Monorail is out of service

[Goofyernmost]

As many as they currently have. Only new trains on the tracks while the older ones are in the barn and you have the time to do proper maintenance.

OK, I see the logic in that. They will have to replace those old trains eventually. When they do, perhaps they will keep one or two of the best ones there as a backup. But considering how much they hate to spend money, that's a lot of cash to keep just sitting there waiting for something to break. Right now, I would guess that the buses are considered the backup.

 

[PhotoDave219]

OK, I see the logic in that. They will have to replace those old trains eventually. When they do, perhaps they will keep one or two of the best ones there as a backup. But considering how much they hate to spend money, that's a lot of cash to keep just sitting there waiting for something to break. Right now, I would guess that the buses are considered the backup.

The system is pretty well maxed out. They need to try something.

 

[ToInfinityAndBeyond]

It's time for MK VIII!

 

[calismic]

Since I see everyone still arguing and no one answering, yes the Express and Resort Monorail were in service today. Have family already there that we're meeting Friday and they sent me a text from the train this morning. =)

 

[roj2323]

Since I see everyone still arguing and no one answering, yes the Express and Resort Monorail were in service today. Have family already there that we're meeting Friday and they sent me a text from the train this morning. =)

Finally a post that matters. Thank you for the update

 

[Kuzco]

The MK express and resort monorails do not appear to be in service this morning.

 

[Horizons '83]

I often wonder if anyone who was on the creation team in the late 60's and 70's factored in the cost of ridiculous amounts of maintenance that would eventually catch-up years later. Between the Monorails, attractions, hubs, buses, etc, the expense has got to be insane. I know they must have to a certain extent but its seems everything needs a refresh nowadays.

 

[gmajew]

I often wonder if anyone who was on the creation team in the late 60's and 70's factored in the cost of ridiculous amounts of maintenance that would eventually catch-up years later. Between the Monorails, attractions, hubs, buses, etc, the expense has got to be insane. I know they must have to a certain extent but its seems everything needs a refresh nowadays.

They had no idea of knowing what WDW was going to become and how popular it was going to be. I highly doubt they ever thought they would bring as many guest as they do to the parks and area every year every day.

I am sure they had estimated numbers but as we all know from projects and repairs on cars houses etc it is always more then you think.

 

[betty rose]

They had no idea of knowing what WDW was going to become and how popular it was going to be. I highly doubt they ever thought they would bring as many guest as they do to the parks and area every year every day.

I am sure they had estimated numbers but as we all know from projects and repairs on cars houses etc it is always more then you think.

Amen to that!

 

[Cesar R M]

It's time for MK VIII!

QUAD DECKER SIZED MONORAIL.. for all your stroller warrior and oversized scooter rider needs!

 

[ToInfinityAndBeyond]

QUAD DECKER SIZED MONORAIL.. for all your stroller warrior and oversized scooter rider needs!

It'll need to be Sharknado-proof.

 

[Cesar R M]

It'll need to be Sharknado-proof.

the riders will provide enough meat shielding.

 

[Parkeit]

Parked in the poly lot on Monday to go to MK followed by Trader Sams, got inconvenienced by the 101 monorail and had to wait a bit on the boat that morning. Coming back from MK the monorail was still down at 3:45pm, while we had to wait on a boat back over to the Poly, when it came we were shuttled over in an old AK Discovery River Boat by the Grande One Captain...I thought it was a fun trade off. Sat in TS for an hour or three before we decided to embark on our monorail bar crawl, possibly sans monorail. After asking the front desk if the monorail was back up, and being told no, we scratched the crawl and decided to drive to WL, just as we get to the parking lot we hear the monorail woosh by, and look up to see it full of people. Monorail crawl was back on!

One thing I did notice that night, and the next day at Epcot, the only two monorails we saw were green and silver. Putting that together with what I picked up from cm's:
"No, it didn't have anything to do with the storms. Let's just say there were a lot of guys in suits standing around scratching their heads"
"We don't really know how long it will be down, this isn't the usual problem"
And a story about how they are trying to create a driverless monorail system that runs on the RFID technology.
It seems like whatever they were testing might have gone awry... take it all for what its worth, absolutely nothing, but there it is, my first hand account of time time that the monorail went down and everyone's heads exploded.

 

[Cesar R M]

Parked in the poly lot on Monday to go to MK followed by Trader Sams, got inconvenienced by the 101 monorail and had to wait a bit on the boat that morning. Coming back from MK the monorail was still down at 3:45pm, while we had to wait on a boat back over to the Poly, when it came we were shuttled over in an old AK Discovery River Boat by the Grande One Captain...I thought it was a fun trade off. Sat in TS for an hour or three before we decided to embark on our monorail bar crawl, possibly sans monorail. After asking the front desk if the monorail was back up, and being told no, we scratched the crawl and decided to drive to WL, just as we get to the parking lot we hear the monorail woosh by, and look up to see it full of people. Monorail crawl was back on!

One thing I did notice that night, and the next day at Epcot, the only two monorails we saw were green and silver. Putting that together with what I picked up from cm's:
"No, it didn't have anything to do with the storms. Let's just say there were a lot of guys in suits standing around scratching their heads"
"We don't really know how long it will be down, this isn't the usual problem"
And a story about how they are trying to create a driverless monorail system that runs on the RFID technology.
It seems like whatever they were testing might have gone awry... take it all for what its worth, absolutely nothing, but there it is, my first hand account of time time that the monorail went down and everyone's heads exploded.

so, finally the suits were alarmed by the photos posted and finally noticed the crappy state the units were?
or scratching as in "We have no idea what the hell happened"?

 

[ford91exploder]

I often wonder if anyone who was on the creation team in the late 60's and 70's factored in the cost of ridiculous amounts of maintenance that would eventually catch-up years later. Between the Monorails, attractions, hubs, buses, etc, the expense has got to be insane. I know they must have to a certain extent but its seems everything needs a refresh nowadays.

The huge maintenance problem is caused by deferred maintenance which always bites you hard, Example one of the diesel Superduties we use on the farm was bought from a kid who had let the maintenance slip so it needed everything from tires to injector seals. But the 'bones' were good but it still needed 4k of work to bring it up to 'standard' but because of that we got a truck with a blue book of about 25K for less than half of that.

The monorails are similar in that they have 'good bones' but essential maintenance has been skipped so each unit has a huge backlog of maintenance issues everything from leaking seals to inoperative A/C units. So it will be expensive to correct.

 

[StageFrenzy]

The huge maintenance problem is caused by deferred maintenance which always bites you hard, Example one of the diesel Superduties we use on the farm was bought from a kid who had let the maintenance slip so it needed everything from tires to injector seals. But the 'bones' were good but it still needed 4k of work to bring it up to 'standard' but because of that we got a truck with a blue book of about 25K for less than half of that.

The monorails are similar in that they have 'good bones' but essential maintenance has been skipped so each unit has a huge backlog of maintenance issues everything from leaking seals to inoperative A/C units. So it will be expensive to correct.

Those bones sure are creaky.

 

[ford91exploder]

Those bones sure are creaky.

From what I'm told by CM's in the area it's not so much the motors and the frames it's all the interconnects and control systems, You can only splice a wiring harness so many times before you need a new one, connectors have a finite number of connect/disconnect cycles etc,

Basically what the monorails need is to go into the shop and be stripped and every part tested for tolerance and those failing the tolerance tests being replaced and parts which are life limited replaced. This would effectively 'zero time' the monorails and they would probably be good for another 25 years of service.

Modern trains and airplanes can be decades old yet with the maintenance program being followed to the letter they perform like new with the only outward signs of age being worn paint in the 'crew' areas and sometimes not even then.

 

[MaryJaneP]

Did someone say "suits"? Musta been a wedding or something.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I have a question. If I recollect they have the "mules" to go out on the rail and tow the broken Monorail back to the shop. Just guessing here, but the only thing I can think of that might cause that to not be possible is a broken suspension system. Not sure there is a maintenance system for that, since I have never heard mention of anything like this happening before. I've yet to hear what happened so I cannot will not comment until I know. Sorry, but, that's just me. I hate to spout off dead sure blame until I have even a clue as to the nature of the problem. Everyone else is free to resort to wild speculation.

 

[Figment2005]

I have a question. If I recollect they have the "mules" to go out on the rail and tow the broken Monorail back to the shop. Just guessing here, but the only thing I can think of that might cause that to not be possible is a broken suspension system. Not sure there is a maintenance system for that, since I have never heard mention of anything like this happening before. I've yet to hear what happened so I cannot will not comment until I know. Sorry, but, that's just me. I hate to spout off dead sure blame until I have even a clue as to the nature of the problem. Everyone else is free to resort to wild speculation.

What is the one requirement for an electric train?