Walt's Disneyland Monorail PART 1 | HISTORY

The Disneyland Monorail, an idea dating back to the early days before the world famous park even opened. It wasn't until Walt was driving down a narrow road in Cologne, Germany that he finally saw a working prototype and insisted that it be installed at Disneyland. This two-part series tells the incredible history of Walt's highway in the sky, the Disneyland Monorail System.
Watch PART 2 here:
• Walt's Disneyland Mono...
#Disneyland #DisneylandMonorail #Monorail
Watch my 4k Disneyland Monorail ride, cockpit point of view:
• Disneyland Monorail FR...
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Introducing the Disneyland Monorail
1:35 The Viewliner
4:20 Building the Disneyland ALWEG Monorail
7:17 Unveiling the Monorail System
8:52 How it works
CREDITS:
Some footage of monorails passing overhead was filmed by LMG Vids as a favor to me, you can see the LMG Vids channel here:
/ themeparkxperience
ALWEG Monorail testing footage was originally uploaded by Carol Kim Pederson:
• Alweg Test Track (1957)
American Coaster Enthusiasts Interview with Bob Gurr:
• Bob Gurr Interview: Di...
Google Interview with Bob Gurr:
• Being a Disney Imagine...
MUSIC:
"Keys Of Moon - Warm Memories" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license
/ keysofmoonm. .
Music promoted by BreakingCopyright: bit.ly/bc-warm-memories
"Alex Productions - Pop" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license.
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Music promoted by BreakingCopyright: • 📇 Free Corporate Soft ...
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Music promoted by BreakingCopyright: • 'Soft Corporate' by Ne...
"Corporate Motivational Upbeat Inspiring" by RomanSenykMusic:
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"Soft Inspiring Corporate Uplifting Ambient" by Roman SenykMusic:
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My email: [e-mail]
DISCLAIMER: I am not a University-educated historian, Alex the Historian was a nickname I got while working at Disneyland as a tour guide. After 5 years of using it as a stage name for my channel, it would be detrimental to the channel to suddenly change the name.

[@richardmcbride2220]

We should have Monorails 🚝 everywhere!

[@cunardkevin9278]

Thanks Alex for this wonderful video!!!

[@tim.kaiser_aka_timmaay]

Alex... your videos truly are the best Disneyland content on KZbin. The archive footage that you find is always amazing and your narration is top notch. Thank you for all of your hard work!

[@AlextheHistorian]

Thanks Tim, nice of you to say!

[@johnmchugh8049]

I agree 100% great video

[@NorseNerdleMeister]

I’ve been meaning to mention, your background music for your vids is so perfect, something about it is really nostalgic, but also really calming and does not in anyway mess with the narration. I’m so glad I’ve found your channel, literally lifts my spirits every time a new vid is posted!

[@AlextheHistorian]

Thank you, I'm very careful about what music tracks I use, with this video in particular I had just finished placing the music and watched the whole thing through, only to realize the music didn't fit with the narration, so I took it all out and put this lineup of music instead. Takes a long time, so thank you for noticing!

[@NorseNerdleMeister]

Your doing great!

[@HistoryPeasant]

@@AlextheHistorian The music you choose usually has a sort of magical, happy, nostalgic sort of feeling which for me fits Disneyland (and therefore your videos) perfectly.

[@wolverinevz]

Love the monorail videos keep it up

[@philrabe910]

I've seen a lot of Disney Monorail videos and this is probably the most enjoyable. I'm glad I watched 'just another Disney Monorail History video'!!

[@danielboone3770]

Man, this video is awesome! I actually love seeing the view liner pass by a few feet away from the Disneyland Railroad too. I enjoy admiring a contrast between the railroad of the past and of the future as well. However, I do love the monorail the best. This is all inspiring to me.

[@pearsooo6972]

Nice I'm looking forward to part 2

[@h8mivec]

I recently came across your Chanel and I’m addicted to your videos. They’re so well constructed and informative. Your information in this video on the cement type and PSI ratings per casting is the answer I’ve been searching for.. every day I’m at work I look up at the monorail tracks and I’ve always had so many questions. Thank you for the work you do to make this awesome videos!! 👍🏼👍🏼

[@AlextheHistorian]

You're welcome!

[@Ron_Rhodes]

Can't wait for part two. Thanks for the wonderful video Alex.

[@conrad4667]

2:49 What an amazing view. It’s as if Disneyland had its own switch yard.

[@dobees8183]

The Monorail, the railroad, and the defunct people mover are the best rides at Disneyland when you've been walking for miles all day long, especially in those hot Summer days.

[@chrisjeffries2322]

Thank you Alex for taking us along with you.

[@lauri-jeancarlson8476]

Disneyland monorails since 1959 happy thanksgiving Alex

[@christiaanh]

Thank you for this very informative video!

[@Dan-7550]

Another great video Alex! Can't wait for part 2. One of my favorite rides

[@NorseNerdleMeister]

Yes!

[@OfMiceAndTrains]

Another great video. I remember the first monorails. I remember the pilot letting me sit in his seat and look out the top dome. Can’t wait to see part 2. Thanks

[@lindasolis9909]

I love it, thank you Alex! Love the Monorai! I just recently learned that the viewliner even existed, and am so glad you covered that here as well 😊

[@Kangenpower7]

Another Fantastic video! Fun to watch, and very enjoyable! Brings back a lot of fun memories too! I can remember riding the modern monorail into the Disney hotel from Disneyland, and it was a lot of fun. Now even the hotel is only a memory!

[@daveandjeannerose2816]

Another great video!

[@lukegreen5341]

8:08 This Disneyland Monorail Train Looks Like The Pacific Atlantic Monorail Train From Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds The Original Series In 1965. Awesome. Thanks Mate. X

[@cunardkevin9278]

can't wait for part 2

[@michaeltaylor1603]

I love both Disney monorails (State side) Have ridden in the front w/ driver in both parks. Sadly you cannot ride in Florida in the front anymore. They both offer different experiences. While I'm 5'-8" tall 2" shorter than Walt. I have to "duck" to get into DL's monorail. I love the "show" you get @ DL. Climbing turning, going over a city roadway & to another Disney park. The back car has A/C in Cali. What a treat! In Florida, it could technically be your 1st Dis. ride. My next...WDW Railroad of course. 4 a Grand Circle Tour.

[@chaseman113]

Awesome vid! I only knew of the ViewLiner from the Lookalike locomotive at the Oregon Zoo.

[@chaseman113]

Oh and I’m wrong… My bad, I actually did research that wasn’t my assumption as a little kid. The ZooLiner is based on the GMC AeroTrain. Which the ViewLiner drew inspiration from. Whoops, but anyhow it’s pretty close experience. I much would’ve preferred the ViewLiner’s slow turning Olds V8 with an Hydramatic Transmission geared into the locomotives trucks. . Think final gear at 30 mph in an Automatic V8 car just loafing around at 1800 rpm with the efficiency of steel wheels on steel. to the sorta noisy smaller industrial style engine to proper hydraulic drives on the ZooLiner.

[@vidstoricalfilms]

Awesome job with the classic Disneyland clips and great info! Documentary filmmaking is the ultimate way to tell a well informed story.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

It's interesting to note that the two GM Aerotrains (which the "Viewliner" train is based on) built back in the mid 1950s still exist, though not complete. One Aerotrain (locomotive and two cars) exists at the National Museum of Transportation at Kirkwood, MO and the other one (again, locomotive and two cars) at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, WI. Terrific story on the "mass transit" system history at Disneyland's "Tomorrowland." Thanks for sharing!

[@riparianlife97701]

Alex, how can we best help you get more subs? Your content is fantastic.

[@AlextheHistorian]

Thank you! Best way is to share it with others either by word of mouth or on social media! Take care

[@Xaunaturalz]

I always enjoy watching your history videos. I noticed you are gaining lots of new viewers. Keep up the exquisitely done work ! You put lots of time and research into each of them. Hope you'll be able to come back down here soon to live again.

[@ponyhorton4295]

Great show!!! Just FYI, in America, rail wheels are held with 'trucks', not bogeys. Love your videos! Looking forward to your next one.

[@astroguster5522]

This was great! I've seen a few monorail videos, but this one flowed from one topic to the next while keeping it chronological; it's really well done!

[@stevedegaetano8188]

Another nice video Alex. A lot of folks are of the belief that the Tomorrowland train station was the old Viewliner station, so thanks for pointing out that they actually coexisted for some time.

[@AlextheHistorian]

Thanks! Yeah I wanted to make that distinction

[@Mnrr6131]

I immediately clicked on this. I’m a few seconds in and im enjoying it.

[@CaptinPaulx]

I love the comment about Secret Service runnning because of "kidnapping the vice president" 😂

[@toshibavoodoo]

great

[@jetsons101]

The rear car of the early Monorails sure remind me of a 1959 Cadillac. Another enjoyable watch, great narration, great vintage footage and outstanding editing. Looking forward to part two already. Thank you for your HOURS of work and effort you do for us the viewer. Happy Thanksgiving.....

[@AlextheHistorian]

Thanks, happy Thanksgiving

[@paulm.newitt3246]

I asked Bob Gurr that exact question--are those taillights from a '59 Caddy? He said "maybe"....LOL.

[@MrShobar]

Alweg also built the monorail for the Century 21 Exposition in Seattle in 1962. It still operates a daily schedule today. It suffered a brake failure in 1980 that sent the train crashing into the Seattle Center station. Since Alweg was long out of business, the damaged parts had to be locally fabricated from the original drawings.

[@AlextheHistorian]

Yeah I believe I discussed the Seattle monorail in Part2

[@johnmchugh8049]

Bobby Gurr is a national treasure

[@skydiamond8705]

Also because of this during the 1962 seattle world fair they bought Alweg monorail which looked good in their cream and red/green livery

[@AlextheHistorian]

It was Krupp that bought ALWEG, not Disney.

[@skydiamond8705]

@@AlextheHistorian i didn't mean Disney i mean the company that where making the Seattle world fair

[@metropod]

“Is it safe?” “How does it work?” “I hear those things are awfully loud…”

[@AlextheHistorian]

The Disney monorails are loud, not as much as a city bus, but they are. (That's because they are very old, with their hardware and design dating back to the 80s) However a modern Bombardier Innovia 300 is very quiet.

[@metropod]

@@AlextheHistorian … you’re supposed to answer “It glides as softly as a cloud” do I really need to explain this classic? kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHWyemOZppt6kK8

[@AlextheHistorian]

I've never watched the Simpsons

[@timdick825]

At 11:51 Walt Disney is wearing a Japan Railways (JR) tie!

[@AlextheHistorian]

Actually that is a tie pin from the Palm Springs resort Smoke Tree Ranch, the pin is in the initials STR. Walt considered Smoke Tree Ranch his "home away from home".

[@angusrock1563]

They need to refurbish the Walt Disney World monorail! Walt would never have allowed to to be in such condition

[@AlextheHistorian]

They did. For the last few years, each monorail was sent away one by one to be rebuilt and restored. There are still one or two monorails left that need to be sent away, but almost all of them have been restored at a cost of $15 million

[@chrismetzger8875]

Stand clear of the doors.

[@pduidesign]

The biggest blunder a city mayor has ever done was the one done by the Mayor of Los Angeles at the time the monorail was built. The company that built the monorail offered to create a series of interconnected monorails in Los Angeles, going all the way down to Santa Monica Beach, Hollywood, Mid Wiltshire and Downtown FREE OF CHARGE!!!! The mayor opted for…wait for it…city buses!!! Can you imagine how that could have grown into something absolutely modern today if that monorail system was built??!!! How that could have changed how people look at Los Angeles and Hollywood? Wow, what a colossal screw up!

[@ShipsandGames]

Hello, I’ve been wondering, why did you change your name? And also, great video!

[@AlextheHistorian]

Because it was causing a lot of animosity among people who thought I was using the word "historian" to gain notoriety. The more popular my channel got, the more frequent and intense the arguments got. I even got a death threat, the name just wasn't worth the trouble.

[@ShipsandGames]

@@AlextheHistorian Oh, sorry for what happened, and thank you for the information!

[@AllieThePrettyGator]

The monorails actually have deep truck horns

[@erickamekonapeper4007]

Disney should come out with a Maglev Train with green electric technology that harvests kinetic energy in linear motion on the up and down rides 😏🖖🏼🇺🇸

[@dopenerd]

Who else would have throttled the monorail to 45 mph after seeing the Secret Service agents running below? 😆

[@joncarlos716]

I trust the mono rail more in DL than WDW.

[@AlextheHistorian]

Me too

[@petergilstrap6357]

A former Disney employee said that apparently Walt had mono when this was built, hence the name.

[@AlextheHistorian]

I think they were just joking with you. Mono means "one" as in one rail: monorail.

[@davidmiles533]

Alex? That you? Must be. The name changed on your vids.

[@AlextheHistorian]

It's me

[@leaschweizer9207]

i nerver saw the view liner and sadly i never will