WDW Monorails have reopened

Tom

Tom

Beta Return
Procedure

Just hypothesizing here....but I imagine there will be more than just procedural updates, in the long run.

I am shocked at WDW's lack of FailSafe mechanisms and reliance on personnel for major points of error like this. Relying completely on humans in today's world of unlimited technology is just plain silly. If nothing else, why don't they have video on every switch?

I think of the numerous ways the Monorail system could be safer. Cameras. Interlocks and sensors at the switches to triple check that they've thrown.

Perhaps even a protocol that requires both Central (or Shop) AND a driver to key over to Override before a train can travel backwards or encroach onto another train. This would be similar to nuclear missile launches where two people have to key open their safes and confirm launch codes.

Trusting people (especially minimum wage people) to do their jobs right or to care about the consequences is something we can't do anymore. Yes, there are people who really do care, but those people have to trust others too often.

It sounds from everything like this was NOT mechanical failure, but gross human error. How in the heck does a switch not get thrown, but everyone on a team thinks it did? I can't fathom that. It shouldn't even be possible with technology we have today (and it's not that expensive either).

It's just so terribly sad that someone had to die because of his coworkers. I almost wish it had been a mechanical failure so that we could at least blame it on a machine and not other people.
 
fireworkz

fireworkz

Active Member
edwardtc said:
Ok, let me re-phrase my suggestion: Maybe someone should actually WATCH the cameras. :p
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Yep, related to that, maybe there should be lights illuminating the area of the track switches at least when the switching procedures are taking place. If I remember correctly the area of the Epcot line switch is nowhere near any light sources.
 
PhotoDave219

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
There are lights on the one by the MK. Or rather I remember seeing them there, cant vouch for whats happening right this second.
 
TestTrack

TestTrack

Active Member
edwardtc said:
Ok, let me re-phrase my suggestion: Maybe someone should actually WATCH the cameras. :p
Click to expand...

You have to realize that you can implement all the technology you want but there are weaknesses to any system. We could have cars have intelligent systems like MAPO but they don't have it yet. Why aren't we crying fowl there?

Busses could have seatbelts but most do not...again no one is up in arms over this.

There will always be procedural errors. You can make all the rules you want and employees will generally choose to disregard them as they make their job more difficult. Either that or they'll make the occasional mistake. Even though we may think we're all the safest driver and "everyone else" is the problem...I don't think anyone can say that they at least haven't ALMOST made a mistake on the road. It happens. Once in 38 years does not mean that Disney didn't take adequate steps to try to avoid this. In fact, that safety record is something most other companies can only hope to strive for.
 
Bluewaves

Bluewaves

Well-Known Member
Probably they are just doing what they should have been doing in the first place, someone in the control tower actually watching their control panel instead of just assuming everything was working the way it should have been, lets face it if no one was there to monitor the panel to verify that the switch had in fact been moved and the pilot of pink had done this operation before and always ended up on the right track and trusted his dispatcher I would have probably sat there and held the button down, thrown the train in reverse and assumed that everything was alright too.

So when OSHA went down there and determined there where no mechanical problems, that they were operational problems, they probably told Disney to put someone in front of the panel at all times and then there won't be any more problems, easy fix, tragic situation, but an easy fix.

Probably in the near future when they start replacing the Mark VI's with newer trains you'll probably see proximity sensors and cameras on both ends of the trains to prevent this sort of thing.
 
KeeKee

KeeKee

Well-Known Member
Since it was a CM that lost his life and no guests were injured, and it's a CM that has to climb back into that cockpit and entrust their life to this system, I see no reason to have any fear of it at all. I will be riding the monorail system on Thursday this week and won't give my safety a moments thought. My thoughts will be with the family that lost a loved one and the rest of the Monorail cast and crew who's hearts are so heavy with this burden.

We were there yesterday and would have ridden the Monorails if they had been running. They are my favorite part of WDW, and there is absolutely no need to have any hesitation about riding them or to continue to speculate about why Disney has them running "so soon." They are a major element of the whole transportation system on property and the need for their participation is well established. If the cause of the accident has been identified and steps taken to rectify the situation and the system has been released by OSHA, that should end the conversation.
 
EPCOT Explorer

EPCOT Explorer

New Member
TestTrack said:
You have to realize that you can implement all the technology you want but there are weaknesses to any system. We could have cars have intelligent systems like MAPO but they don't have it yet. Why aren't we crying fowl there?

Busses could have seatbelts but most do not...again no one is up in arms over this.

There will always be procedural errors. You can make all the rules you want and employees will generally choose to disregard them as they make their job more difficult. Either that or they'll make the occasional mistake. Even though we may think we're all the safest driver and "everyone else" is the problem...I don't think anyone can say that they at least haven't ALMOST made a mistake on the road. It happens. Once in 38 years does not mean that Disney didn't take adequate steps to try to avoid this. In fact, that safety record is something most other companies can only hope to strive for.
Click to expand...
Well said. Disney still has a very good safety record because of their practices, and I don't expect them to stop.
 
mpaul32001

mpaul32001

Well-Known Member
So how did they get Pink and Purple off the line and back to the roundhouse without guests at the resorts seeing? Or is the Epcot line still closed?
 
hpyhnt 1000

hpyhnt 1000

Well-Known Member
EPCOT Explorer said:
Shortest way possible.:shrug::eek:
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I don't know. When pink ran into purple, the force of the crash pushed the nose cone of pink up into the air a bit. The doorways at the Contemporary are barely big enough as it is to fit the Mark VI trains when they are in normal operating condition, so I think the upward position of Pink (unless they separated them before moving them) would have prevented going by way of the Contemporary. I'm willing to bet they were dragged the long way around past the Poly and GF. Also, if they were towed, that tractor is LOUD! It would be better to go the long way because the track remains outside the resorts and further away from the guest rooms. :shrug:
 
Bluewaves

Bluewaves

Well-Known Member
Not to mention the tractor is diesel so you probably don't want that inside the Contemporary, Pink might have been able to move on its own power, it did after the accident so the drives were probably still operational, my guess would be purple would be able to drive itself from the other side that wasn't compromised.

So theoretically they both could have been taken off the line on their own power. They probably had to pull them apart first or just put them both in drive at the same time and let their own engines do it.
 
EPCOT Explorer

EPCOT Explorer

New Member
hpyhnt 1000 said:
I don't know. When pink ran into purple, the force of the crash pushed the nose cone of pink up into the air a bit. The doorways at the Contemporary are barely big enough as it is to fit the Mark VI trains when they are in normal operating condition, so I think the upward position of Pink (unless they separated them before moving them) would have prevented going by way of the Contemporary. I'm willing to bet they were dragged the long way around past the Poly and GF. Also, if they were towed, that tractor is LOUD! It would be better to go the long way because the track remains outside the resorts and further away from the guest rooms. :shrug:
Click to expand...

Well...they did it somehow; the EPCOT line is up and running...I'm sure we will be enlightened soon.
 

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