandoned the idea of the original Epcot. This version of the concept dates from 1975, according to "Since the World Began." The same book says that "[w]hat would become Future World was described as the EPCOT Theme Center." Under this plan World Showcase would have been built first. I suppose that the monorail could have been planned for Future World, as some are guessing, with the idea that it would just be a ride until Future World was built. I'm just wondering if anyone knows for sure...I'm a big Epcot fan and I'd love to find out more about its development!

 

[marni1971]

My guess too is it was drawn with the idea still of going South to E.P.C.O.T. - although by 1975 the city was more or less cancelled.

 

[Simba One]

I remembered reading at Walt Dated World about a monorail line that would have taken guests to Downtown Disney. Here's the page showing the proposed concept for this monorail line:
http://waltdatedworld.bravepages.com/id210.htm Look all the way to the bottom for the picture to which I'm referring.

Could this be what your picture shows?

 

[TheTruth]

You should really go to youtube and search for EPCOT or go to Waltopia. The original video of Walt discussing what EPCOT was supposed to be is posted there. It's a long video (22-24 mins) for youtube but decent quality and VERY informative. If you hadn't already seen it that is. I highly reccommend it for no other reason than to see just what Walt had planned for Florida. It would have been beautiful.