Originally Posted By trekkeruss I think not showing a pilot is just artistic license. Even if it is the back of the train, that's artistic license too, as they never have anyone in the rear, do they?
Originally Posted By TP2000 Oh, and in my opinion, the TDR monorails look much better in person than they do in pictures. When I first saw the pics of the Tokyo trains I thought "Hmm... looks kind of funky". But when I saw them and rode them recently, they look and feel much better in person than they do in pictures or video. They fit their surroundings and are in proper scale to the scope of the Resort Line they serve. Plus, since it's Tokyo, they are all BEAUTIFULLY maintained and look as though they just opened yesterday even though they are already 5 years old. The stations are immaculate, and just like every other Tokyo CM, the Monorail CM's are perfectly gracious and profesional. Those Tokyo CM's really do put their fellow Anaheim CM's to shame, and make the stateside Disney Park operation look like amateur hour. You could tell the Monorail CM's in Tokyo were extremely proud of the jobs they do, something that faded from the Anaheim operation over a decade ago.
Originally Posted By TP2000 trekkeruss, the rear cabin is just for passengers. I've ridden in the rear cab many times. Before DCA opened you could go to the Disneyland Hotel monorail station and buy a round trip ticket for 3 dollars, without having a Disneyland ticket or AP. They would load you into the rear cabin, and when you got to Tomorrowland the CM would just keep you in there for the return trip to the Disneyland Hotel. It was the best 3 dollar ticket in Southern California, and satisfied a Disneyland fix back before I had an AP but didn't want to shell out the money for a day ticket. They no longer offer that service however. Since DCA opened it's not a ticket option at the Downtown Disney station.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<You could tell the Monorail CM's in Tokyo were extremely proud of the jobs they do, something that faded from the Anaheim operation over a decade ago.>> Not to draw any comparison to their American counterparts, but the TDR monorail CM's treat their job like any transit worker in Tokyo, which is to say with the utmost courtesy and professionalism. That may have something to do with culture, and may also have to do with the fact that the TDR line *is* a bonafide transit system, subject to the same regulations as every system in Tokyo.
Originally Posted By SuperDry Also, the owner of TDR, the Oriental Land Company ("OLC"), although publicly traded, has 22%+ of its shares owned by Keisei Electric Railway, which owns/operates several private railway lines in the Tokyo area. So, there's no shortage of knowledge on how to operate a public railway around OLC. Regarding the new monorails at DL, at least in the picture linked to above, the picture implies that the people visible in the end of the train are at the front of the train: Look at the motion lines at the other end - the train is clearly depicted as traveling toward the viewer. It remains to be seen whether this will be actually the case or whether it's just "artistic license" taken for the drawing. If the people were in the front of the train, that begs the question as to where the operator sits? Well, in the Tokyo and Hong Kong versions, there is no operator - the trains operate themselves. I seem to remember reading that the planned Anaheim closure in 2007 to install the new trains also involves replacing the signaling system. Perhaps part of this is making it so that the trains no longer require drivers. This is the way the TDR trains operate. The front of the train is open and has seating for guests, and of course is a fun place to ride. There is a CM on the train, but their station is at the back. They control the closing of the doors, as well as telling the train that it's safe to leave the station. But once they dispatch the train, the train drives itself to the next station.
Originally Posted By ArchtMig Yes, the "jetstreams" of air drawn in the end of the train make me think that we are indeed looking at the front of the train in this picture. There are a couple other interesting things that can be seen now in the larger version of the picture, and oc dean, thanks so much for posting the link. I downloaded the picture to my computer, as I suggest you all do and study the following: The windows on the side of the middle sections are drawn as large, single panels of glass or plexiglass, with no interruptions for their full length. If so, that means that there would be uninterrupted, PANORAMIC views outside from the monorail, and, if so... that would just be darn cool. Also, there are no doors showing on this side of the train, supporting the idea that we are indeed looking at the front end in the picture. In the monorails, there are doors only on the left side, since that is the only side that aligns with the platforms at the stations. Also look closely at what appears to be thin patches of blue on the tops of the sections... could that be... skylights??? And yes, the side bands do indeed look like aluminum, which would be a nice homage to the original monorails. I agree with the previous post that the nose looks like the new Boeing Dreamliner, and I'm still not thrilled with the long wormlike curve of the profile. But hey, given everything else that the picture indicates, if all that comes to pass, I'll try to get used to the look of the nose!
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I would caution reading too much into a concept painting. If you have seen many concepts like this for automobiles, you'd know that the difference between a painting such as this one and the finished product will be great. For instance, even though it appears that the side windows are large, uninterrupted panes, in production it could be that they would merely "black-out" the pillars to give the effect of an unbroken expanse of glass.
Originally Posted By ArchtMig >>>For instance, even though it appears that the side windows are large, uninterrupted panes, in production it could be that they would merely "black-out" the pillars to give the effect of an unbroken expanse of glass.<<< Sure... from the outside, yes, but not when viewed from the inside. Regardless, your point is well taken, and I guess I was not clear enough, but yes, this depiction might not be what the final versions turn out to be.
Originally Posted By avromark I like that it's more colourful but I was hoping for a bit more. I love lots of shiny surfaces to burn your hands on Well if they want retro and the socially conscience choice, they could take a page from the flintstones. The engines would be changed often and wouldn't emit much smog. The stone bodywork would last for centuries. Maintenance will be out of a job.
Originally Posted By ahecht >>Also interesting to note that the nose >>and tail shells are being fashioned >>from composites. That means carbon >>fiber, not aluminum or steel. Very high >>tech. Very cool. The same material that >>Burt Ruttan uses for his aircraft and >>spacecraft, like his X-Prize winning >>SpaceShip-One. The same material that >>modern racing yachts are fashioned >>from, like Roy Disney's Pyewacket, or >>the America's Cup yachts. Light weight, >>and super strong. Not necessarily. Composites could simply mean that they are building the thing out of fiberglass, like the autopia cars.
Originally Posted By ArchtMig ^^^ I think if they were gonna build the monorails out of fiberglass, they would have done so a long time ago, since fiberglass has been around forever. I'm still betting on carbon fiber.
Originally Posted By Roger55 Carbon fiber, if I am not mistaken, is a lot more expensive than fiberglass. Carbon fiber is light weight and strong. For the new monorail, I can see why they might want light weight material, but there should not be any need for the strenght provided by carbon fiber. The monorail is not a high performance vehicle. I would think the cost of carbon fiber would be prohibitive or at least limiting in its use for the monorail. JMO.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <a href="http://www.tpicomposites.com/" target="_blank">http://www.tpicomposites.com/</a> I really doubt that it's being constructed of fiberglass, judging by the company's products. Bear in mind that they are only producing the nose and tail sections of the new trains; the rest of the car bodies will undoubtedly be fabricated in aluminum alloys.
Originally Posted By ahecht Actually, look at this page on the tpicomposites site that describes their process: <a href="http://www.tpicomposites.com/index.php?id=1132" target="_blank">http://www.tpicomposites.com/i ndex.php?id=1132</a> Down at the bottom they are discussing how they have better glass to resin rations. Therefore, they use fiberglass.
Originally Posted By iluvdisneyland "The monorail is not a high performance vehicle." Depends on your definition of "high performance." Personally, I consider moving thousands of people a day over a beamway 2 and a half miles long 365 days a year for sometimes as long as 17 hours a day pretty high performance. But that's just me...
Originally Posted By Roger55 When discussing the need for high strength composite materials for the shell of the monorail (not the chasis or drivetrain), "high performance" INO obviously refers to performance parameters that would cause the material to be subject to high stress, high heat or high external forces, not usage parameters like operating time, passenger load, distance traveled, etc. The monorail will not be subject to high speed, high g-forces, extreme heat or high aerodynamic forces requiring high-tech composite materials to withstand those types of forces.
Originally Posted By avromark "The monorail will not be subject to high speed, high g-forces, extreme heat or high aerodynamic forces requiring high-tech composite materials to withstand those types of forces." You mean unless they do a Rocket Rod refit on the monorail track like they did to the peoplemover.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<Down at the bottom they are discussing how they have better glass to resin rations. Therefore, they use fiberglass.>> You're right... I didn't look at their site carefully enough.
Originally Posted By DismayingObservation Yummy. Very yummy. And partially in carbon fiber, yet. The techno-geek in me is drooling! That carbon fiber is strong stuff, by the way. I have a micro-sized radio controlled helicopter made primarily of carbon fiber rods with a carbon fiber tail boom and the rest done up in composite plastics. If you drop one of those rods on a table, it actually rings as if it's made of metal! They're not indestructable, but they're incredibly strong for their size.
