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5. The monorail’s speed is capped by Disney

Monorail Train

Some former Disney employees claim they’ve gotten the monorail speeds up to nearly 70 mph, but this has never been done during working hours. Disney limits the speeds on the trains with a safety device. The maximum speed limit for the train is 40 mph. If the driver tops this speed, the train will shut down temporarily. In fact, some areas of the beam have speed limits of only 15 mph.

6. The distance between two monorail trains is monitored by computers and pilots

Monorail Spur

Guests who ride the monorails often have probably experienced a short stall on the tracks, due to the proximity of another train. There are set guidelines that require the trains to be a set distance apart at all times.

These distances are measured by various “holdpoints” set along the beam. There must always be two holdpoints between any two trains. Lights inside the cabin alert the pilot when they’re becoming dangerously close to this requirement. If the light turns red, the train is only one holdpoint away from another train. At this point, the emergency brakes are automatically applied. They cannot be removed without an override from the pilot. This is called the “Moving Blocklight System,” and it’s used by various transportation systems worldwide.

7. A full day at Walt Disney World involves no ticket—only the monorail

Some Disney guests, in an effort to save money or widen their vacation experience, have chosen to partake in what’s unofficially called a “Monorail Crawl.” The term was originally used as a play on the popular term “pub crawl,” but it’s sense branched out to involve more activities that are family-friendly.

The original Monorail Crawl involved trips to each of the monorail resorts, with guests sampling a drink selection from one or more bars in each resort.

If you don’t drink or prefer a more family-friendly activity, however, you can grab an appetizer at one resort, a main course at the next, and dessert at the last. Or, just spend your time viewing each resort and all it has to offer.

The monorail resorts are some of the nicest—if not the very nicest—ones on Disney property. They are elaborately decorated, especially during the holiday season. A family could easily spend several hours on this one activity, and a ticket isn’t required.

8. Until 2009, Walt Disney World guests could ride in the cabin with the pilot

Monorail Cabin

Until July of 2009, Disney guests could ask a cast member at the station to ride up front with the pilot. There are seats for up to six passengers in this area, though only four passengers may sit comfortably.

Some pilots would give children special cards to commemorate this event. It wasn’t difficult to achieve this feat, though it did sometimes require patience. There was often a line of families who also wanted the opportunity to ride in the front of the car, but cast members were generally happy to let you wait your turn.

Unfortunately, a tragic event happened in 2009 that ceased this practice altogether.

At the very end of a long July 4th day (actually in the wee hours of July 5th morning), a monorail driver was pulling his train in for the night. To do so, he was driving the train in reverse and didn’t see another train that was behind him. The two trains collided, resulting in the death of the driver of the rear train.

Due to this accident, Disney ceased the tradition of allowing guests to ride with the driver. They also instated some safety rules that probably should have been on the books long before. For one, drivers are no longer advised to drive the trains in reverse. If it’s ever necessary, someone must be watching the situation from an exterior area. While the death of the driver in 2009 is tragic, hopefully these new rules will avoid any more deaths in the future.

9. Walt Disney had huge hopes for the monorail

Walt Disney with Monorail

Walt Disney World guests are huge fans of the current monorail system, but Walt Disney had even bigger hopes for what it would someday become.

Only Walt was completely certain of his ideas, but rumors have swirled about possible expansions and additional destinations. Disney hoped to one day have an extensive monorail line that carried passengers throughout Walt Disney World—not just from one park to another, but to other destinations, as well.

Unfortunately, the cost to build the current monorail system was much higher than expected, and the time and effort required was substantial, too. Occasional rumors still arise about a possible expansion to Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, but the majority of experts agree that these will remain rumors.

Each new addition of the monorail system saw so many difficulties that it isn’t likely they’ll attempt another one any time soon. But, who knows? Modern technology is leaps and bounds ahead of what it once was. And, of course, almost anything is possible at the most magical place on earth.

 
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