The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (108 page)

Disneyland Monorail

[
FastView:
 
Convenient, futuristic transportation.  Ask to ride in the nose for the best views.
]

When people talk about
Disneyland
’s quaintness and intimacy in comparison to
Walt Disney World
, this is the type of thing they mean: 
Disneyland
has a
Monorail
track of about 2.5 miles; behemoth
Walt Disney World
has 14.7 miles of
Monorail
tracks.

Disneyland
is quaint and intimate; it’s also the source, the wellspring, of all the
Disney Theme Parks
that followed.  Although in later years, attractions and shows developed at other
Disney Theme Parks
have been adapted for
Disneyland
, throughout most of the parks’ histories, it was
Disneyland
that gave birth to the attractions and shows, and the other parks that adopted and adapted them.

The
Monorail
was one of many
Disneyland
originals.  Introducing the
Monorail
to
Disneyland Park
, and to the United States, was a project close to
Walt
’s heart. He had wanted a high-tech train for
Tomorrowland
, but the
Viewliner
(two trains that operated from stations in
Fantasyland
and
Tomorrowland
and looped around the then-vacant properties that would become, in time, the
Matterhorn
and the
Tomorrowland Submarine Lagoon
) wasn’t the grand innovation that
Tomorrowland
deserved.

Walt
saw a monorail during a trip in Germany and it appealed to his sense of utopian efficiency.  If only monorails could be introduced to American public transportation!

What
is
a monorail?  It’s a vehicle that runs along a single rail.  Suspended monorail systems dated back to the 1800’s, but had drawbacks that made them seem antiquated, rather than prototypes of the future.

The
ALWEG
monorail that
Walt
saw in Germany was distinctive in that it ran atop, not below, the single rail.  It hugged the rail via sets of wheels beneath the train car that ran both vertically and horizontally along the beam.  It was quiet, safe, and efficient–all selling points for an innovator like
Walt
.

Accounts differ
regarding how
Walt
became aware of the ALWEG monorail.  In some versions,
Admiral Joe Fowler
and
Roger Broggie
had discovered the ALWEG monorail prototypes when they were overseas working on the Brussels Expo ’58.  Knowing
Walt
’s interest in efficient, futuristic transport, they suggested
Walt
check it out when he was in Germany for business.

In other versions of the story,
Walt
and wife
Lillian
were driving along a German road when they saw the
ALWEG
prototype glide past overhead, out-of-the-blue.  It struck
Walt
’s fancy, and he tracked down the manufacturer and established a relationship with them that led to
ALWEG
constructing a monorail beamway for
Disneyland
.

Whether it was planned or just a real-life moment of
fortuosity
, once
Walt
saw the German test monorail, that was it.  He wanted one for the park.  Certainly it seems that
some
level of planning was involved; according to
Bob Thomas
’ book
Walt Disney:  An American Original
, the
Bill Walsh
-penned park description that accompanied the famous 1953
Ryman
illustration mentioned a monorail attraction in
The World of Tomorrow
.

Because
the
ALWEG
vehicle was so plain,
Walt
tasked transportation
Imagineer
extraordinaire
Bob Gurr
with designing and building stylish monorail trains for
Disneyland
in less than a year.

Gurr
had never ridden a monorail train or seen one in operation in person, but true to form, he rolled up his sleeves and designed and built
Disneyland
’s first generation of monorail train, the
Mark I
.  It was an even better version of the
Viewliner
vehicle that
Gurr
had previously crafted.

ALWEG
constructed the beam upon which the
Disneyland Monorail
would travel.  The original monorail was a short line throughout
Tomorrowland
, just a little journey to give Guests a taste of monorail travel.

Walt
wanted the
Tomorrowland
Monorail
ready in time for the June 14, 1959 unveiling of an array of new attractions that included the
Matterhorn Bobsleds
and the
Submarine Voyage
.  Despite taking point on a plethora of other deadline-intensive projects, like the
Bobsled
design,
Bob
had the
Disneyland Monorail
ready; it debuted with the other new attractions, on schedule, just as
Walt
had requested.

It’s good the
Disneyland Monorail
was ready, because if it hadn’t been, special Guest
Richard M. Nixon
, then Vice President of the United States, would’ve been pretty disappointed. 
Nixon
was on hand with his family to dedicate the
Monorail
in an official ribbon cutting ceremony.

Before the ceremony, at
Walt
’s prompting,
Bob Gurr
personally drove the
Monorail
on its first public run, with
Walt
,
Nixon
, and
Nixon
’s family as passengers. 
Gurr
describes the ride in a highly entertaining 2001 reminiscence at
www.laughingplace.com
.

He relates that because the trip was spur-of-the-moment, some important passengers were left behind: 
Nixon
’s Secret Service entourage.  They chased after the
Monorail
train as it raced out of the station, but to no avail.  When the train returned to the station,
Nixon
’s daughters asked for another ride.  The Secret Service chased after the train again!

Gurr
reports worrying that he and
Walt
would be arrested for kidnapping the Vice President, but after the second ride, with
Nixon
and his family safely returned, all was well and no one was taken into custody.

The early
Monorail
provided Guests with wonderful views of
Tomorrowland
,
Fantasyland
, and the new
Matterhorn Mountain
, as well as glimpses of fields and orange groves in the still-rural areas of
Anaheim
beyond the
berm
.  However, the
Monorail
’s 8/10-mile track was too limited for
Walt
’s taste.

In 1961 the
Disneyland Monorail
became more than an attraction; the line was extended over two miles in a loop linking
Tomorrowland
with the
Disneyland Hotel
.
Monorail
trains transported hotel Guests to and from the park.

The next major change to the
route didn’t come for 40 years, not until 2001, when the new
Monorail
line carried trains across a small-scale replica of the Golden Gate Bridge in the brand new
Disney California Adventure Park
, and through courtyards of the resort’s new Arts-and-Crafts-style
Grand Californian
luxury hotel.

Over the years, the
Monorail
trains would be enlarged, improved, and re-designed by new generations of
Imagineers
, who always kept one eye on the future, and one on the stylish sci-fi design conventions of the past.

The present generation is the sleek, retro-cool
Mark VII
.  Debuting in summer of 2008, each of the three
Mark VII
Monorail
trains is a different hue, one blue, one orange, and one red.  The trains are colored with specially treated paint that varies its tints and shades depending on how the light hits it.

The
Mark VII
seats edge the interior and also wrap around central islands.  The result?  Just about any seat in any of the three train cars provides a good view of the outside world through the blue-tinted windows.
Scot Drake
, the gifted young
Imagineer
who took the lead in the
Mark VII
design, spoke at the September 2009
D23 Expo
and explained that the
Mark VII
seating configuration was a conscious effort to allow Guests riding the
Monorail
to enjoy better vistas than ever before.

Of course, the best views on a train full of excellent views are in the front car’s futuristic, conical nose
, which is a huge wrap-around window.  Guests who want to enjoy this view can ask Cast Members if there’s room to ride in the front car with the
Driver
.

The
Driver
sits on a tall, sculpted seat at the back of the nose compartment; Guests sit on a horseshoe-shaped seat that wraps around the front of the car, giving them the very best and first views of the landscape.  It’s a rush—literally—whether in daylight or at night, rocketing through the landscape at speeds of about 35 mph looking through a giant picture window as the landmarks approach you and then streak past!

Whether you ride the
Monorail
for functional reasons, simply to get quickly from
Downtown Disney
to
Tomorrowland
(or vice versa), or whether you’re riding the
Monorail
to experience it for its own sake, you won’t be disappointed.

Recorded narration play
s during the brief journey (5 minutes from station to station, about 11 minutes round trip), pointing out interesting features as you pass.

For me, the highlight of the
Downtown Disney
to
Tomorrowland
leg is when the train winds sinuously throughout
Fantasyland
and
Tomorrowland
.  You get outstanding high-level views of the
Submarine Lagoon
,
Autopia
, the east side of
Fantasyland
, and of course, the majestic
Matterhorn Mountain
.

The thrill of the
Tomorrowland
to
Downtown Disney
leg is quietly racing through the courtyards of the glorious
Grand Californian Hotel and Spa
, past its balconies and under its broad arches.  It’s amazing to realize that this huge train is ghosting through the hotel complex; unless Guests are strolling in the courtyards or looking out of the window, they won’t even notice the
Monorail
train passing through!

As with any transport system, even at
Disneyland
, there are some challenges.  The platforms at both the
Tomorrowland
and
Downtown Disney
stations can become crowded,
Downtown Disney
’s platform in the morning, when throngs of Guests are trying to get into the park, and
Tomorrowland
’s platform after the fireworks and right before closing, when masses of Guests are jockeying to get back to their hotel rooms or their cars.  Keep this in mind when planning your
Monorail
ride.

Because the
Monorail
train you board at the
Downtown Disney
station will carry you into the park, before you can even climb the steps to the platform, Cast Members will search your bags and scan your park tickets or passes.  For the smoothest experience, have your bags ready and your passes or tickets out when you approach the street level entrance of the
Downtown Disney
monorail station.

The
Downtown Disney
monorail platform is located at the western end of
Downtown Disney
, next to the popular
Rainforest Café
and close to the
AMC movie theater
and the
Disneyland Hotel
.  It’s reasonably close (a stroll of about 5 minutes) to the
Grand Californian
and a longer but reasonable walking distance from the
Paradise Pier Hotel
.

The
Tomorrowland
monorail platform is located above the loading area for the
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
.  While you wait for your
Monorail
train, enjoy outstanding views of the brightly colored
Submarine Lagoon
below you on one side, and get a bird’s eye view of how the sub vehicles are loaded and unloaded.  On the other side, you have sweeping vistas of the
Matterhorn Mountain
(stunning when silhouetted against a sunset),
Space Mountain
, and, if there’s a band playing, the colorful lights and entertainment of
Tomorrowland Terrace
.

There was a time when civic leaders in cities around the U.S. considered installing monorails as clean, efficient public transportation.  Influenced largely by the
Disneyland
monorail, in the 1960s car-crazy Los Angeles even considered adding a monorail system to the L.A. landscape, but it never happened.  Seattle’s futuristic 1962 World’s Fair included an
ALWEG
monorail that carried visitors to and from the fair in space-age splendor.

As those of us that reside in the United States know,
Walt
’s vision of pervasive monorail systems offering clean, smooth, rapid transportation still haven’t caught fire here.  However, Seattle’s monorail is still going strong.  And along 2.5 miles of track in
Disneyland
, and 14.7 miles of track in
Walt Disney World
, Guests can still enjoy the future today.
Did You Know?
  Where do the
Disneyland Monorail
trains idle during the limited hours (usually between midnight and 8 am) that they’re offline?  They rest in the
Monorail Shop
behind
“it’s a small world”
.  Safety checks and maintenance are performed every single night.
Did You Also Know?
  Over the years, the far more extensive and elaborate
Walt Disney World Monorail
tracks have seen several serious accidents, most recently the July 5, 2009 after-hours crash in which a
Monorail
pilot was killed.  The Cast Member’s death, following the July 4 holiday, was tragic.  Luckily, no Guests were on board.  The cause of the crash was immediately investigated.  The only
Monorail
-related fatality at
Disneyland
was in June 1966 when a 19-year old man from Northridge tried to sneak into the park’s
Grad Nite
event without paying.  According to a “Press-Telegram” release on June 18, 1966, security officers spotted the young man when he was up on the track with a
Monorail
train bearing down on him.  Apparently the boy scaled two substantial fences to reach that point.  The security officers shouted at him to get off the track.  With the train bearing down on him, he crouched just before the train struck him and dragged him under the train cars.  This is the type of sobering story that reminds us all to follow
every
posted sign and safety instruction and remind our kids to do the same. 
Cars Vision:
  In honor of
Cars Land
’s 2012 opening, the
Disneyland Monorails
were wrapped to look like vehicles from the
Cars
films, given “eyes” and new narrative audio tracks.  One train, for example, was transformed into
Molly the Monorail
train. 
FastPass:
  No.  The
Monorail
is a functional transportation service as well as an attraction and is not linked to the
FastPass
system.  There are three
Monorail
trains in the present fleet, making frequent loops from
Downtown Disney
to
Tomorrowland
in
Disneyland
and back again.  On very crowded holidays and summer days, Guests queuing for the
Monorail
might need to wait for a couple of
Monorail
trains to depart before they’re able to board.  However, at most times all queued Guests can board the first train that arrives during their wait. 
Kid’s Eye View:
  The
Monorail
is really fun.  If you can, try to ride in the driver’s seat because you get a good view of everything.  But no matter where you sit it’s great.  It feels like a high-speed, full-powered ride and gets you to your destination.  But don’t be scared, it’s not that fast.

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

[
FastView:
 
Imaginative fun for the family under the sea, but not for the claustrophobic.
]

In 1959, when
Disneyland
experienced a massive, carefully orchestrated and feverishly executed growth spurt,
Tomorrowland
’s
Submarine Voyage
was one of the many exciting new attractions.

Talk about a
completely re-shaped landscape, with plenty of
E-ticket
thrills! Guests were suddenly able to race
Bobsleds
down the snowy, cavernous peak of brand new
Matterhorn Mountain
, and just across the way, in the northeast quadrant of
Tomorrowland
, submarines were plumbing the depths of the world’s seas in the
Submarine Lagoon
.

Walt
was ecstatic to have a fleet of eight submarines–one of the largest fleets in the world.  He delighted in introducing transportation of all kinds to
Tomorrowland
, especially the 1959 expansion that introduced the
Bobsleds
,
Monorail
,
Motor Boats
,
Subs
, and an extended
Autopia
.  With all this activity,
Tomorrowland
was a kinetically sumptuous paean to the glories of modern and future transportation, not just for recreation and sport but for exploration, discovery, and the attendant benefits for humanity.

The sub vehicles were
crafted at Todd Shipyards in San Pedro, California, and outfitted by one of
Walt
’s right-hand men,
Admiral Joe Fowler
, the retired Navy officer who’d overseen
Disneyland
’s construction.  The subs, modeled after actual U.S. Navy nuclear submarines, were painted grey, and dedicated by U.S. Naval Admiral
Charles C. Kirkpatrick
when the attraction launched.

Kirkpatrick
, eyes shaded from the Southern California glare by dark sunglasses, praised
Walt
’s “peace time fleet” and spoke about the Navy’s ongoing interest in exploring “liquid space,” with its potential for “peace and the benefit of all mankind,” an interesting and impressive sentiment during the Cold War.  This is the type of optimistic commitment to exploration and the future that
Walt
always embraced, and that would lead him, a decade later, to develop plans for his utopian
Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow
, or
EPCOT
.

Also on hand for the dedication was Chief Machinist Mate
Stewart Nelson
, who served on the real U.S.S. Nautilus and was part of the crew during the sub’s famous trans-polar cruise. 
Nelson
’s wife and three children (the baby crying boisterously, bless his heart) were introduced, and
Mrs. Nelson
christened
Disneyland
’s
Nautilus
in the tried-and-true tradition of smashing a bottle of champagne over its conning tower.  She accomplished this so enthusiastically that she would’ve pitched forward had
Walt
not caught her by the shoulders.

Walt
,
Kirkpatrick
,
Nelson
and his family descended into
Disneyland
’s
Nautilus
. The hatch was closed and secured.  The submarine pulled away from the loading zone to the cheerful strains of a brass band, and embarked on its maiden voyage.