Kamikaze
Well-Known Member
My post was sarcasm. There are literally dozens of names on the windows.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Disney_Main_Street_window_honors
(This list is all parks, but proves my point nonetheless)
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Rumor New Monorails Coming Soon?
- Thread starter iHeartDisneylandCats
- Start date
My post was sarcasm. There are literally dozens of names on the windows.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Disney_Main_Street_window_honors
(This list is all parks, but proves my point nonetheless)
Jonathan Wang
Disney/Monorail Nut
well thats fine then, i just couldnt remember if they did or didnt. so i said "usually"
s8film40
Well-Known Member
Jonathan Wang
Disney/Monorail Nut
is that a partner or manu? thats not memorializing anyone is it (like a disney death)? actually asking
Edit: found it https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/monorail-blue-decal.904646/
i mean if they wanna do that cool, but i figured it would be cool to have it hidden yet there, so they dont get a ton of questions but its still there to show respect. just 2 cents
s8film40
Well-Known Member
Both are instances of dedicating the monorail to a CM for their service. I seriously doubt they would ever memorialize a death on a monorail (especially that one) but dedicating it to a person isn't unprecedented.
Jonathan Wang
Disney/Monorail Nut
now that i think about it, it would be cool for them to run BOB's name along the new ones for a little bit. and for him to come and drive the first one. IF they get new ones of course.
In the past 2 years beyond the automation system being installed, you have trains going in for months long refurbishments for new paint and mechanical overhauls including new AC. All of the trains internal wiring has already been replaced once, and the onboard controls were changed in the mid 2000's to Windows based systems. Like it or not, there has been a concerted effort to improve maintenance practices on the system, and it is getting better.
Side note, I still don't see how if these trains are being replaced in the "short term" that all this money is being spent on rehabbing the existing fleet. The work that has been done, and is still being done seems to indicate that they are planning on keeping these trains for another 10 years. If the decision were made that new trains were coming you'd see them stop rehabbing the trains and only do band-aid fix ups.
Disone
Well-Known Member
I get it too. One of my other post mentions that I don't think anyone here is faulting the maintenance crew directly. Rather more the people who give the budget the maintenance crew is allowed to use. They're making the maintenance crew make the judgement calls that you are illustrating. I get that.
s8film40
Well-Known Member
They are indeed putting a lot into these trains, it's just not enough to keep up. Kind of a too little too late situation.
I would add to this the operations make things really difficult. They not only have to balance budget decisions regarding keeping these things up but also don't really have the ability to take these trains out of service for a decent refurbishment.
The bean counters at TWDC are not "stupid" in terms of spending money. They would most certainly not be inclined to sink good money after bad if the consensus was overhauling the trains was throwing good money after bad. If the problem is that operations schedules do not allow adequate time for overhaul by taking 1 of 12 trains OOS, (which on most days they are only running 9 or 10 trains anyway) the answer then is to buy 2 trains immediately to allow the remaining trains adequate time for overhaul.
s8film40
Well-Known Member
I don't know about the bean counters "not being stupid". I've seen some absolutely colossal, amazing feats of throwing money away on Disney's part over the years.
But yeah I agree I think the best option would be for them to build two new trains with a upgraded design and then start cycling the existing trains through a refurb process. Buying new trains isn't really necessary, but with Disney who knows what they'll do.
Bender123
Well-Known Member
If the traditional train replacement schedule holds, then there are trains on the beams that will still need to run for another 5-7 years...assuming a year or two for the contract to be signed, designs specs to be completed, beam/station upgrades to complete and deliveries to start. Some Mark IVs were running with the Mark VIs for upwards of three years as the new trains were built, delivered, tested and put into service.
The idea to do mechanical rehabs and external refurbs, over something more again to a strip down and rebuild is actually fairly smart...these trains need to make it a few years, not another two decades.
Disone
Well-Known Member
These are excellent points. You are being a good voice of reason but the train still fell into a condition that they should not have been in. While they're probably not getting all the credit that they should be getting, I still think when you see pictures of some of the condition of the trains, and videos going viral of doors opening mid journey, and the designer of the trains themselves calling them the duct tape monorail, there was probably some missed opportunities prior to getting to this point.
I too have wondered about spending money now if the fleet is going to be replaced but there seems to be some logical pathways to that.
In order to replace the fleet they had to automate the current existing Fleet because whatever new trains they get they will surely be fully automated. You would not be able to replace the fleet with a mix of manually run trains and automated running trains. So the current fleet had to be automated first.
Second the refurbishment of the trains only started about 7 months ago with monorail blue. Also not all the monorail's are getting new air conditioners. Orange did but gold did not. I'm pretty sure the budget to repaint the was approved and separate from that of new trains. And was approved before the decision to buy new trains was made.
The trains still need to be repainted, at least the ones that haven't been yet, and they're still going to be in use for several more years before the replacement Fleet arrives. So I believe that is why they're still moving forward with the repainting and refurbishing of some parts. It's not like the new fleet going to be here tomorrow. "Short term", maybe a phrase wdw Magic is using but I'm not sure Walt Disney World is using and either way surely the current Fleet still has to be in use for several more years even under a best case scenario.
Tanker Belle just fell out of her flower...
imarc
Well-Known Member
This has happened more than once?
s8film40
Well-Known Member
I don't think there are videos of any of the other door incidents, just the most recent one.
asianway
Well-Known Member
As in "make it blue"?
msg7
Well-Known Member
Haha. Hopefully what we’ve been hearing about the deltas is true....
Disone
Well-Known Member
Sorry. Just one incident that resulted it one video going viral. No intention of exaggeration.
Why? The majority of people here want the see the current fleet thrown into an industrial shredder and ground into fiberglass pulp.