How It Worked: The Original Peoplemover | Disneyland

Today we'll take an extensive look at the long lost original WED Way Peoplemover.
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Welcome to Amusement Labs. Here you can find detailed looks at the engineering & technology behind the world's greatest rides, shows & attractions using footage, information & models you won't find anywhere else.
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[@AmusementLabs]

Get a LightRides board for a great deal during our Black Friday sale, on now; amusementlabs.etsy.com

[@officalT-posevr]

@AmusementLabs tell us how donkey Kong mine cart madness works, and all of the behind scenes

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

I remember when they added "The World Of Tron" to the People Mover, and that was a welcome and really cool addition to the ride. The part where you racing the motorcycles was my favourite. Then later on riders got to see open construction of Star Tours, workers and tools and all. Then finally, Star Tours was done and you would now not only have Tron on the ride but also greetings from R2D2 and C3PO, and a chance to see the loading bay filled with droids and tourists where the construction had been before. In my later teen years, the ride really was all about the Tron part, and I still miss that section the most.

[@AmusementLabs]

@@TheRadioAteMyTV it definitely seemed like quite the special section given the period.

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

@@AmusementLabs It warms my heart remembering it. Thanks for that.

[@crazybird199]

That Peoplemover car model looks awesome! Excellent explanation of the mechanics and history of this legendary attraction.

[@Perich29]

they look like football helmet.

[@crazybird199]

@ I don’t really see it, to be honest

[@fifthrider]

I love your appreciation for the PeopleMover. Like many Disney attractions, you never really know when your last ride on something was your LAST ride on it. The original '67 version was great because this ride was the epitome of kinetic energy. It crossed through so many other attractions that you just knew the point of this ride was to be a teaser for every other ride. The Tron light tunnels were fun too, especially the light cycles. In later years the standing stormtroopers ( second floor gift shop window, along the track as you passed by ) were fun too but a sign of them running out of ideas about how to keep this current. I'm sorry to say I rode Rocket Rods once. It was not worth the 3+ hour wait. Disney, bring the PeopleMover back, even if you have to rebuild the whole support system.

[@aegisofhonor]

they should have never removed the original People Mover, it was easily one of Disneyland's best attractions and without it, Tomorrowland looks very empty and stale. Seeing that People Mover move across the eleveated area above Tomorrowland was a very welcome sight and Tomorrowland will never be the same till the People Mover returns.

[@danielboone3770]

Boy, I just love this people mover! America truely needs this!

[@hunterwylie6969]

13:11 the “municipal” version is still operating at the IAH (George Bush International) airport in Houston under Terminal B and D! Note that if you are strapped for time, it may just be easier to make the walk by foot. But if you have a layover, it is a great accomplishment to add to your roller coaster record!

[@People_of_the_Mouse]

They only ever sold one unit. It’s here in Houston in the basement of Bush Airport. I use it all the time to and from the Marriott. We use the Marriott as our pick up and drop off location regardless of the terminal.

[@CoasterManiac27]

The people mover is one of my favorite rides at Disney world

[@miriamrodriguez4385]

World?

[@CoasterManiac27]

​@@miriamrodriguez4385 yes world, there is a version of it that takes you though tomorrow land

[@oldgeezer-cf2pr]

My favorite part of the D-land People Mover in the early 70's was the animated model vehicles with rotating Goodyear tires that lined the moving ramp up to the platform. I recall one was a dragster.

[@zidane2k1]

I’m glad I got to experience the Peoplemover and Skyway in the early 90s shortly before they were removed. I remember being hugely disappointed when I heard about their removal and the fact that I didn’t get to ride them one more time before that happened.

[@toshibavoodoo]

WOW WOW & WOW!!!! Love People mover, one of Disneyland leadership biggest mistakes removing it from the world.

[@XanBos]

As a simple ride, meaning no thrills and frills, this was arguably one of the best rides at Disneyland. Mostly because the cue wasn’t long, and you got to see Tomorrowland from a different viewpoint. Also the fact that you had to be ready to hop on the ride was quite fascinating! It was the little things like the automatic closing doors and the tilting top that added to the experience to the world of tomorrow. I do believe those at Disney could create a new ride to be compliant with safety and all, and they should, since it would be the ride that can handle so many park goers without a huge hassle. And I don’t mean copy the cars that WDW uses, but retain the look of the original people mover cars originally at Disneyland. Yes, it will cost money. But they charge enough in ticket sales, and keep changing the park with new rides that cost way more than this iconic ride. I personally would love to see this ride return to all its glory, and reclaim part of the charm that is Disneyland.

[@MyWickedTribe]

I loved this ride!!! It was the perfect way to take a break on a hot day

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

Your miniature creations are amazing, glad you are finding a way to market them too. I hope others see it and hire you for more rewards.

[@goldenpacificmedia]

This is epic work. Thanks for this tribute to one of the greatest rides of my youth and a long-missing component to Anaheim Disneyland's Tomorrowland.

[@wheelindisney5874]

I'm holding out a slim hope that part of the Disneyland Forward project will involve a new Peoplemover to get folks around an expanded resort. There's definitely going to be a new parking garage on the East side of the park. That frees up the Toy Story parking lot for development into something. A Peoplemover would be a great way to get guests from that parking structure to whatever they build in the Toy Story lot.

[@shaniaduchene8063]

Has Offhand Disney seen this? The Peoplemover’s biggest fan?

[@DougDurando]

This was my favorite ride the first time I went to Disneyland (I was maybe 4 years old). Thanks for the video!

[@papageoffsamerica]

Love the video - Brought back some great memories ❤️

[@livingin3d925]

I remember at one point the people mover had a room themed for Tron where light cycles were projected on the walls giving the feel of being in a race on the grid. Another time the same room was converted and various vehicles were shown on the huge walls to give the illusion of Speed.

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

Best part of the ride, most missed part of the ride.

[@jacobslusser4232]

Yep. TRON room was the best part.

[@MrAwesomedude808]

That was above the Former Carousel of Progress. An interesting choice to say the least, but it’s honestly a great choice.

[@Flying_Miku]

I was lucky enough to ride both the original people mover (one of my earliest memories) and rocket rods (thinking it was the same ride way back then) so it’s sad every time I’m back in TML and see the remains of a long lost memory

[@DanielAgustin-z7o]

Old Disney was so more impressive, innovative, and grand than the current Disney.

[@ThePlayfulDreamer]

The People Mover at WDW was always my favorite as a kid. It’s crazy to think the Disneyland original is gone. I think Disney really need to place more importance on their tech and ride cultural heritage and find ways to keep the old while introducing new attractions.

[@techguypaul]

They could still bring it back if they really wanted to. First off, just copy the ride system from WDW. The old track could be removed silently without raising eyebrows. That work could be done overnight and the most noticeable part (the track over Autopia) could be done last to raise the least suspicions. They could even setup dummy lights along the track by the Monorail station to throw people off while they work on the indoor areas. Then they have a clean slate to shorten the work when they do announce the return. Also the tech for things like the speakers would be easier to accomplish now. The big thing of course would be the queue, but I would accomplish that by simply turning the Innoventions building into the entrance/exit for the ride. The entire top floor could be dedicated to it, which people would love having an indoor queue in the summer here, and Disney could still use the bottom floors for other things. The old platform could be utilized as an emergency exit and even gives them an opportunity to showcase an old Peoplemover vehicle and explain its history as part of the ride.

[@TheSockMonkeyGuy]

One critical difference between DL's Peoplemover and the WDW version is that the Anaheim version changed elevation numerous times over the course of the ride while the WDW version is all on one level with no elevation changes. There is a safety reason for this: since the Anaheim version was driven by positive friction between the tires and the traction plates on the bottom of the trains, if (when) the power failed, as it inevitably will at some point, the trains would all come safely to a stop as the motors stopped and they would be physically held in place by friction with the drive tires even if they were on a sloping part of the track. Therefore, no vehicle collisions could occur if the power failed. By contrast, the WDW version is driven by electromagnets which have no physical contact with the trains. So, in the event of a power failure, the cars simply coast to a stop on their own. This is why the track has to be level. If parts of the track were sloped, when the power failed any trains on a sloping section would coast down to the bottom and collide with any train that happened to be there. Yes, fail-safe brakes could have been incorporated into the design, either on the trains or on the track, but this would increase the complexity of the system and, therefore, the cost of maintenance. Such safety brakes would also have to be tested periodically to make sure they were in working order. It was much simpler and cheaper to eliminate brakes and instead design the track to be all on one level with no inclines. If this system were to be brought to Disneyland, the original Peoplemover track would have to be demolished and rebuilt to eliminate the sloping parts. Since the existing track changes elevations to work around other elements like the Monorail beam, and it also changes elevations when entering and leaving the show buildings of other existing attractions, this would be impractical. Yes, brakes could be added, but at the cost of added complexity and maintenance. Also, regarding your comment about replacing the existing track "on the sly" without the guests noticing, this is not possible. Disney's engineers discovered that the heavier vehicles and higher speeds of the Rocket Rods damaged the support structure of the existing track and rendered the structure itself unsafe for reuse. So, any revival of the Peoplemover would involve completely demolishing the elevated sections of track and replacing them with new structures, which will further increase the cost. @wheelindisney5874 makes the excellent point that a better use of a new Peoplemover would be to serve the areas between the parks themselves and things like the parking structures. In other words, a new Peoplemover would best serve the resort as a true working mass-transit system, as Walt originally envisioned it.

[@nukedukem6]

It's really hard to do it silently when it's threaded throughout every single building in tomorrowland

[@techguypaul]

@@nukedukem6 not really cause it's not anywhere in the buildings where someone would notice day to day. Also the whole working overnight thing lol

[@MarqBarq]

I had the pleasure of riding it a few times. It was a good break from all the line waiting.

[@disneyguy3116]

I can only imagined how much Disneyland would charge guests to be the firsts to ride it again in present day

[@techguypaul]

$0 extra

[@disneyguy3116]

@ 0 and Disney don’t coincide! 🤑🤑🤑

[@tannermcginn7330]

For my part, I would gladly see the Peoplemover track repurposed as an elevated walkway with railing, with multiple entrances/exits to the ground level, even if just a portion of the whole track. That would give guests that elevated view again without having to bother with track replacement. I imagine it with benches, flower beds, small trees, and of course rubbish bins. I think that would fit well in Tomorrowland. Not sure how feasible it would be, but it would sure be nice.

[@AmusementLabs]

@@tannermcginn7330 what would be nice is if they enclosed the station and had it be one of those slow rotating restaurants like at Epcot, but tomorrowland themed.

[@tongmovies]

They can easily repurpose the track with some sort of electric train that looks like the people over. Something like Sky Suess Trolley at Island of Adventure. It wouldn’t cost much to build either. Sometimes simpler is better.

[@xjm40]

Awesome 👍

[@GeoTactics]

@1:45 those two round structures really remind me of the San Onofre nuclear reactor buildings.

[@boardcertifiable]

We call them the boobs. Everyone driving down the 5 in that area know what that is. Lol

[@kevint5149]

That scene in “the naked gun” gets me every time lol

[@GeoTactics]

I remember the PeopleMover from the 1970's.

[@GLJosh]

I keep waiting for Disney to announce that the Peoplemover is back, but as either a ride simulator or VR based experience.

[@Pabloiznotmyname]

I feel like it wouldn't have been that hard to change the system to one that required less maintenance in the 90s... Like convert it to the system at disney world

[@lizardboy2089]

@AmusementLabs you should do a video on Sirens Curse/Circuit Breaker next year when they open, because I'm pretty sure you don't have a video on the Vekoma tilt coaster yet.

[@UCFArun]

Such an amazing presentation and your models look impressive. May I ask if you were in IAAPA this year? Networking with the designers/manufacturers is a lot of fun as well.

[@AmusementLabs]

@@UCFArun thank you, a bunch of my friends have actually been there both as exhibitors and as attendees, but I've never actually been. I was thinking about going this year, but the date really snuck up on me. Perhaps next year. 🙂

[@rayray9571]

Disney needs a new owner

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

Three hours I waited to ride Rocket Rods and it was underwhelming to say the least. Another time we waited almost three hours before they gave up and sent us on our way with no pre-board for anything or anything beyond, "we're sorry". Three hours is an enormous chunk of a day at a theme park and to be just blown off like that, sicks with you forever.

[@danielriccardo6592]

That intro gave me fallout 3 vibes using that radio

[@matthewmaple1058]

I hope back move people ride Tomorrowland 🙏🙏🙏

[@flynlr]

the mustangs used on the ford skyway at the worlds fair where completely intact though they had to remove knobs from inside as folks kept stealing them. the mustangs were later sold to employees . Jay leno just did a video on one of them.

[@AmusementLabs]

@@flynlr ah okay, til

[@TTMfred]

Can you redo the zamperla giga discovery using animations and coding to show us the details of this ride

[@stilts34711]

Would you be able to do a video on Danse Macabre at Efteling?

[@AmusementLabs]

That would be an interesting one. I'll see what I can dig up. 🙂

[@jacobslusser4232]

@AmusementLabs, maybe I missed it in the video but I recall they switched the drive mechanism to electro magnets. That was the “future” of travel. Did I misremember?

[@AmusementLabs]

@@jacobslusser4232 they switched to LIM drives when it was built for WDW. DL's always had drive tires.

[@michaelflaherty3202]

10:42 who’s that riding alongside Mickey?

[@Perich29]

12:50 the tracks have to be remove immediatly because its 70 years old, it could collap anytime if there a bad earthquake, yes they would have to shut down tomorrow land to do so, I rather shut down tomorrow land for months just to take down the tracks and elevated structures than to shut down tomorrow land for years because the structure have collaped and crush part of tomarrowlands and people could be injured or killed during the earthquake.

[@AmusementLabs]

@@Perich29 honestly like 70% of current tomorrowland needs to go. Innoventions, the old track, pizza planet, all crumbling remnants that need to go.

[@stephenleach9283]

Is there a way you could do muppets vision 3d?

[@TyrellDunn]

While the ride turned out to be a bust, Rocket Rods was a much better idea and concept. They should have created a track that could actually work well with the ride. It would still be here too and have lasted longer than the PeopleMover for sure. I’d rather have that then that old outdated attraction

[@DeathandBeeZ]

the people mover was disney’s tram ride imo

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

Disneyland had a tram and it took you the pay windows or your section in the parking lot. One path cost a fortune and the other sent you home wiped out, so it created a very different experience for the rider compared to the People Mover. And the dark secret about the parking lot tram was it rarely was faster than simply walking.

[@tfrowlett8752]

It’s a shame the models don’t deliver to Australia

[@AmusementLabs]

Would if I could, but also they're made from PLA so there's a good chance they'd melt/fall apart by the time they reach you. PLA has a low softening temperature around 60C.

[@onair6652]

❤️🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸

[@laurafox3697]

Can you do a how it works for the donky kong ride in Japan? 🐵🎢