Disneyland Mark V Monorail – Oct. 14, 2000 – Front cab ride, stations

During my Disneyland 2000 trip I was able to spend a lot of time with my favorite part of the park, the monorail. My friend at Disneyland took my buddy Michael and I around in the front cab and told us all about the system. We were all cast members at the time, so our conversation is muted in some parts with edited monorail sounds over it because we were talking about stuff that shouldn’t be on YouTube, sorry. Disney’s California Adventure had not opened yet, so in this video you will see the monorail being used as a shuttle service. Monorail Blue and Purple were on the beam so one would go from Tomorrowland to Downtown Disney backward, unload only at the hotel, back out of the way, the next train would reverse in, unload and load, travel in forward to Tomorrowland, the train waiting outside the station would pull in, load, and travel in forward to the park once the one in front of it was deadheaded (empty) and parked outside the station.

During our monorail journey we traveled in reverse from Tomorrowland to the Disneyland Hotel (Downtown Disney) Station. We passed by the almost completed front entrance of Disney’s California Adventure. My friend Michael was recording and you see me with my Kodak FunSaver disposable camera taking a picture of the entrance. At the hotel we met up with our pilot friend who was wearing the old maroon monorail costume, which we also had in Walt Disney World. We got to hang out behind the station console and then ride with him in the front of Monorail Purple back to Disneyland. Our friend had a wealth of information about the monorails and we got plenty of footage of the front cab and station console. Monorail geeks like myself will enjoy this video.

I am running out of monorail material to write about, since I have made many monorail videos. For this one I will list each of the Disney monorails and give a few facts about each. I’ll throw in some personal connections as well.

DISNEY MONORAILS:

Mark I. Disneyland 1959-1961. These three car trains circled around Tomorrowland in a figure eight and they had a small bubble top. The fleet had two 85 foot trains: Red and Blue. On the side it said “Disneyland-Alweg Monorail System”.

Mark II. Disneyland 1961-1969. An extra train was added in this fleet, as well as an extra car to each train, extra beamway, and an extra station at the Disneyland Hotel. The colors were Red, Blue, and Gold. These also had the “Disneyland-Alweg” logo. A larger dome was on top of the front cab so someone could sit up with the driver and look out. Each train was 112 feet.

Mark III. Disneyland 1969-1987. Again, another train was added and another car was added to each monorail. They were 137 feet long. The colors were: Red, Blue, Gold, and Green. The look was similar to the Mark II, with longer windows and improved chassis. The improved suspension underneath was reused for the Mark V and VII monorails. Stations were expanded for the longer trains.

Mark IV. Walt Disney World 1971-1989. This was the first fleet at Walt Disney World. The monorails were 171 feet long with five cars. In 1978, some trains expanded to six cars (201 feet long). The colors were: Red, Blue, Gold, Orange, Yellow, Green, Silver, Black, Purple, and Pink. In 1984 Lime and Coral were added. Martin Marietta built the first ten trains and WED built the last two. The system was expanded to Epcot in 1982 and the Grand Floridian resort was added in 1988. I have ridden on these trains many times as a kid and got my picture taken in the front cab. I have also ridden these trains when two were sent to Las Vegas.

Mark V. Disneyland 1986-2008. This fleet looked more like Disney World’s Mark IV trains, with a Lear Jet, Bob Gurr designed look. They were 150 feet long with five cars each. The colors were: Red, Blue, Orange, and Purple. I rode these trains on every visit in the early 2000s and recorded many videos of them. Since I am a monorail pilot myself, through the kindness of the Disneyland cast members, I got to drive Monorail Orange once.

Mark VI. Walt Disney World 1989-now. In 1989 the Mark VI trains began replacing the Mark IV’s. These taller trains have a higher capacity and were the first Disney monorails to welcome standing guests. They were built by Bombardier. The trains look like the Mark IV’s, but each of the six cars have two sections with automatic doors on both sides. Each train is 203.5 feet long. These are the monorails I know the most about since these are the ones I drive.

Mark VII. Disneyland 2008-now. These trains have a look similar to the Mark I’s. There are three trains with five cars each, 140 feet long. Colors: Red, Blue, and Orange. I have ridden these trains many times, but have not driven one yet.

REFERENCE:
The Disney Monorail: Imagineering A Highway in the Sky, Jeff Kurtti, Vanessa Hunt, & Paul Wolski, Disney Editions, 2020
Monorails: Trains of the Future – Now Arriving, Kim A. Pedersen, The Monorail Society, 2015

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