The Monorail Track

[WDW1971]

Originally posted by BalooChicago
Concrete is a very durable, strong, material. The Romans used it in the Pantheon, and it's still around almost two millennia later.

Thank you! Finally, someone else agrees with me! Look at structures that have been around the longest and they are typically made of concrete or stone.

 

[Main Street USA]

Originally posted by BalooChicago
Concrete is a very durable, strong, material. The Romans used it in the Pantheon, and it's still around almost two millennia later.

Could you put anything on top of that concrete with any significant weight without it crumbling, though? I kinda doubt that even though the concrete would stand for an extremely long period, that it would be safe for gueest travel.

 

[devilred]

hey main street im from carmi il just to let you know

 

[mikedvcmember]

its not just concrete there is metal re-bar that is inside under the concrete. it should last much longer then 50 years. if concrete is made right and they used the 5000# mix is should last atleast 200 years

 

[Invero]

Another thing to keep in mind... They inspect, and x-ray the beam twice per year, to make sure that it is holding up. I imagine these beams will last well beyond 50 years.

 

[no2apprentice]

Tyler, you may have answered this a long time ago, in a thread far, far, away...but...

As the car (correct term?) sits on the beam, is the only thing resting on the beam rubber tire? What exactly touches the beam structure on the underside of the car?

 

[Invero]

Here's a cutaway drawing of the Monorail... you can see one of the 12 drive tires...

 

[Invero]

Here's another pic that might help...


Also, a link to the Anatomy of the Las Vegas Monorail Beamway... which is identical in footprint to what we have.

http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/TPMVIbeam.html

 

[no2apprentice]

Thank you, Tyler. That looks like a fair amount of rebar support in those beams. Should hold up a few more years, at least - lol.

One more question (for now). Are those guide wheels along the side of the beam, and if they are, are they rubber also?

 

[Invero]

Yes, they are rubber... and I beleive they are foam filled... After the Silver incident, the tires were filled with a special non-flamable foam that will help decerease the chance of a fire. Of course, now with the modern monitoring system, the chance is practically eliminated.

 

[WDW1971]

Originally posted by mikedvcmember
its not just concrete there is metal re-bar that is inside under the concrete. it should last much longer then 50 years. if concrete is made right and they used the 5000# mix is should last atleast 200 years

Think about buildings like the Empire State Building. They are sitting on footings made of concrete and rebar. They have stood for well over a half century without needing the footers replaced. Rebar adds so much strength to the concrete. Also, the technology behind concrete structures has advanced so much over the years. There are, what...40-50 years of advancement from Empire State to WDW monorail beams? The point is, the beams will last a long time. They aren't submitted to static loads like the footers of a building, which is both good and bad. I don't know what a monorail car weighs, but you figure you can stuff maybe 40 people in each car. That weight is distributed out over the footprint of that car. There isn't an extremely high psi on the beam, I wouldn't believe. I am not an expert on the beams, by any stretch, but I'm just making a guess.

 

[mikedvcmember]

thread drift:

what happend to the silver monorail?

 

[no2apprentice]

Thank you for all the info. I was curious what type of "stressors" acted upon the beam. After seeing the rebar support which should handle the weight stress, and knowing now that rubber is helping to act as a vibration "buffer", and considering the "freeze-thaw" weather effect is not an issue, those beams should be there for awhile.

Once again, thanks Tyler. You're the Monorail-Man!

 

[Invero]

Back in the mid 80's, the Mark IV version of the Silver train had a side tire go flat on the Epcot beam. The rubbing of the tire caused a fire in the last car. Folks had to be evacuated to the roof of the train, and to a safer car. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

One good thing that did come of this incident was that each train was retrofitted with enhanced safety measures... roof hatches, intercom phones, fire extinguishers, and a primitive version of the Allison Heat Detection System. The (then) new Mark VI trains were designed around these safety measures, and even more were added. Beam Contact sensors, a better heat detection system, and a multiplexing monitoring system.

 

[Bagheera]

Originally posted by mickey04
Anyone know how the beams at DL are holding up? They will be 50 in 2009.

The tracks are holding up fine. The monorails, however, are in sad shape due to poor maintenance, and have even dropped brake shoes to the ground. (They're now putting up guards to catch falling debris.) There have been notes on MousePlanet and MiceAge about that. (That's Al Lutz's former and current sites. The MousePlanet stuff was posted after Lutz left and they converted to a more Disney-friendly outlook.)

 

[Monorail Lime]

The monorails are in decent shape and the maintenance department does an excellent job with what they are given. Updated computer systems will be nice but even in their current state the Mark VIs have another decade of service left in them at least.

Perhaps the Lutz article you read was talking about Disneyland? Their monorails truly are falling apart.

 

[Invero]

One note about the DL trains... although they have the "modern" look to them, they are still in effect almost 40 years old. The Mark V train is really an original Mark III chassis with a new body on top.

 

[AliciaLuvzDizne]

this thread stopped talking about the cleaning of the tracks a real long time ago but...

we have a concrete patio in our back yard and it gets so nasty in the winter time that every spring we clean it with a power washer and Clorox Bleach... works perfectly

You just spray on the bleach, scrub it some with a broom if you need to then power wash it off.

 

[Hank Scorpio]

Originally posted by Fantasia Boi
They painted them to make them look better. But, it backfired on them. Just take a look at any painted section (MK switchbeam, Pylon 129-135 on Express/Resort)

Wow - you must know your disney if you know the pylon numbers and the state they are in!!

 

[mickey04]

Originally posted by Monorail Lime
Perhaps the Lutz article you read was talking about Disneyland? Their monorails truly are falling apart.

Actually, Bagheera was talking about Disneyland (responding to a question I had about their beams and track)