Early Monorail History

Monorails, meaning single track railways, date back to 1820 with Ivan Elmanov's prototype in Russia. Henry Robinson Palmer, an English civil engineer, patented the first monorail in 1821, featuring a single rail supported above ground. General Roy Stone designed the first steam-driven monorail, showcased at the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition.

ALWEG Monorail

The ALWEG Monorail, designed by Dr. Axel Lennart Wenner-Gren, emerged in 1952, with improvements in 1957 that set the standard for modern monorails.

Disney Monorails

Walt Disney aimed for a futuristic transport system at Disneyland, leading to the creation of the Viewliner Train in 1957, which was later replaced by the ALWEG Monorail after Walt's visit to Germany. The Disneyland Monorail opened on June 14, 1959, featuring innovative designs and was the first to run adjacent to a major highway.

Disneyland Mark I to III

The Disneyland monorails evolved from Mark I in 1959 to Mark III in 1969, improving in size, capacity, and design.

Walt Disney World Monorail

The WDW monorail was a significant part of Walt's vision for showcasing the future. The Mark IV monorails, inspired by Learjet designs, were introduced in 1971, featuring unique support structures and smooth rides due to precise manufacturing.

Mark IV to VI

Mark IV monorails had bench seats, limited standing room, and basic AC. They were replaced by Mark VI in 1989, which featured better air conditioning, automatic doors, increased capacity, and higher speeds.

EPCOT Expansion and Disneyland Mark V

The WDW monorail system expanded to EPCOT in the late 1970s, with on-site precasting for new track beams. Disneyland introduced Mark V monorails in 1987, designed by Walt Disney Imagineering and manufactured in West Germany.

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Links

The First Schwebebahn D23: Cool Facts About the Disney Monorail Monorails.org: History Concrete Technology Legacy PCI.org: History of Accelerated Bridge Construction Walt Dated World: Monorail History ASME: Disneyland Monorail System 1959 Disney Monorail Cab on eBay --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/90sdisney/support