Secrets and History of The Disneyland Monorail

The secrets and history of the Disneyland Monorail. One of my favorite efforts to date, we'll detail Walt and Lillians vacation to Germany, that whole Bob Gurr and Richard Nixon thing, and even a little on why the Monorail never really took off.
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Intro music courtesy of Kevin MacLeod and incompetech.com.

[@UtupaClone]

Who else cried watching this? (I did), I remember being in the front with my Dad, he is not with us anymore; but I had the chance (2 times) of being with my 4yo daughter in the same place. From my heart, Beautiful Job FreshBaked.

[@bcgrittner]

I went to Disneyland in late 1963 and again in early 1964. I rode the monorail both times. That would have been the Mark II. I loved it. There have been changes since then. I might get back. Time will tell. Great video.

[@williamberger2178]

My father worked on the original metal nose and tail sections. His company was sub-contracted to produce the sheet metal. Funny though my father hated Disneyland, and even though we lived just a few miles away we only went there once or twice. My family goes as many times as we can. Great story thanks.

[@porkins74]

Your best "Secrets and History" yet!

[@michaelsullivan3581]

True!

[@anothernewyorkerinla3923]

I can't disagree with that!

[@pillowyflunky9931]

Agreed

[@bookwrm4evr]

Wow. Really great information. Aside from seeing Walt smiling through the window, my favorite shot was at 10:10.

[@matthewecrowder]

I love the “Secrets and History” pieces. The care and time you put into these is a testament to your love for Disney and for what you do. So I say thank you.

[@michaelsullivan3581]

True!

[@MikeBramm]

I really enjoy these history videos. They are just as good as anything from Ralph Story or Huell Howser. They must take quite a while to research and write. Very nice work.

[@ricknineg]

You worked your butt off on this one...LOVE IT!

[@andierob]

I love Ninja added in there at the end! ☺️👍🏻 Another great secrets and history in the books! Great job David👌🏻

[@pdxer8895]

Great video, Bob Gurr is an Icon. Loved seeing the Ninja. Congrats to you and Liz....Thumbs up. Fresh Baked!!! Baked.

[@williamvannucci]

Once again David, great job on the History Video. The quality and professionalism in the videos, is why I think I love them so much. Thanks again David for providing so much insight and history into Disneylands history!!!

[@Sweet68Camaro]

I love your secrets of Disney videos, this one is tops!!

[@anothernewyorkerinla3923]

Another fantastic addition to an already fantastic series of videos, David! Thank you for the stand-out effort you put into this stand-out video. I've yet to ride in the nose or the tail, but now, after watching that footage again, it's the next thing to be checked off my DL bucket list. That old footage from the early FreshBaked days was a really nice touch as well. Thanks again, and I'm always looking forward to seeing more of these videos in the future.

[@mayspondmogul]

Bob Gurr as monorail captain was like they see me rollin and they hatin, w the Vice President they tryin catch me ridin dirty! W Walt they ridin dirty!😂lol

[@Christopher0817]

What a great video loved all th8e vintage clips and pictures of Walt. I learned a few things about the Disneyland monorail that I didn't know. Thanks David for putting this one together it was amazing.

[@MatecaCorp]

Splendid! I know a guy who used to work the Disneyland Railroad as a conductor. He has a lot of stories, but one that specifically pertains to this is about Monorail Blue. He told me that his train once had to preform an emergency stop right after leaving ToonTown Station (at the time the Videopolis Station) for, of all things, a monorail crossing! He says that when he and the other CM's went to investigate they saw the first car of Monorail Blue lying on the railroad tracks! Apparently the trainset had been in the roundhouse when it suffered a brake failure, rolled down the beamway, right off the open switch and fell down onto the railroad line! He said the monorail suffered little damage, but that both attractions were (of course) closed for the rest of the day. Was that the Ninja at the end?? Oh my gosh he was so young!!!

[@michaelsullivan3581]

Wow Mateo! Thanks for that amazing inside story!

[@phillanes6974]

Was it on the news?

[@MatecaCorp]

no. I believe it was after hours.

[@Starflare5]

Which series of monorail? Was that the reason the bottom half of the nose of the Mark III monorail Blue was painted black?

[@michaeltaylor9977]

I met "Bobby in 2009" A very charming fellow. While is was Wowed by the WDW monorail. I still enjoy the Disneyland version (as it travels in and out of the park climbs hills and does tight turns) The fact that Walt introduced 3 revolutionary & iconic attractions only 4 years after the park opened. Gosh! I wish I were there today. Great video!

[@The321asdfff]

Oh wow!! Excellent history review of the Monorail but the ending was a surprise. Young Ninja!! Great job David!

[@FreshBakedDisney]

it's perhaps my greatest memory of him and I at the parks. That monorail ride.

[@michaelsullivan3581]

Dear David, Thank you for this wonderful video! Sincerely, Michael! I thought that I was in love with the Disneyland Monorail before... This awe inspiring travelogue has rendered me in a state of bemused adoration for the Monorail that is beyond words. Muy bueno! Muy bueno indeed!

[@michaelsullivan3581]

An interesting note: The Alweg Company proposed to finance and construct a 43 mile long Monorail system centered in downtown Los Angeles in 1963. Here is a link to an article about it: www.theamericanmonorailproject.com/our-mission/monorails-historic-visions-of-the-future The story as I have heard it reported comes to a sad end when all the members of the LA Board of Supervisors were given substantial bribes to veto the project. Not surprising considering the history of electrified public transportation systems being "systematically removed" by those who stood to gain from the use of gasoline and diesel powered public transportation. See: The National City Lines For some of the best info about Monorails see: The Monorail Society: www.monorails.org/

[@MrKevster24]

Thank you very much David! I have waited for this video a long time and it did not disappoint!

[@kdm71291]

Great work, as anticipated, David.......thanks! And the end segment with the clip of the Ninja from some years ago was a very nice touch, my fellow father of a son. :-)

[@jeffreyh7951]

Awesome! What an amazing Secrets and History video. Been wondering when I'd see another. Thank you sir. FRESH BAKED!!

[@NicoleSmith-yh4jy]

I LOVE the secrets and history videos. Great job David!

[@nickostlund1369]

MAKE MORE OF THEESE! BEST OF THE SERIES YET!!!!!!

[@fanboy2015]

I’ve ridden the Mark IV and V several times at WDW since the 1970s. Only rode up front once.

[@mariannestover]

I love watching this video (multiple times now) - great history, great respect - perfect as always Fresh Baked.

[@shaunawilliams6010]

Great job! I cant begin to express how much these videos touch me. Keep them coming.

[@danielboone3770]

I LOVE it! This is a grawesome video!

[@sfrsteel]

I love when you post content like this, and this particular video might be some of the best work I have seen in Fresh Baked. Thank you so much for a wonderful video. PS I also love the knothole gang.

[@honeybunny5222]

Loved the video. Thank you for spending the time to make it

[@coyoteartist]

While I loved going across the bay on the boats, the monorail was something special to ride. I remember being like 3 maybe and riding it with my Great Grandmother when we went to Disney World.

[@karynbixby9595]

Great job David. So interesting. Thanks for putting that together.

[@jimmyjessicaalmeida3079]

Fantastic! Really enjoyed this one.

[@Erinawesome17]

Excellent video as always, I loved the music you picked for the background! Also the Ninja was so young!!! :)

[@PaulKyriazi]

Great documentary. The right length with good narration.

[@gabriellaanhalt2816]

Love this! From now on I am going to call the Matterhorn Bob sleds "Bob Gurr sleds" 😁 Thank you again for all your hard work and dedication.💖

[@graysthenewblonde177]

I love these secrets and history videos!

[@ddyodaman5515]

Agreed one of your best secrets and history yet!

[@Cooldisneytripscom]

The monorail is an iconic image of Disneyland and especially Disney World!

[@rvman1534]

Thanks FreshBaked, cool video!

[@mikebowser48]

Beautiful video!!!! Great job!!!!!

[@callanmac94]

NSA! So awesome hearing Nation On Wheels in the background!

[@WhirlOmar]

I love the Disneyland mark 7 monorails. I wish we had more of that sleek design here at Walt Disney World.

[@lasylphide-s5j]

Great video👍✌️ as always👏. loved the end shot with a very young Ninja💖 Almost as good as Alex the historians 😂 (Sorry fb I really love the hard work you and Sara do for us) I just had to do some promo for this very small Disney channel that deserves so many more viewers.

[@krisdog88]

What a great story!! Thanks for this :)

[@kaichisaki-overhaul2930]

This video was super interesting! I love videos like this. :)

[@ElaineW.]

Great job, Dave. Awesome music choice and love the end w/“young” Ninja. 😉👍🏻

[@MrRubme]

This video was awesome!! Thank you for putting this together for us!

[@TheCrazyWolfStory]

When I was six, I remember the feelings of excitement I had when I saw that white and green monorail approach and stop at the station. That feeling was pure magic. I remember there being an odd incident though where we stopped inside a large indoor area with I think was a gift shop below us. It wasn't a station stop. It just stopped. Then the doors opened. We were there for a couple minutes, but we were moving again and nobody got hurt. I didn't think to much about it at the time, but now as an adult, if I saw that, I'd be gripping my seat with high anxiety. (Yes, thats a pun)

[@jvillagrana87]

"Secrets & history" my favorite videos!!!

[@jackybluj]

In the late 70's/early 80's you could buy a round-trip ticket at the Disneyland hotel for $1.25. You rode in the tail cone sometimes by yourself. I worked on the hotel side in the Disney owned shops. I'd run up to the monorail platform and the security officer or ride op would let me ride for free. Not always of course. Monorail round-trip tickets were small and had a hole punched in them. I made a garland out of the ones I received over the years. It stretched across my bedroom window! It looked like an orange lei!

[@cc3775]

Love the secrets and history videos, keep them coming!

[@wishmaker]

THe monorail is my most favorite ride ;_;! along with the disneyland rail road ;_;!... FIrst time i rode it, felt like a magic carpet ^ ^!... Wouldv'e loved to see it expanded but that cannot be the case!

[@brucepiland]

I love this! Thanks, Dave!

[@Doodlepatoodle]

Great video! I love the monorail

[@michaelwilson8233]

I live for these

[@ZapplePi]

Great! Keep it up!!!

[@Finallybianca]

Good job. Cant wait till sept and ride the monorail for the first time.

[@BadWebDiver]

I think the most amazing thing is the initial monorail had no side window glass! :)

[@vincejbennett]

Fantastic video David - Well done - give us more

[@greggirons67]

Excellent job David! I got to ride in the "bubble" many times on the MkIII's ...

[@MutsPub]

That was an awesome presentation!!! Fist Bump!! Thank You!

[@timmc6009]

Excellent video! Thanks for putting this together.

[@ALBBproductions]

Such a great video! Growing up in Seattle I was definitely naive and thought most major cities had monorail systems! 😂

[@michaelsullivan3581]

As well they should!

[@lauri-jeancarlson8476]

in bay area we have bart train

[@JMCAragorn]

My new goal is to ride with the conductor. You just have to ask, right?! 😍

[@FreshBakedDisney]

yes, but that's it. at worst you have to wait one extra monorail.

[@McChicken03]

The idea of The Monorail finally getting to work, kinda feels like a blessing. Think about it, it caught fire and had so many problems, and yet it finally worked! That’s insane.

[@bunktuzzi44]

NSA! :) we have a similar system here in Vancouver called the skytrain :) opened originally in 1986 for the expo

[@otfhardy3775]

BrianBunka I live there

[@gringoinmexico3052]

Well done, great info on the monorail. Well spoken!

[@jacobbrown8481]

I can’t wait to ride the monorail

[@robertwilley40disneyfan]

That was a great video. Thank you for sharing that

[@Bigjoeworld]

Fantastic information! Love your channel!

[@donnytucker]

Great video David.

[@bheppes]

That was so much fun! Thanks

[@suaveclt]

Yay! More history and secrets!

[@thomasottvideos]

I had the pleasure of meeting Bob Gurr one afternoon at the L.A. Live Steamers Museum in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. I had the unique opportunity to have a 30-minute one-on-one conversation with Mr. Gurr, and I asked him questions about the history of the Disney Monorail. Mr. Gurr kindly shared a similar story to the one in this video about that famous inaugural trip around the track with Walt Disney and Vice President Nixon. Mr. Gurr said he was "terrified" when Walt said to him, "Okay Bob, let's take the vice president and his family for a spin." Mr. Gurr told me he said a little prayer that included something like, "Please, God, give us just one ROUNDTRIP without breaking down somewhere along the way." Mr. Gurr further said that after the successful, but nail-biting roundtrip, he felt great relief, and he was about to have a "thank you, Jesus" moment, when Nixon's kid begged Walt to go around a second time. He said God must have been listening, because the two unplanned trips went off without problem. Mr. Gurr also said, had the Monorail malfunctioned and stopped anywhere other than the Tomorrowland Station, Walt Disney, Vice President Nixon and his family would have needed to be rescued by an aerial ladder truck of the Anaheim Fire Department, because there was no way for anyone to safely climb down from the Monorail track. Mr. Gurr shared another little tidbit about how the Secret Service became extremely upset with Vice President Nixon for not "getting advanced permission" from them for the unplanned Monorail rail ride. Mr. Gurr said, it was a known fact Richard Nixon HATED the Secret Service and took great pleasure seeing the Secret Service agents panic as the Monorail unexpectedly pulled out of the Tomorrowland Station. If fact, Mr. Gurr mention a "certain hand gesture" Vice President Nixon made through the window of Monorail toward the Agent-in-Charge as they passed though the Tomorrowland Station on the second roundtrip. One last thing..... Mr. Gurr overheard Vice President Nixon telling Walt Disney he would push Congress to authorize the building of more Monorails systems throughout Nixon's home state of California. Nixon envisioned Monorails running above the Los Angeles freeway system, because there would be no additional land cost or right-of-way issues. Wow, can you imagine if Nixon's vision of rapid transit Monorails above busy L.A. freeways had come to fruition?

[@kutter_ttl6786]

Why doesn't this comment have any likes? This is a great background history of the inaugural trip. You got your first like.

[@thomasottvideos]

@@kutter_ttl6786 .... Thank you for your kind words. A long time has passed since I wrote this piece. Quite frankly, I forgot about publicly sharing this information. Around the same time I shared my comments about meeting Bob Gurr, I was diagnosed with dementia, and the disease is progressing as expected. In fact, not only I had forgotten about interviewing Mr.Gurr, I barely recognized my own words in the KZbin reply -- they seemed somewhat foreign to me. It was interesting to read the style of writing I once used. Nevertheless, your kind reply not only provided a lifting of my spirits, but it also made an opportunity to revisit the history of Disneyland's Monorail. Kind regards, T. Phoenix, AZ

[@jdl2496]

This was really well done and researched.

[@toshibavoodoo]

FRESHBAKED is DISNEYLAND!!

[@richspotts]

Bravo! Well done!

[@oscarman42]

Excellent! We always ride in the nose cone!

[@stevenmunoz865]

Love whn u guys do these videos of history u guys should do more

[@Caterpillarjon]

Walt was the MAN! Who else just takes off with the VP like it's nothing! I love the footage of the opening ceremony where they are trying to cut the ribbon and it will not cut with the giant scissors, so Walt just rips it in half.

[@400rvf]

Thanks. I love the monorail.

[@Jasetoonie]

Great vid, we had a monorail in Sydney but it was removed about 10 years ago!

[@roadbeep7]

This was fantastic.

[@Justin_Yoshi_Lau]

Yes! I was wondering when this was going t happen

[@dttruns1180]

Fantastic video!

[@LilKimGoon]

Great video!!

[@mikel7585]

Hello feshbaked, It would be really cool if you guys did a secrets and history of slash mountain and thunder railroad I think it would be really cool and i would really enjoy it please. I have enjoyed all your other videos and would really like it

[@lauricarlson7867]

i love disneyland monorail system it was first good afternoon david

[@scottc4199]

I love your Secrets and History but would love to see a Big Thunder and Splash Mountain video if they're not already in production that is...

[@JoelHudson]

Hey Howdy hey NSA! Hi Dave & #FreshBaked

[@RaeAnn_1202]

Wonderful video. I have watched a few times since it first was released. Did Bob Gurr have a hand in any of the changes of the cars over the decades?

[@TREXRUN1]

Thank you : )

[@raphaelmarquez9650]

My family and I use the Monorail to get back to Disneyland whenever we finish eating from Downtown Disney.

[@GaryGreenLives]

Nicely done.

[@bigt7706]

I can't imagine the dread the secret service man went through

[@jonathanuterhardt4000]

Hey, maybe I missed something but... When did the monorail start being purchased from Alweg? Was it as early as the mark 2?

[@FreshBakedDisney]

It was never purchased by alweg.

[@abigailcraig1147]

It would be really cool if you did a video on what attractions still use bob gurrs designs for the cars

[@1967mcm]

Little Ninja at the end. 👏

[@JacobCacho]

*Bob Gurr!*