Monorail and Submarine Voyage, 1965

Related to my book about Grant Seeker and my book about Albert Awol, I also have a book about the Disney Monorails.

This one is factual, of course, not fiction.

1959 Disneyland poster

Silent 8mm home move, August 1966

1961 Disneyland Monorail

Favorite Disney Parks Attraction Showdown: Round 3 - Group A

Videos and propaganda under the cut!

Jungle Cruise: Disneyland, WDW Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland

Propaganda:

"I live for the bad jokes"

The Monorail: Disneyland, Disney World, Tokyo Disney

Propaganda:

"We stan overwrought public transit"

Disneyland:

Disney World:

Tokyo Disneyland:

Disneyland Around The Seasons, 1966

Disneyland Monorail and Submarine Voyage

National Geographic, August 1963

Wonderful Things That May or May Not Be Wonderful!!! Walt Disney World is home to many iconic attractions and experiences but I’d argue one of its most iconic isn’t even within the walls of any of the parks, it’s right outside. The Monorail is what it sounds like: a train with one (or mono) rail. Compared to your average locomotive, these transports run on electric motors instead of steam which makes them extremely quiet in comparison. So quiet in fact that you could run one at 40 mph right through a hotel concourse and no one would bat an eye and that’s not hyperbole. When a monorail was first built at Disneyland, it was simply another ride but for WDW’s construction, it would become what Walt first intended: a true method of transportation. For many who enter the Magic Kingdom, it becomes the first attraction they ever get to experience. And back to that hotel remark, the WDW Monorail system may be the first train system in the world that docks right inside a hotel rather than a station outside. You have to admit, that’s pretty cool. Sure, the Monorails have that issue shared by Tomorrowland, the Contemporary Resort, and half of Epcot where it they originally built to showcase the marvels of the future but ended up becoming a relic of the past. However, like those things just mentioned (likely even more so), it still retains its own charm and has become something greater. Something more emblematic of the great big beautiful tomorrow once wished for once upon a time and even today. So if you’re heading to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot or one of the three resorts surrounding Bay Lake, it is all but mandatory that you take a wonderful ride along Walt Disney World’s premier highway in the sky. In the words of the immortal Jack Wagner “Please stand clear of the doors'', Por favor, manténgase alejado de las puertas.”

When is a theme park attraction technically a railway?

I'm not going to make @todayintokyo wait too long on this, because the discussion isn't nearly as spectacular as the question makes it out. In fact, I may not have the exact answer. What I have is maps, and a geeky eye.

This is a railway map of Tokyo, specifically the area around Ueno. We see the massive Ueno station with the Tohoku and Yamanote lines in black, the underground Keisei terminal nearby, and on the left, the green line denotes the Chiyoda subway line. In between, there's this tiny line, just 0.3 km in length (less than a quarter of a mile).

It's the Ueno Zoo Monorail.

Or at least, it was: service ended in 2019 due to escalating maintenance costs. Point is: from a practical standpoint, this was a theme park attraction. And if it's on this map, that's because it was officially a railway. And it's not the only one.

On this map, seen in a timetable book, there's this loop just below Maihara station on the Keiyô line from Tokyo to Chiba. I actually passed Maihara on my last trip to Japan, and saw this myself (but unfortunately, just like Doctor Yellow, no time for photos).

That loop is the Tokyo Disney Resort Monorail.

And it's officially a railway.

And it's got its timetable published in the book! :O

So what makes these officially railways? I don't know for sure, whether it's down to the legal and technical definition of a railway and/or a railway operator, subjecting them to certain standards... What they have in common is that they are monorails, which technically falls under the railway umbrella (whereas, for example, ropeways don't), their purpose is transit albeit within the confines of a park or resort, and charge passengers a fare. Maybe that's all it is.

All I know is, the miniature railway discussion reminded me that I'd noticed that all materials listing or displaying railway lines in Japan will include the Disney Resort Line. It's as if railway maps of Germany included the Europa Park Express monorail.

Roller-coasters wouldn't be classed as railways as they don't provide transit as such (or not the kind we're talking about), and aren't held to transit standards. But, they are vehicles on steel rails, right?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

DIsneyland Monorail, May 1960

It's time for Monorail/Matterhorn Monday, from 1961! Photo: Vacationland Magazine #harborblvd #MatterhornMonday #monorailmonday #moonliner #matterhorn #monorail #vintagedisneyland #Disneyland #tomorrowland #anaheim #disneyworld #disneyinsta (at Disneyland) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChANqpDLEb-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

"Disneyland '59" Lamppost Signs, 1959

Favorite Disney Parks Attraction Showdown: Round 1 - Group B1

Videos and propaganda under the cut!

Studio Backlot Tour: WDW Hollywood Studios (1989-2014)

"I miss it so much. All those movie props and costumes I'll never be able to see in person again. The Harbor Attack special effects were fun to watch, even if neither I nor my family members ever got picked. Seeing a repurposed Catastrophe Canyon in the Disneyland Paris Cars Road Trip was like greeting an old friend."

The Monorail: Disneyland, Disney World, Tokyo Disney

Propaganda:

"We stan overwrought public transit"

Disneyland:

Disney World:

Tokyo Disneyland: