Obscure WDW Monorail Trivia

[Empress Room]

Here's an obscure trivia question: I remember going to WDW as a child (somewhere in the mid to late 70s) when both monorail loops (clockwise "resort" monorail AND the counter-clockwise "express" TTC monorail) both had stations and both did, in fact, make stops inside the Grand Canyon Concourse in the Contemporary Resort.

My trivia question(s) (for which I have no answer) is when did Disney stop having both monorail loops stop in the Contemporary and what was the configuration/order of stops when they did? (I assume that they stopped having both stop because Disney simply wished to create an "express" train to the TTC.)

I seem to remember the "express" stopping in the Contemporary as late as the early 80s and after that, the gates and "station" were still present, but the signage for the express stop was simply blackened out for the longest time.

Anyone with a good memory?

 

[Bill]

I can't seem to remember the express trains ever stopping there. :veryconfu But, if it was done, my guess is that the Resort train has such a long way to go to get to the MK, they tired letting them on the express monorial, which went directly to the MK. Though, how they would fit the people on is beyond me.:lol:

 

[JBSLJames]

Not a clue

 

[reblue]

ACTUALLY, the express monorail never stopped at the contemp officially. BUT, even to this day, the express monorail CAN stop at the contemporary. Just over the xmas holiday there were a couple of nights when the express would stop at the contemp due to demand. There are special procedures in place to load an express monorail from the contemp, there are even markers on the railings to tell the pilot where to stop (although these are also commonly used during switching procedures).

 

[g_gresham3]

We went to WDW yearly starting in 1972, and I don't remember the Express loop ever making regular stops at the Contemporary. It must have been an ususual situation.

But here is another question about monorails. At first, all WDW monorails had 5 cars, and at some point they added a car to each train. Anyone have any idea what year that happened?

Or, what event prompted WDW to add escape hatches and emergency phones to each monorail car?

 

[surfingben1]

I dont think the monorail ever stopped at the contemperary, because the track that the express monorail rail is on the opposite side of the resort monorails rail therefore to let people on and off their they would leave them on this oneside and the only exit is an un-themed staircase (employees only) that leads to every floor except the lobby

They must have stpped coencidently in the contemperary for taking the monorail out of service

 

[Empress Room]

Originally posted by surfingben1
I dont think the monorail ever stopped at the contemperary, because the track that the express monorail rail is on the opposite side of the resort monorails rail therefore to let people on and off their they would leave them on this oneside and the only exit is an un-themed staircase (employees only) that leads to every floor except the lobby

They must have stpped coencidently in the contemperary for taking the monorail out of service

Hmm, I suppose I could be very, very mistaken (although several of my family members seem to recall the exact same thing). I would agree with your comment above if the "express" monorail always traveled in a counter-clockwise direction. I believe, however, that it traveled in the same clockwise direction as the "resort" monorail, which would allow the loading/unloading to be from the same platform used today.

I'm not giving up on this one - several of us do remember the signs and station set up for both monorails stopping in the Contemporary. Anyone? Maybe a former CM who worked monorails at the Contemporary? Am I crazy here?!!

 

[Lee]

I don't think this is possible.
Mostly, because of what was said before.
There is no station for the express track at the Contemp. The express and resort monos don't use the same track, so I don't see how you could get off.

Maybe on occasion they were only using the resort loop?

 

[kev9035]

Monorail

I too have noticed express trains stopping at the Contemporary to pick up passengers during past December trips. It usually seemed to happen just after the old Jolly Holidays show was ending and the monorail was just flooded with people trying to get to MK.

 

[maelstrom]

Didn't the express monorail stop at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian? You can get up and down on that side of the platform via the stairs you are no longer allowed to use.

But I don't see how it could've stopped at the Contemporary.

 

[Ijones88]

Originally posted by g_gresham3
We went to WDW yearly starting in 1972, and I don't remember the Express loop ever making regular stops at the Contemporary. It must have been an ususual situation.

But here is another question about monorails. At first, all WDW monorails had 5 cars, and at some point they added a car to each train. Anyone have any idea what year that happened?

Or, what event prompted WDW to add escape hatches and emergency phones to each monorail car?

:wave:
I dont know when they added a sixth car, but to your second question, I think they added those safety features after one of the monorails caught fire and the people were trapped twenty feet up. I think some people were able to jump.

 

[reblue]

The Mark IV trains had 5 cars at first. When new Mark IV trains were delivered (around epcot's opening), they had 6 cars. So for a while, both 5 and 6 car monorails were operating on the system at the same time. In 1989/1990, Mark VI monorails were delivered to replace the aging Mark IV fleet. All Mark VI trains have 6 cars and the safety hatches / phones, and the fleet is now entirely Mark VI. The main difference that a guest would notice b/t a Mark IV and Mark VI is the doors. On the old Mark IV's, the doors opened outword and CMs had to slam them shut. Now, we have automatic doors - and that great phrase "Please stand Clear........"

http://www.startedbyamouse.com/features/Monorails.html

^notice how the passenger compartments have several doors, rather than just 2 sets of automatic doors. Also notice the raised beacon light above the driver's cab - these are clearly Mark IV.

 

[miles1]

Being one of the oldest f@rts here (I think my first WDW visit was like 1975), my memory tells me that ALL trains stopped at the contemporary in WDW's early life. There was no differentiation between "express" and "resort" trains then. And they did both circle in the same direction. Keep in mind that there was no EPCOT or Grand Floridian then.

To answer your question, I think this arrangement ended with the opening of EPCOT.

God, I feel old.

 

[MrNonacho]

Originally posted by miles1
And they did both circle in the same direction. Keep in mind that there was no EPCOT or Grand Floridian then.

But the Polynesian was around. Did the exterior loop monorails stop there?

 

[DigitalDisney]

I've been to WDW at least once per year since the late 70s, and I really don't remember the express monorail ever stopping anywhere outside of the MK and TTC.

I was just a wee kid during that point, so my memory may not be 100% accurate. Also, my parents used other methods of transportation such as the boats because they hate crowds of people and lines. So, if the monorail stopped anywhere during excessively high travel times, I would not have been on it.