Coming soon sometime in 2007: the new Mark VII trains including a revamp of the entire monorail system, name change (Disneyland Resort Line) and aesthetic changes to cast member uniforms and stations. The new trains will supposedly have a new seating arrangement and a sleek/retro design. The Tomorrowland Station has already been partially remodeled. Gone are the ramps (kind of like an escalator but flat) that take you up to the station and back down again. You'll notice that the Mark VII trains are, in concept, a modern update to the 1960's monorail system seen below (without the bubble-top). You'll also note that the submarines were originally grey to represent WWII submarines, later painted gold/yellow to emphasize exploration rather than war. (Note: when the submarines closed in 1998, they were diesel powered and when they re-open in 2007, they will be electric.)
The Disneyland Monorail has two stations: one in Tomorrowland, and another in Downtown Disney. The original Monorail was a round trip ride with no stops. In 1961, the track was expanded to connect to a station at the Disneyland Hotel, making it an actual transportation system, which was Walt's ultimate dream. The original Hotel station underwent extensive remodeling during construction of the Downtown Disney district, while still retaining much of its original footprint. It is now referred to as Downtown Disney Station, located next to the Rainforest Cafe.
In 2001, the Disneyland Monorail was re-routed to go through California Adventure and went straight through the Grand Californian Hotel, reminiscent of the Walt Disney World Monorail which still goes straight through the Contemporary Resort. When I was a kid I saw videos of the monorail going through the Walt Disney World hotel and thought that was so COOL. So when we got our own version in California, I was really happy. Although the California version remains outside, when it passes through two tunnels going through the Grand Californian it has the same look and feel (I rode the train through the Grand Californian yesterday and it was still so exciting).
| Watch a video of the Disneyland Resort Monorail. | |
| Watch a video of the Walt Disney World Monorail. | |
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