About Me
DISNEYLAND:The Disneyland-ALWEG Monorail System opened on June 14, 1959 as a sightseeing attraction in Tomorrowland in Disneyland. In 1961, the track was lengthened to leave the park and stop at a station in front of the Disneyland Hotel. The Mark II trains were very similar to Mark I, but two extra cars were added to the train to increase capacity. In 1968, the 'new' Mark III's debuted, which were more streamlined and efficient, a major improvement over the Mark II's. In 1987, Disney began phasing out the old Mark III trains one by one. The older trains were stripped to the chassis and rebuilt as Mark V monorail trains. The notable difference was the loss of the bubble top drivers area in favor of a streamlined "lear jet" look similar to the trains at the Walt Disney World Resort. The attraction's name changed to Disneyland Monorail System. The Mark V trains were built by Ride and Show Entertainment. The 1987-1989 Mark V trains are named by the color of the stripe on the train: Monorail Red, Monorail Blue, Monorail Orange, and Monorail Purple.
In 1999, the monorail began lengthy closures and limited capacity due to the construction of the new Disney's California Adventure theme park, which already existing monorail tracks passed through. In 2001, the monorail began running full capacity again and passed through the new park, as well as the hotel within the park, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. In 2004, Monorail Orange was taken off the line and taken to Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale to be reverse engineered. The new Mark VII trains are scheduled to be completed and installed by 2007, with a whole revamp of the system, including a name change (Disneyland Resort Line) and aesthetic changes to cast member uniforms and stations.
Grand Opening: June 14, 1959
Designers: WED Enterprises
Trains: 4 - Red, Orange (offline), Purple, Blue
Max Trains on Track: 3
Length: 2.5 Miles
Ride Duration: 13:00
Ticket Required: "E"
Ride System: Monorail system powered by electric motors
DISNEY WORLD:One of the most famous symbols of Walt Disney World, the original Mark IV monorail was designed in California and assembled in Florida by the Martin Marietta Corporation. The new Mark VI monorails were built by Bombardier and installed in December 1989.Since 1971, when the loop at the Magic Kingdom was built, the monorail has traveled the equivalent distance of twenty-one trips around the world. On a typical working day, around 150,000 Walt Disney World guests travel on three routes:Express: Express service between the Magic Kingdom and the Transportation and Ticket CenterResort: Local service making stops at the Magic Kingdom, the Transportation and Ticket Center, Disney's Polynesian Resort, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa and Disney's Contemporary Resort. Starting from the TTC, the monorail goes first to the Polynesian, The Grand Floridian, The Magic Kingdom, and the Contemporary before returning to the TTC.Epcot: Service between the Transportation and Ticket Center and Epcot A spur track connects the Express and Resort lines to the maintenance shop. Another spur connects the Epcot and Express lines and is located north-east of the Transportation and Ticket Center.
