Monorail Update January 2015

[Kman101]

I disagree that the inside of the cabs are in good shape. They need an overhaul. I'd hope if they don't get a new fleet [and they likely won't anytime soon] they can spend some money updating the insides and re-doing them. Is it that big of a deal? No, but I'd still like to see them overhauled.

 

[Brian]

From where inside the park is the Mickey and Friends Parking Structure visible?

That's not what I said. I said that things like parking structures were visible from inside Disneyland, which was a contributing factor to the yearning for massive amounts of land. That is very well documented.

 

[lazyboy97o]

No need for hostility. Also, that's not what I said. I said that things like parking structures were visible from inside Disneyland, which was a contributing factor to the yearning for massive amounts of land. That is very well documented.

The issue was their visibility on arrival and exit, not within the park. Visibility from inside the park was enabled by the Skyway that also allowed show breaking views of the park itself.

 

[71jason]

I don't think a garage would happen. Part of the point of WDW was that guests didn't have to see large structures like that while in Magic Kingdom, like they do Disneyland. It explains quite well why they put the parking lot so far away from the park entrance.

The garage at DLR was built decades after MK, and is not visible from the park. The only really new thing visible from MK is the security checkpoint right in front of the castle, that could then be moved to the parking lot/monorail stations.

 

[Figment2005]

Not denying the electrical systems are important. But this automation process has been going on for years and only one train as of now has the equipment? And to not do something to spruce up the interiors while individual trains are out of service is shortsighted (I also disagree that the interiors are currently "really good.")

Maybe incompetent is too harsh a term. But certainly there seems to be some questionable decisions/outcomes made regarding the monorail fleet.

Actually, just over a year. Teal went back in January of last year.

 

[Brian]

The garage at DLR was built decades after MK, and is not visible from the park. The only really new thing visible from MK is the security checkpoint right in front of the castle, that could then be moved to the parking lot/monorail stations.

I wasn't saying the parking garage at Disneyland affected Magic Kingdom's planning. I was eluding to the fact that neon signage and larger structures in the immediate vicinity of Disneyland probably had something to do with placing the Magic Kingdom parking lot further away from the park than the parking lot at Disneyland was at the time. It certainly was part of the reason why they bought so much land initially.

Whether or not those factors would remain true today is beyond me. It just seems that they have been extremely careful and deliberate with what they build within the sight-line of park guests at Magic Kingdom.

 

[erstwo]

Most of the EL lines in Chicago are fairly clean, but if you try linking the Blue line in there, you are sadly mistaken...

Yes. No. No Blue line. Just town car to Ohare and only ride in the loop when the kids are tired of walking but you want to keep going. (Really my kids just love the EL )

 

[ford91exploder]

The Mark VIIs at Disneyland are using Mark III chassis and Mark V bodies. Those chassis date back to the 1960s, much older than the Mark VIs.

The difference being DL maintains their monorail fleet.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The difference being DL maintains their monorail fleet.

The Mark Vs were in shambles when they were finally taken out of service. The Mark VIIs didn't fit on the beams properly. One of the Mark Vs was sacrificed for reverse engineering and that was acceptable because operational efficiency and reliability had dropped to make four train operation near impossible. Even now, two train operation is the norm as the third is in back getting patched back up.

 

[ford91exploder]

The Mark Vs were in shambles when they were finally taken out of service. The Mark VIIs didn't fit on the beams properly. One of the Mark Vs was sacrificed for reverse engineering and that was acceptable because operational efficiency and reliability had dropped to make four train operation near impossible. Even now, two train operation is the norm as the third is in back getting patched back up.

Ouch, At least the DL monorails don't smell like gym shoes left in a locker over the summer.

 

[Figment2005]

Ouch, At least the DL monorails don't smell like gym shoes left in a locker over the summer.

The majority of the folks entering Disneyland don't have to take the monorail to get there. It is an attraction that happens to stop at a hotel, not the backbone transportation option for the busiest park in the world. Not anywhere near the same traffic load.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Ouch, At least the DL monorails don't smell like gym shoes left in a locker over the summer.

I don't know. There is no air conditioning in the Mark VIIs and they had to be modified after their debut because there was virtually no ventilation.

 

[marni1971]

The Mark Vs were in shambles when they were finally taken out of service. The Mark VIIs didn't fit on the beams properly.

Lest we forget the MKVIs didn't fit into Orlandos stations properly when they arrived...

 

[ford91exploder]

The majority of the folks entering Disneyland don't have to take the monorail to get there. It is an attraction that happens to stop at a hotel, not the backbone transportation option for the busiest park in the world. Not anywhere near the same traffic load.

A bit of cleaning and disinfecting at the end of every day works wonders for clean smelling monorails, The ones at WDW did not always smell like old gym shoes, That's a fairly recent phenomenon - as to people smelling hot and sweaty - well that's Florida for you.

 

[montyz81]

The Mark VIIs at Disneyland are using Mark III chassis and Mark V bodies. Those chassis date back to the 1960s, much older than the Mark VIs.

I believe the Mark VIIs at Disneyland are ground up new. I do not believe they are using the Mark III chassis anymore. Can someone confirm that?

 

[articos]

I believe the Mark VIIs at Disneyland are ground up new. I do not believe they are using the Mark III chassis anymore. Can someone confirm that?

Nope. The Mark VII is still sitting on the Mark V rebuilt parts, which is a re-done Mark III.

 

[dstrawn9889]

yup that is why they came off the beam one at a time, to be re-built

 

[Figment2005]

A bit of cleaning and disinfecting at the end of every day works wonders for clean smelling monorails, The ones at WDW did not always smell like old gym shoes, That's a fairly recent phenomenon - as to people smelling hot and sweaty - well that's Florida for you.

The only way to get rid of that smell is replacing the carpets in the cabins.

 

[Monty]

The majority of the folks entering Disneyland don't have to take the monorail to get there. It is an attraction that happens to stop at a hotel, not the backbone transportation option for the busiest park in the world. Not anywhere near the same traffic load.

The DL Monorail has two stops, Downtown Disney and Tomorrowland, it doesn't stop at any of the hotels.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The DL Monorail has two stops, Downtown Disney and Tomorrowland, it doesn't stop at any of the hotels.

The Downtown Disney Station is the Disneyland Hotel station from years gone by and is most convenient for hotel guests entering the park.