Guests Speak: What Monorails Mean to Me

[disneywoz]

I have not been around for a while because it was too depressing once I saw the news, but I thought I would check in this morning and read some of the posts. Very touching. Sadly, I missed being able to add my name to the cards, but my prayers are for all who have been hit by this tragedy.

On to my love of the monorails, on my first trip, we stayed at Poly back in January of 1975. On our last day, my parents said we were not going to the park, so I was looking for something to do. They were drinking coffee in what is now Kona, can't remember what it was called back then and they told me to just go ride the monorails. (Oh how it was a different time back then) Anyway, I rode for probably an hour or so until we had to leave for the airport. It was great. I would say half the time I got to ride up front with the drivers. I would do the full circle, get off and check in and then go back out and get on another train. So ever since then, we almost always ride the monorails. My daughter always wants to ride up front. I think it is more to talk to the driver than anything else. Over the years, we have met some wonderful drivers and a couple who were just either having a bad day or just tired and wanting to go home for the evening but overall it has always been a great experience. Hopefully at some point they will reopen the front cab to guests, so everyone can try and have that great experience, but I can understand the hesitancy to do that.

Here's hoping everyone is able still enjoy their rides on the monorail. I know for some who have not been there since this happened it will be difficult that first time back. I know when I get there next, it will be hard to look at the TTC the same way or any monorail, but hopefully with time, we can all remember the fun and enjoyable times we have there. It would be nice if they dedicated a train to Austin in the future. Not sure if they ever plan on fixing and rerunning Purple or not, but a small ceremony for the Monorail family and dedicate one train to him would be a nice rememberence.

[joanna71985]

Hey I have to tell you guys something that really warmed my heart.

My daughter, who is thirteen, didn't know that I was in WDW until right before I got home (she was at her father's house). She was with my husband when I got to the airport and was hugging me a lot last night when I cried remembering something from the weekend (and believe it or not, I managed to hold it together a lot of the weekend unless I was alone then I cried) and she got all teary eyed too and hugged me some more.

She said today wistfully that she can't wait to go back as a family and I said to her that we hadn't really planned a trip this year (budgetwise, cutbacks at work, you know the story it's like that all over) and that we might have to wait a little longer cause of the trip I took this weekend.

Know what she said?

She said, "That doesn't matter, Mom. You had to go, it was very important."

Proof there are still kids with priorities. She was glad that I went even though it may take longer for her to get back to WDW herself.

Yes, I'm proud and yes I'm bragging...this from a kid whose email signature is "Love, Peace, and Walt Disney World"...I'm betting she's going to be a CM down there one day herself.

bru

Aww, what a great kid you have Bru! :)

[Whazzup]

At Allears dot net there is a link to a tribute to Austin with a beautiful montage picture.

[OldTimePIGuy]

I was looking a thread that I could have something meaningful to contribute for my first post and this is one I definately have a story to tell.

Well....two actually.

I have been going to the world since '83 and the monorails were always facinating to me. I tried to learn as much as I could (hopefully without being too annoying) but what happened during a trip in the summer of '85 was beyond my wildest dreams. I was 15 at the time and my parents would let my brother and I roam WDW freely, we would just have to check in from time to time. We ended up closing the MK and we were standing near the switch beam on our way back to the Contemporary watching a monorail, with the last load of guests for the evening, come out of the MK. Well just before it got to the switch beam, some sparks came out of the back and it stopped. Reedy Creek showed up quickly, and asked us what happened. We told them and they quickly got it back up and running. Meanwhile the guy manning the switch house under the beam came out and was talking to us. I told him how facinated I was with the monorails, and he said "Come with me". He took us over inside the switch house and basicly explained to me how the entire system worked. Everything from power systems to MAPO to procedures. Where they were built, how they were built. We were listening to the radio as they were switching off the trains back to the shop and he explained every call and what it all meant. He even had to switch the beam and showed us how all of that was done. Come to find out he had been working in monorails since before WDW opened in '71. He even recounted some of his memories of when they put them on the beams for the first time. For someone interested in monorails, it was a truely magical night.

My brother and I were front car junkies. We would wait 5 trains if that is what it took to get the front. For some reason, fate I guess, during the trips we took in '85 and '86 we always seemed to get the same pilot. He was a great guy. Always joked with us. Always made sure we were having a good time. Even though it is 15 years later, I won't mention his name though for what happened in the summer of '86. We were on our way from EPCOT Center to TTC (River Country was our end destination). It was the middle of the afternoon and the platform wasn't crowded so getting the front wasn't hard. The train pulled in and the pilot was none other that our buddy ******. "Hey! It's the front boys!" he yells. We got a kick out of that and we climbed into the cockpit. He was passing through from the load to the unload side and I jokingly asked, "Can I drive?". I was shocked when he replied, "Wait till we got out of here." He closed all of his doors and jumped in. When we got around the bend out of sight of EPCOT Center, he got out of the seat, holding the stick forward, and said "OK. Jump on up here." I couldn't believe it. I sat in the piolt's seat and he said, "Now just hold this stick forward right here and if you see another train commming the other way you jump out of that seat as fast as you can!" He let go of the stick and sat down on the bench. He made a comment about how great it was for someone else to do the work, but I was just in heaven. He had me do a couple of speed adjustments and we got most of the way down the straightaway to TTC before he took control. WOW!!!!!! I was just beside myself. That had to be one of the most incredible experiences of my young life!

I will never forget either experience as long as I live.

[Whazzup]

My brother and I were front car junkies. We would wait 5 trains if that is what it took to get the front. For some reason, fate I guess, during the trips we took in '85 and '86 we always seemed to get the same pilot. He was a great guy. Always joked with us. Always made sure we were having a good time. Even though it is 15 years later, I won't mention his name though for what happened in the summer of '86. We were on our way from EPCOT Center to TTC (River Country was our end destination). It was the middle of the afternoon and the platform wasn't crowded so getting the front wasn't hard. The train pulled in and the pilot was none other that our buddy ******. "Hey! It's the front boys!" he yells. We got a kick out of that and we climbed into the cockpit. He was passing through from the load to the unload side and I jokingly asked, "Can I drive?". I was shocked when he replied, "Wait till we got out of here." He closed all of his doors and jumped in. When we got around the bend out of sight of EPCOT Center, he got out of the seat, holding the stick forward, and said "OK. Jump on up here." I couldn't believe it. I sat in the piolt's seat and he said, "Now just hold this stick forward right here and if you see another train commming the other way you jump out of that seat as fast as you can!" He let go of the stick and sat down on the bench. He made a comment about how great it was for someone else to do the work, but I was just in heaven. He had me do a couple of speed adjustments and we got most of the way down the straightaway to TTC before he took control. WOW!!!!!! I was just beside myself. That had to be one of the most incredible experiences of my young life!

I will never forget either experience as long as I live.

Ummmm, you probably shouldn't have posted that story here. I hope the guy no longer works in monorails, or anywhere else at WDW, or he could be in some deep doodoo.

[BRWombat]

Ummmm, you probably shouldn't have posted that story here. I hope the guy no longer works in monorails, or anywhere else at WDW, or he could be in some deep doodoo.

Just imagine what could have happened if he'd taken a wrong turn! :D:

[kurtisnelson]

"Now just hold this stick forward right here and if you see another train commming the other way you jump out of that seat as fast as you can!"

I think I know which driver you are referring to

[OldTimePIGuy]

Ummmm, you probably shouldn't have posted that story here. I hope the guy no longer works in monorails, or anywhere else at WDW, or he could be in some deep doodoo.

It has been over 20 years since that happened (got my math wrong in my post) so I figured it was probably safe to tell that story.