Well, sir, there's nothing on earth like a genuine, bona fide, electrified, six-car Monorail! Lyle Lanley knew what he was talking about in that classic episode of "The Simpsons". This is a great early image of the 3-car "Mark I" Monorail sitting at the station - where the heck is everybody?
Walt dreamed of cities adopting the ultra-cool Monorail (I guess Los Angeles considered it, though who knows how seriously). I have to admit that this would be a pretty sexy way to get to work, maybe it would make people more willing to give up their cars for their commutes. We'll never know, unfortunately, although monorails seem to be successful in Las Vegas and Seattle.
By 1961 the Mark II was introduced, and besides adding two additional cars, it also changed from being just a round-trip ride to becoming an actual transportation system to the Disneyland Hotel and back.
Incidentally, you might notice the sign for the Subs with the letters "GD" from when General Dynamics sponsored this attraction...I don't know how long the company was involved, but it sure doesn't seem to be for very long. At some point the GD was replaced with a graphic of an atom.
I was in Seattle last week for a conference and was totally stoked to ride the Monorail; unfortunately, it was closed for repairs; not to open again until next year. I have read that Los Angeles is still considering a Monorail; hope that is true. Great shot!
ReplyDeleteNotice all those rare General Dynamics "nautilus" posters in the queue too! Wow.... neat!
ReplyDeleteWonderful shot with a great angle. I think I like the sleekness of the smaller monorail trains.
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