Disneyland Alweg Monorail Articles

Walt Disney and his staff didn't invent the monorail on an elevated track concept various monorails had been successfully built and demonstrated in America since 1876 the year a steam powered monorail debuted in Philadelphia Centennial exposition.

Some 80 years after the Philadelphia Centennial exposition, Alweg a design company name for the initials of its Swedish founder Doctor Axel Lennart Wenner-Gren began testing advanced monorail train and track designs in Germany.The debut of the magnificent Monorail in June of 1959 was an auspicious moment in Disneyland history of the three new e-ticket vehicles that began running that month.The Monorail was the only one intended to be a serious advance in American transportation. The other two attractions were no doubt wonderful, but the monorail was especially significant.So significant, in fact that Vice President Nixon was on hand for the ribbon-cutting honors. So significant, it was awarded a special plaque by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1986. So significant that the Monorail service was actually expanded to cover more than three times its original length.While other vehicles made memories the Monorail made history.

When a vacationing Walt Disney saw a boxy monorail train run on a rural test track near Cologne in 1957. He quickly partnered with Alweg to construct a new streamlined Disneyland version. "I think Monorail is going to be the rapid transit of the future" Disney said and we will be giving a preview of it.Disney Legend Bob Gurr who designed most of the parks vehicles created a tapered futuristic train, that would be as exhilarating to watch as it would be to ride John Hench enhanced Gurr's pencil drawings with color and effects to make the Monorail look like a horizontal rocket ship.Roger Broggie and his engineering team built the first Monorail at the Disney Studiosand Bill Martin laid out the track approximately where the Viewliner had been.

The Monorail only ran around Tomorrowland from 1959 through 1961 when it was extended to the Disneyland Hotel. Initial cost to build the monorail was $1.4 million (in 2022 dollars it would be over $14.4 million)

For all these imagineers the goal wasn't merely to create an attraction for fun stylish sightseeing. It was to create a meaningful alternative to public transportation and all electric train that would glide smoothly and silently along an elevated Highway In The Sky and convey guests in and out of Disneyland interior. But that's not how the Monorail first operated when it opened there was only one three-car train called monorail red trains have usually been identified by their colors and there was only one stop next to the submarines in Tomorrowland.This meant that only 82 passengers not hundreds at a time were starting and stopping at the same point from the Tomorrowland station. Guests looped for eight tenths of a mile around the lagoon Autopia and Matterhorn Mountain.The view even included some of Anaheim. It was a scenic journey, but not a vital one.

Specs Capacity 2100 per hour -- Capacity per monorail 110 -- Cycle Time 9:20 -- Load Time 2:30 -- Unload Time 2:30 -- Trip Time 7:30 -- Dispatch Intreval 3:05 -- Trips per hour 19 -- Distance Traveled 12,280 feet -- Speed 20 MPH

The Disneyland Monorail was the first operating monorail system in the Western Hemisphere and the first to cross a public street. When Walt built Disneyland, he wanted complete control over the steam trains, so that he could take them out when ever he wanted. Thus, he placed the steam trains, and then later the monorails under the ownership of Retlaw and leased them back to the park. In 1982, the family decided to sell the assets of Retlaw to the Disney Company, and a holding company, Walt Disney Incorporated was formed. Eventually, the steam trains and monorails became "officially" Disneyland's property.

The Monorail only ran around Tomorrowland from 1959 through 1961 when it was extended to the Disneyland Hotel.

Bob Gurr designed the first monorail and improved it with the Mark II and Mark III's

Required a "E" ticket in 1959

Mark I trains capacity 82-3 cars per train monorail red, blue: 1959-1961
Mark II trains capacity 108-4 cars per train 3 square windows monorail red,blue,gold: 1961-1968
Mark III trains capacity 127-5 cars per train 4 wrapped windows monorail red,blue,green,gold: 1968-1986
The trip from Tomorrowland to the Disneyland Hotel is more level and has more straight-aways, drivers can run the Monorail at full speed, 35 miles per hour. The return trip, though, has several curves and a seven-degree grade near the Submarine Lagoon, so drivers are instructed to maintain a speed of fifteen miles per hour.

The monorail designer was Alweg which are the initials of the owner of the company: Axel L. Wenner-Gren

In June of 1976 the Alweg logo was removed from the trains due to Alweg going broke.

The initial contract to build the monorails was given to a manufacture of garbage trucks then the studio decided to finish them up.

The original track was 8 tenths of a mile long with a maximum height of 31 feet

Track extension to the hotel cost $1.9 million (in 2014 dollars it would be over $14.9 million)

When the last of the Mark II trains were scrapped one was used to create the Mouse-O-Rail.

From WED Disneyland Dictionary 1968
Is America's first daily operating monorail. It provides an exciting 2 1/2-mile-long trip on an elevated concrete beam-way linking Disneyland with the Disneyland Hotel. The sleek trains travel noiselessly from Tomorrowland station along Harbor Boulevard, above the Disneyland parking area, across West Street to the Disneyland Hotel station where passengers may stop over. The return trip passes Disneyland's Main Entrance and re-enters new Tomorrowland where it circles the submarine lagoon, Autopia freeways and Matterhorn Mountain. Operators, riding in an elevated control compartment at the head of the train, are in constant radio communication with both stations in the system.

Required a "E" ticket in 1970's

From WED Monorail History 2006
Silent-running Monorail trains at Disneyland. provide a preview of future transportation for America's cities playing a vital role in linking the Park with the Downtown Disney District, thus giving Guests a sweeping view of the Park from its entrance, and a glimpse of the many Attractions in the Tomorrowland and Fantasyland areas.

The Disneyland-Alweg Monorail System. the forerunner to the present Disneyland Monorail System, was unveiled at Disneyland. on June 14, 1959, by Walt Disney and Vice President Richard M. Nixon and his family at a ribbon cutting ceremony which was viewed by a national television audience. Since that time. monorail trains have carried most of the heads of state who have visited Disneyland, as well as millions of other Disneyland Guests from nearly every nation of the world!

The original monorail system at Disneyland, which opened in 1959. included two trains, one blue and one red, and covered .8 miles of track. In June of 1962 the Disneyland Monorail System was extended to the Disneyland Hotel, making it the first monorail in America to run adjacent to a major highway (Harbor Boulevard) and to cross a city street (West Street, currently renamed to Disneyland Drive).

With the addition of the Disneyland Hotel to the Monorail route, the track was extended to a total length of 12,300 feet or nearly 2 1/2 miles. To whisk Disneyland Hotel Guests to the Park, new trains were designed to accommodate more Guests (2,100 hourly). Three trains were made. The new Mark II trains had four cars and a capacity of 108 passengers utilizing four 55 horsepower motors with a trip time of 6 minutes and 45 seconds from the Hotel to the Tomorrowland Station. And a cycle time of 9 minutes and 20 seconds. Trips per hour, approximately 19.5!

As demand for additional capacity grew, so did the Monorail System. In 1969, four new Mark III, (five car monorails) were unveiled. The carrying capacity was 124 Guests with four 100 horsepower motors. costing approximately S2.3 million dollars.

This demonstrated Watt Disney's dedication to stay at the forefront of technology.

The Ideas for monorail transportation be-came a reality in 1825. When on June 25th of that year the Cheshunt Railway opened. Originally. It was built to carry bricks. On its opening day it made monorail history by carrying passengers as well. It was horse-powered. A horse walking on the ground was connected via rope and harness to the carriages sitting on the beam! Since that time monorail transportation has been improved and added upon to meet the daily needs of the world's commuters. The oldest monorail line can be found in Wuppertal, Germany. Opening in 1901. it has survived two world wars and can carry 65,000 present-day passengers to 18 stations along it's 8.26 miles of track. The longest operating monorail track can be found in Florida at Walt Disney World Resort. Twelve Mark VI monorails with a capacity of 365 Guests pre train, traverse approximately 14.66 miles of track. Currently there are approximately 36 operating monorail systems world-wide with many more scheduled to open in the next few years.

The Disneyland system was based on an experimental monorail developed in 1952 by Dr. Axel Lennart Wenner-Gran of Cologne, Germany. When Walt Disney and Vice President Nixon and his family cut the ribbon on the sparkling new $1.3 million transportation system seven years latter the Mark I trains were christened the "Disneyland-Alweg Monorail".

In 1971 the Mark IV monorail system was introduced to the public at Walt Disney World near Orlando Florida. The initial fleet 10 Mark IV's was expanded to 12. The Mark IV trains were replaced by the Mark VI model, two of the old Mark IV trains operated in Las Vegas until the city introduced their new monorail system on July 15, 2004.

With the arrival of 1984, the engineer's at Watt Disney Imagineering (WDI) began work with Messerschmitt, Bolkow and Blohm of Munich, Germany, on designs for the Mark V. The next generation of monorail trains to replace Disneyland's.. Mark III monorails. On April 12, 1988 the last trip of "Old Red", Mark Ill took place as the new Mark V trains were brought on line. The Mark V trains use the chassis of the old Mark III trains and cost approximately $6 million dollars. The familiar "driver bubble" was gone in favor of a more sleek profile. With a molded, lightweight fiberglass body and onboard computer control. In 1997 the Mark V trains were upgraded to operate backwards at full speed (35 mph) as necessitated by the construction of Disney's California Adventure in the old Disneyland parking lot. Yet again demonstrating the diversity of monorail design.

With the opening of the Downtown Disney District in 2001 the old Hotel Station was demolished and re-opened as the new Downtown Disney Monorail Station. This new station opened up the new Resort area to Guests visiting the Park who wished to visit the high energy shopping, dining, and entertainment district. Also opening on February 8, 2001 was Disney's California Adventure. The monorails now traversed from Tomorrowland through the Hollywood Pictures Backlot, over the Golden Gate Bridge, and through Disney's Grand Californian Hotel on their way to the Downtown Disney Station.

Again in Late 2006 the monorails were upgraded to travel in reverse service as necessitated by the construction of the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.

Today the Monorail continues to offer the "Transportation of the Future" to thousands of visiting Disneyland Resort Guests. As the Mark V Monorail ends its life span on the beam new Mark VII Monorail will be debuting in late 2007.

Control: Monorail One, you are now cleared for dispatch.

Monorail One: Roger, Control.

Pilot: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome aboard the Disneyland-Alweg Monorail. This is the Pilot speaking to you from the Control Center. During our journey, we ask that you keep your head and arms inside the train at all times, and no smoking, please.

You're riding aboard the Mark III, an advanced, new, second-generation design* of the first daily operating monorail system in the Western hemisphere, introduced right here in Disneyland in 1959.

We're traveling over the ''Highway in the Sky'' on a two-point-five mile round trip to the Disneyland Hotel and back. Our route parallels Orange County's Harbor Boulevard, a major access route, which you probably used to enter the Magic Kingdom.

We're cruising at a height of twenty feet above the ground, and we're maintaining constant radio communication with our dispatching station. I'll be increasing our ground speed as we cross Disneyland's one-hundred-fifteen-acre parking area, our ''freeway retreat'', as many of you have called it.

Across the Parking Area is Disneyland's Main Entrance. In the opposite direction you can see the City of Anaheim's Convention Center. Directly ahead is the spacious Disneyland Hotel, offering complete, year-around resort facilities for your enjoyment.

Monorail One: Monorail One on Hotel approach.

Control: Roger, One. Hotel Station clear for approach.

Pilot: We'll be making a brief stop at the Hotel Station. For those of you who boarded our Monorail in Tomorrowland, this is the halfway point.

We'll be making a brief stop at the Hotel Station. For those of you who boarded our Monorail in Tomorrowland, this is the halfway point. You may disembark if you wish, and by having your hand stamped, you may reboard the Monorail here at the Hotel anytime prior to Disneyland's closing time today.

This is the Disneyland Hotel Station. Those of you disembarking, please exit to the rear of the Monorail.

Control: Monorail One, you are clear for Hotel dispatch.

Monorail One: Ten-four, Control.

Pilot: Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Pilot speaking from the Control Center. To those of you who have just joined us, welcome aboard the Disneyland-Alweg Monorail, America's first daily operating monorail system. We ask that you keep your hands and arms inside the compartment at all times, and no smoking, please.

We are now on a re-entry course, back into the Magic Kingdom. Destination: Tomorrowland, World of the Future. We'll soon be passing Disneyland's Main Entrance, the gateway to Main Street, U.S.A., where turn-of-the-century America is relived.

Above the Entrance is Disneyland's Main Street Station. Our 1890 steam trains depart from here and stations in Frontierland and Tomorrowland, for a grand circle tour of the Magic Kingdom, climaxed by a journey through the Grand Canyon and Primeval World, realm of the dinosaurs.

As we return to Tomorrowland, we remind you to please keep your hands and arms inside the compartment at all times.

Disneyland's New Tomorrowland is a world on the move, a showcase for the wonderful worlds of science and industry, where some of America's leading companies welcome you into adventures in transportation, communications, and better living.

Below our Monorail is the Autopia Freeway, where youngsters of all ages drive real, gasoline-powered cars, and the colorful Submarine Lagoon, home of the world's eighth-largest submarine fleet. Towering high above is Matterhorn Mountain, with its two thrilling Bobsled runs.

Monorail One: Monorail One, 10-20 at Checkpoint Fantasyland.

Control: Roger, One, we have your 10-20.

Pilot: We're now entering Fantasyland, home of Snow White, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and many others of your favorite Walt Disney characters. Fantasyland is also the enchanting home of it's a small world, the happiest cruise that ever sailed around the world. Now we are leaving the world of fantasy to begin our approach to the Tomorrowland Station. As we round the Matterhorn, please keep your head and arms inside the compartment.

Monorail One: Monorail One on Tomorrowland approach.

Control: Roger, One, Tomorrowland Station clear for approach.

Monorail One: Ten-Four. Monorail One out.

Pilot: Please remain seated until the Monorail comes to a complete stop. The doors will open automatically. As you step from the compartment, lower your head, watch your step and please exit as directed.

Thank you for joining us on the Disneyland-Alweg Monorail System, and have a happy day in Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom.