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How it works

Image: Disney

In order to comprehend Walt Disney’s vision for the future of his theme parks and, later, EPCOT, you have to understand the underlying mechanics of the monorail. The next time you ride one, notice the giant beam on the track in front of you. It’s functionally the stabilizing element in the design. It’s also the guide. The train cart moves along the path designated by the beam.

The propellant for monorail movement is electricity.  The technique is simple. Wheels on the side of the carriage straddle this kinetic energy, which a hidden third rail produces. It’s located either beside or inside the main beam. The motion action for a monorail operates in a few steps. The third rail produces the energy, which activates pneumatic rubber tires. They follow the linear path of the beam.

In order to reduce the motion sickness issues that Lillian Disney experienced, monorails such as the ones at Disneyland and Walt Disney World include additional tire clamps. Their primary purpose is to limit bouncing inside the train cart, and they also aid the monorail’s guidance as well. A hanging railway system lacks this additional layer of stability, which explains why riders occasionally suffer bouts of nausea during their travels.

Suffice to say that the straddle-beam monorail with additional tire support is much better for guests with queasy stomachs. In addition, they’re much more cost-effective and energy-efficient than other forms of travel. Plus, they cultivate less noise pollution since the rubberized tires are quieter than other forms of railway travel. Quietness was especially important to Disney, because he didn’t want anything distracting visitors from enjoying his breathtaking theme park.

Given the efficiency, quietness, and stability of the monorail, Disney’s infatuation was understandable. He stated on several occasions that it would become the rapid transit solution of tomorrow. He loved the fact that his park would offer one of the first previews of future transportation.

Disneyland - Mark I

Image: ALWEG

Starting with the initial batch in 1959, all monorails receive the Mark designation. A larger number reflects that it’s a newer model. The Mark I series was obviously the initial batch, and its heritage is memorialized at its park of origin.

A plaque at Disneyland proudly notes that the monorail system has operated since 1959, and it even lists the specific architecture from its 2004 rededication ceremony. The applicable quote is, “Disney engineers designed this monorail system, based on the system developed by Axel L. Werner-Gren (ALWEG). Built at the Walt Disney Studios, the system is intended to apply to urban transit. Opened in 1959, it has been in daily passenger service ever since. The cars are equipped with 600 volt D.C. 100 HP electric motors driving rubber tired wheels on a single beam trackway.”

Rather than copy the ALWEG system completely, Disney and his Imagineers settled on a smaller 3/5 scale version of the original Swedish design. The team at WED Enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering) called on a rising talent, Bob Gurr, to craft the now-famous bubble style. Gurr understood that his job was more than simply delivering a functional monorail.

Googie style

Image © Disney

The monorail represented one of the initial sights a guest would enjoy of Disneyland. It had to grab attention with its look. The current style of monorail championed by ALWEG fundamentally failed the eye test in this regard. Gurr famously described the style as, “A loaf of bread with a slot in the bottom, sitting on a stick.” If Disneyland implemented that monorail design, it may not have stood the test of time.

Instead, Gurr settled on a sleek appearance for the monorail. The pop culture zeitgeist of the 1950s fixated on one subject: space exploration. Man’s race to the Moon was in full bloom, and the popular science fiction of the era influenced people across all fields. Imagineers were no different, which is why Gurr threw out the loaf of bread in favor of a rocket ship facing, which he claimed came about after a Saturday morning viewing of an episode of Buck Rogers.

The bubble look of the monorail distinguished it from all peers, making it an industry novelty. The technical term for the design is – seriously – Googie, which means exaggerated Modernism, an apt description for the space-age rail system. It was especially popular in Southern California in the 1950s.

Image © Disney

As the press grew aware of this bold, inventive piece of architecture, they started to celebrate the monorail for its technology as well as its style. Then again, many of them believed that the project was doomed to become a historic failure. Gurr, fittingly named a Disney Legend in 2004, proved them wrong with the Mark I. Afterward, he became the go-to designer for all monorail designs as well as other transportation devices at Disney’s properties. He had a hand in the Matterhorn Bobsleds, the Submarine Voyage, and Autopia. He grew so powerful at the company that he eventually gave himself a grand job title, Director of Special Vehicle Development.

The monorail was always Gurr’s crown jewel. The initial 1959 version with the rocket ship bubble at the front came in two colors, red and blue. They were identical in every other regard. Each Mark I train included three cars, all of which could simultaneously ride on the same track There were 10 large pneumatic tires for most of the movement plus 44 smaller ones for stabilization.

The Disneyland Monorail System – under the hood

Image © Disney

Motion occurred when copper and steel busbars received a 600-volt current from the stabilizing, primary beam. This electric charge was shared among all the cars, not just the one in front. The trains featured a quartet of 100 horsepower motors that pushed them down the initial 12,300 feet of track. While they were not intended to run at maximum speed, the Mark I trains could reach speeds of 50 miles per hour.  They generally operate at 30 miles per hour

The specifications of the track were a bit smaller than the German version. Built to 3/5 scale, the 26-inch-wide concrete beam provided the path and stabilizing force for the train. Giant concrete columns spaced 110 feet apart supported the weight of the beams. The beams and columns were built separately and then tethered at the end of the process, creating 600-feet superstructures capable of elegant transportation. Since the power source is electric, the monorail is environmentally friendly. It emits no pollutants into the atmosphere.

The cost of building the monorail from the ground up was hefty. Disney Imagineers explained that each mile of construction cost over a million dollars. That’s the equivalent of over eight million dollars today.

Just to show that nothing ever goes as planned, even the introduction orthf the monorail involved a misfire. The ceremonial scissors planned for the nationally televised ribbon cutting ceremony failed to cut the ribbon. Disney had to take the novelty material and tear it himself. Fortunately, the initial rides on the monorail were not as eventful. Disney considered the successful implementation of the monorail to be a critical step toward building the community of tomorrow, one of his life’s true ambitions.

 
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Comments

Having attended the original Disneyland soon after it was built in California, I realized my family and I had become addicted to the amazing theme park/s. By the time WDW was built in Florida, my family lived not far from there. Since I was the oldest of the kids and no longer living at home, I was drawn to returning often to visit the parks from my own home in Europe as often often as I could.

As soon as my own son was born, we brought him to Florida to meet the family, which meant not only Mom and Dad and my siblings, but also Mickey, Minnie, and the Gang!

One of my foremost memories of those earliest visits was when my son was just learning to talk, and to speak in English. Heading back on the flight to the Netherlands, we were surprised to hear him repeating some of the recorded messages from the monorail. In particular, he announced, "Please, no smoking in the monorail. Thank you." I'll bet it's been a while since you have heard that one!

The article was a bit too long for me to read but as a professional - great photos! The older ones have a true vintage feel :)

Not sure where your information came from regarding the propulsion system, however if you're referring to the Disney Alweg systems, your description is confusing at best. The Disneyland Alweg system uses two buss bars on the same side of the beam, and yes the skirt of the train covers them as it travels. But there is no "third rail" as most traditional electric trains utilize and it's not hidden. One buss bar is negative, and the other positive, supplying (not producing) 600 VDC to the train. I cannot speak to the materials used for the Disneyland buss bars, but the ones in Florida are steel-capped aluminum bars. Also in Florida, the buss bars sit below the skirts of the train with solid carbon collector shoes sliding along the buss bar. The electricity powers the motors that actuate the drive wheels, which are also the load-bearing tires riding along the top of the beam. Motors are a train's propellant (motors propel a train, not electricity).

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