“The monorail at Disneyland was temporarily shut down after a wheel fell off and some smoke appeared,” on Monday – Presidents’ Day, this week, according to CBS News.
“Because the power was shut off as a safety precaution, a second train was stranded on the track. Passengers got stuck for about 45 minutes until that car was towed to a station. There, passengers were given front-of-line passes and free dining vouchers,” according to the O.C. Register.
“The damaged monorail train returned to service after a temporary shutdown due to a short circuit,” according to Bakersfield Now.
The Register appeared to change their story – writing that the problem was not a wheel falling off but rather an electrical issue.
The Disneyland Monorail System (originally, the Disneyland ALWEG Monorail) opened on June 14, 1959, as a sightseeing attraction in Tomorrowland in Disneyland. The Mark I trains (Red and Blue) consisted of three cars each. In 1961 it became a true transportation system when Tomorrowland station was lengthened to accommodate the debut of the four-car Mark II and the additional new Yellow train, the track was extended 2½ miles outside the park and a second platform was constructed – the Disneyland Hotel station. In 1968 Mark III Monorail Green joined the fleet and both platforms were lengthened for the arrival of the more streamlined and efficient five car Mark III monorail train,” according to Wikipedia.
By the early 1980s, the Mark III trains were showing their age and the wear of years. In 1985, Disneyland began phasing out the Mark III trains one by one. The older trains were stripped to the chassis and rebuilt as Mark V trains. The Mark III Green went first, to become the Mark V Purple followed by the Mark III Yellow becoming the Mark V Orange. The Mark III Blue remained blue (albeit a lighter shade) and the last was Red, remaining Red. The notable difference was the loss of the bubble-top driver’s area in favor of a streamlined “Learjet” look similar to the Mark IV trains at the Walt Disney World Resort. The new trains also sported closed passenger compartments (with windows that could be opened) and pneumatic doors. Following the 1985 Disney World monorail fire, a safety handrail was added along the spine of the train, as well as emergency fire exit hatches leading to the roof. The attraction’s name remained the “Disneyland Monorail System”, as it had been painted on the Mark III trains’ skirts. The Mark V trains were built by Ride & Show Engineering, Inc., incorporating bodies that were produced by Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm of Germany. Purple first made her appearance for testing in Autumn of 1986 and began regular operations a few months later. Orange was delivered in late Summer of 1987, followed by Blue in early 1988. The oldest train, Red, was also the last to be removed from the line for refurbishment in the Spring of 1988.
In 2004, Monorail Orange was removed from the line and taken to Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale to be reverse engineered. Monorail Blue was removed in September 2006 for rebuilding. The Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage show building was extended into the lagoon beneath the monorail which closed from August 21 through late December 2006 to prepare for the 2007 opening of Nemo.
The refurbishment from Mark V to Mark VII was done one train at a time. There was no Mark VI at Disneyland. The first Mark VII train, Monorail Red, arrived at Disneyland on December 20, 2007. It was originally expected to be in service by the end of February 2008, but due to design change issues, it did not begin serving park guests until July 3, 2008. Mark VII Blue arrived on-site on April 10, 2008, began daytime riderless testing on August 1, 2008, and began guest service on September 16, 2008. Monorail Mark VII Orange arrived on-site on August 14, 2008, began riderless testing in March 2009, and began guest service on April 7, 2009. The entire Mark VII Monorail fleet consists of three trains – Red, Blue, and Orange.
In May 2012, the monorails received new decals depicting eyes and a mouth covering and below the front windows, to tie in with the opening of the Cars Land section of Disney California Adventure. Each train was given a new name and unique narration, depicting the trains as if they were in the Cars film universe. Monorail Red became Manny Monorail, Monorail Blue became Mandy Monorail, and Monorail Orange became Mona Monorail.[3] By the end of January 2013, the decals had been removed and the trains were running with standard narration.
Today “the fleet of trains comprises the Red, Blue and Orange Mark VII trains. Computer monitored, the trains are operated and controlled by onboard pilots. Running on a 600 volt DC at about 30 mph, the trains do not emit exhaust or pollutants. Thanks to an innovative painting technique, the surface of the trains shimmers with a visual electricity. The colors shift with a brush of light — from red to crimson, from blue to teal and from orange to a golden sunburst. It’s not just a stroke of technological innovation. It’s a work of art!,” according to Disneyland.
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