Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Monorail! New York World's Fair

Did you that "Monorail" is Latin for "river horse"? Oh wait, that's "hippopotomatomus". I don't know about you, but I am always confusing the two. You have to be some kind of Alfred Einstein or something.


Anyway, there was a spiffy li'l Monorail at the New York World's Fair. You've seen it on this blog before, mebbe. In this first photo we see one of the river horses sitting at the station, which was a very cool translucent, futuristic structure where a superhero should live. Not Batman though, he's into caves. I don't judge.


The AMF Monorail was powered by four "D" batteries, which had to be replaced twice a day.


Here's a neat photo taken at the "golden hour" (named after Sir Albert Golden); it gives you a groovy view of two Monorails (see the one in the distance, silly?), as well as a general idea of what the station looked like when bathed in orange light. The monorail is passing a circus tent, as all good monorails do.


I'll bet this post uses the word "Monrail" more than any other. Monorail!

16 comments:

Jim said...

Hey, they put it on upside down.

Pilsner Panther said...

I always enjoy these New York World's Fair photos! I was born a while after the Fair ended, but my father had some kind of administrative job there, working for Moses (no, not the one who parted the Red Sea).

TokyoMagic! said...

Wow....BEAUTIFUL monorail shots, Major!

Katella Gate said...

These ARE great shots of the monorail in action, but the only other place I've seen that AMF logo is on the pin-setting machines in bowling alleys. Hmm. I wonder if this is the monorail that goes to Shelbyville, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook.

Connie Moreno said...

Nice!

River hose, huh? If you say so.

Nancy said...

another trip to the Fair....cant get enough of these!

Monorails are the best....you know i luv em!

TokyoMagic! said...

Katella, is there a chance the track could bend?

Katella Gate said...

...Not on your life, my Magic friend.

TokyoMagic! said...

The ring came off my pudding can.....

Unknown said...

Totally cool to see these! Love them!

Katella Gate said...

Ok Magic, this is where the wheels fall off the Monorail. I can't do the whole skit with you line by line, cause if I do Fox Legal is going to come after me for infringement.

(Legal Notice: No Lawyers were besmirched in the content of this post)

TokyoMagic! said...

LOL. Okay Katella, then I'll just end it here with, "Mono....D'OH!"

JG said...

I remember when monorails were going to save the world. Today, it's electric cars. Tomorrow, probably skateboards.

So, alweg made disneyland mono's, AMF made these, who made the seattle ones?

Also there now are big heavy squatty ones that run about 100 yards at the SFO airport.

I want my future back.

JG

Pilsner Panther said...

The SFO trains aren't monorails, they're closer in design to the old Disneyland People Mover. Much larger cars, though.

Pilsner Panther said...

The SFO trains aren't monorails, they're closer in design to the old Disneyland People Mover. Much larger cars, though.

Major Pepperidge said...

Hey JG, just so you know, Alweg also built the Seattle monorail. Take a look at an old photo of the Seattle monorail station:

http://tinyurl.com/6dx3o5h