Disney Monorail TIER LIST
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- čas přidán 25. 08. 2024
- Get ready for the DEFINITIVE and SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN best tier list for the Monorails at the Disney Parks. Which are the best? Probably the one you're thinking about right now. How about the worst? Yep, that's the one.
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Photos and Thumbnail courtesy of DavelandWeb.com
Video Credits ▶
Mark IV Monorail, The Monorail Society, • WDW Monorail - Mark IV...
Mark I Monorail, Walt's Nephew, • Disneyland Monorail 19...
Tokyo Disneyland Monorail, DLPWelcome, • Monorail - Disney Reso...
I was a driver of the Mark IVs. What I liked about them versus what's around today is that EVERYONE had a SEAT! Riding the current models is more like being a strap hanger in the Tokyo (city) train system. Also, Driving them was a little tricky. There was no "radar" system that told Monorail Base where all the trains were. YOU had to drive by the seat of your pants. I will explain. When you "bumped" the person that was driving before you, they would tell you what was the color of the train ahead of you and how many trains were on the beam. Thus, when you drove out of a station you immediately had to look around the whole lagoon and establish where all the trains on your beam were in order to determine where you were "clear to." If you could physically see the train that you knew was ahead of you, you could keep your eye on it and drive accordingly. However, when it went into the Contemporary, you had to find all the other trains on the beam to establish where the "missing" train had to be. Let's see, there's 4 trains on the beam and I am one of them, so there are three others out there. Ah, there's one leaving the MK so that's 2, let's see there goes one down Surfrider Beach near the Poly, so that's 3. Hmmm...I don't see any other trains so that means the train that's "missing" MUST be in the Contemporary. And so on and so on. This was especially hard in the rain as the train has no wipers and especially at night when you can't identify the trains by their color. You only had the beacon lights on the train to find them. Hotel trains beacons were amber and Express trains were red. The MBS (moving blocklight system) was the automatic emergency stop system but when I was trained you were told NEVER to trust what the MBS was telling you. You had to drive by other means (visual). Calling the station ahead on the radio to ask for clearance was considered pussy and you could NOT speak to another train on the system.
Wow!
TIL about monorail skill issues
So the original Disney World monorail didn't even have block zones? Yeah, sounds like a public transit system.
Wow. How very inefficient and dangerous that all sounds. Props to all the drivers for doing their best, but it sounds like that “system” leaves a lot of room for error.
Oh no, I'm sorry. YES there were block zones however they were not the conventional kind. The Moving Block Zone system as it was called then was definately there, it was just very flighty and you couldn't trust what the lights on your panel were telling you. The system had "phantom trains" a LOT and you'd get E-Stopped for no reason..@@wutmagna7222
Excuse me, chocolate monorails takes you to Flavortown.
Hersheypark in Chocolate Town USA has a monorail! I think it used to take visitors to the factory tour at the Hershey plant--but that hasn't existed for decades, replaced by the Chocolate World dark ride which is not at the actual factory. Ever since then, the monorail has kept running, but it's not transportation, any more than the Disney PeopleMover is: it's a strange long tour that goes way outside the park and just comes back where it started.
In Japan, it's law that a railway system with multiple stops needs an independant ticketing system. It's also why you only have one stop in Tokyo Disneyland's Western River Railroad. If they had made it a traditional railroad that goes around the park they would have had, by law, to charge extra for it. I don't know how the Eletric Railway at DisneySea gets around that... must be some technicality due to its type of system? The rail don't loop on that one after all. I hope you get to experience the Tokyo monorail yourself soon! Also, at Tokyo they sell a Tomica version of the monorail! It's one engine and one wagon, so you can buy two to have a full train. They come in different wraps too.
“I mean I’m sure if you wanted to and you tried hard enough you could eat some of the other monorails”
-Dallin, 2024
One thing I like about Tokyo Monorail is those tickets that have cute graphics and its changing everytime, so I have collection of those and some of them are really rare. My sister works there and she saved it for me 😅
The most important tier list on CZcams.
My favorite monorail is living with the land
Monorail or skyliner need to be added to wdw to connect more people to animal kingdom and the hotel other than a bus.
The original plan was to extend the monorail to other areas of the park, but the decision was made not to mainly because of cost.
I used to live in Japan for 17 years and fun fact: Tokyo has one of the most intricate subway/train systems in the world. Each train stn has its own chime for when a train arrives. At Maihama stn (Tokyo Disneyland stn), it plays Disney songs like Zipadee Doo Dah. Very cool video Dallin! Thank you
Do they *_still_* play "zip a dee doo dah" in Tokyo? The American parks have now banned the song due to its association with the "Song of the South" movie.
@@djm5687 oh yeah! They still have the old version of Splash Mountain there too!
I really really really want the toy monorail to be S-tier. Unfortunately, its inability to work unassisted makes that impossible
Are they not motorized anymore? The one I got as a kid a long time ago drives itself.
@@mushieslushie They are. They just seem to constantly get stuck on the track, at least mine do. So I gotta give them a tap every now and then.
They need to replace the battery in the toy with a powered track system like a regular model train.
I own two Schuco Monorail model trains from the 1960s that were sold at Disneyland back in the day and those monorails belong in the A tier. The modern monorail toys suck and are made cheap. The Schuco Monorails move fast and look good.
I mean obviously the retro futusitstic Bob Ger Mach 1/2 design is the best it is so beautiful imagine that but with all the moderan tech and air conditioning of today and the livery in all chrome or all white 😍 ugh so beautiful I wish disney would go hard on the retrofuturism theme for tomorrowland such a beautiful design and add some beautiful 50s light jazz salesman music and Im coming back to Disney asap
We have a monorail in Seattle, a remnant of the 1962 World’s Fair. It’s still the same set of trains from 1962. We ride it to get to Kraken hockey games now sometimes. I wonder what tier it would land on compared to the Disney monorails. Probably low.
They are great! They are the, slightly more advanced, step-cousins of the Disneyland Mk 3's and, though they are Alweg, they are, therefore, surely A Tier .
Same company made the monorail at Disneyland and I've heard they use the same track styles. It's a pity they never expanded it as was planned, and another pity the rolling stock hasn't been updated.
@@skipbreakfast we all thought the Seattle Kraken were going to refurbish and upgrade the monorail, but it hasn’t happened.
I used to sit on the bubble on the older models as a kid. There were two seats just in front of the driver.
I have always enjoyed your all out love of Epcot! I am in that same boat. I went there with my family the second year it was open and as a 14 year old geek , I was in heaven. It has fallen too far for me. I only go to enjoy the festival that is taking place at the time, mainly food and wine festival because I love food. Spaceship Earth is the only attraction that allows me to go back to that adolescent thrill of futuristic edutainment. Horizons, world of motion…. I will miss you. The land is still awesome. But the attractions … body wars, that silly vegetable show, ok too many gone and a frail old brain forgetting names. I miss those attractions. They were Disney attractions reminiscent of Disneyland mentality.
The new monorail toys have working electric doors. This mandates an upgraded move from F to D. :D
What about the monorail car pins? They’re very small and they fit nicely anywhere on my lanyard. I’d say they get a nice A for that.
*deep breath* “Which monorail would JEAN LA-“ *gets clobbered by a crowd of subscribers*
The manufacturers of the monorails are important such as Walt Disney Studios for Mark I, Mark II, WED Enterprises for Mark III, Martin Marietta for Mark IV, Bombardier Transportation for Mark VI, Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm for Mark V, Dynamic Structures for Mark VII. The diesel work tractor monorail used for maintenance of the monorail line and towing the monorails around the Central Shops.
Was hoping to see a mention of the Schuco Disneyland-ALWEG Monorail set was originally sold in the 1960's. Was more of a model train version, have always wanted to see a more updated, Lionel O scale and LGB G scale, versions of the current monorails 🚝. Absolutely love the monorails. Want to see them in an ever state of expansion and upgradeing - no matter the cost.
I remember my first Disneyland trip in 1968, I was 7 years old. I got to experience the new Tomorrowland and it was amazing. Seeing these old clips brings back so many memories of that first trip. I loved that Tomorrowland and wish they had never changed it!
Disneyland Mach 7 monorail exterior is my favorite, but I agree the under glow at WDW is sweet
I was 12-13 years old my first trip to MK and we rode a train through a building. That was so cool! This was late 70s so it was probably MkIV.
Yes, that would have been the Mark IV.
The toy monorail is so much worse than that. My brother was obsessed with the display when we came to visit once per year in the 90s and it was crazy expensive. After a year or two, my parents finally caved and got him one and later the Epcot and Contemporary add on sets for it. but the motor on it burned out fast and you could not buy a replacement engine, you had to buy the whole set.
Thankfully they improved the toy monorail system for the 50th monorail at disney world and I have one going around my room
FULL DISCLOSURE! I was not very excited to watch a Monorail video ... but I watch ALL your videos so I tapped on it! Highly entertaining and educational ... just the way Walt would've wanted it! 👍🏼🤓
My favorite monorail is the Mark VI, but I don’t understand why they recently added so many deltas to each refurbished monorail. They were for distinguishing between very similar colors when they were introduced, but now it seems to be an aesthetic choice and personally I think one uninterrupted color line looks so much cooler then it breaking up like that
I'm old enough to remember the Mk.V's at Disneyland, but young enough to not know about the Mk.III's (at least at the time). So I just thought the the Mk.V/WDW style was normal. When the Mk.VII came out I thought it looked aesthetically way better, it was about that time I learned about the previous Disneyland monorails and got into Disney history (and history in general) which made the Mk.VII that much better than the Mk.V and VI's.
I feel like this video had a wonderful nod to Carpetbagger and Adam the Woo with the transition from the desk to the green screen. Good work.
8:37 Four Fathers and Five Mothers?! Dalin's belief in polygamy confirmed! 😉
The doors on my toy monorail open! But I still can't fit inside...
Love seeing crowed bob Gurr on the thumbnail
The Simpsons monorail was arguably ALWAYS a Disney monorail.
When that sign at 16:30 peels back, it's revealed that the monorail was originally built for the 1964 World's Fair. He didn't have a monorail for people to ride there, but who do we know that was heavily involved with that event, building several attractions for it? I think the joke was that, in the world of the show, Disney built it.
F- Tier: Rocket Rods
Edit: I’m dumb, Rocket Rods replaced the PeopleMover, which I guess is a kind of Monorail but like twice removed
Rocket Rods were brutally awful.
Well, sir, there's nothin' on Earth like a genuine bona-fide electrified six-car monorail!
This was fun to watch, thanks for making. People mover fan forever
I like white chocolate, but $45 for that is insane. Maybe if it came in a nice gift box or something.
I'm sorry but this is the one time I must sin and Disagree about a tier placement, the toy monorail may not take you anywhere or be able to fit you, but it brings you the ability to have a monorail system in your own home or even add to your collection of disney park memorabilia, I've wanted one since my first visit to WDW, the monorail toy should at least be in a C tier, D is too low for me but C at least doesn't make it better then the others, just imagine having your own fleet of the monorails and watching them go around the tracks
I love monorails, but I like hanging ones best. The Disney monorails have tracks underneath. I like the ones with track on top. We had a kid scaled holiday only monorail at midtown plaza when that existed. It took you around the mall center court and through a tunnel under Santa's castle. Like I said holiday only. And it was a kiddie ride, adults didn't even fit inside. But we loved it. And it was hang style, track on top.
IMO I’m a mark 6 monorail fan but they are very old however I think it’s an advantage because they are old it can create a appreciative perspective of them that they’re most reliable ones on the list
Monorail sponge? Monorail cooler bag? Monorail ornament? Monorail highlighters?
seriously, though, Monorail Disney Pin Trading Pins... S Tier Pins, for sure!!!
After all this time he finally made another tier list.
Mark V's in the D tear! That's blasphemy!!! I've been fortunate enough to have piloted both Mark V & VI and they are all beautiful trains that fit very well in the futuristic environment of Tomorrowland or Epcot. Also the Mark V's matched the color scheme of the Peoplemover at the time. Mark V's deserve A tier at a minimum. Admittedly the Mark V's didn't have air conditioning in the main cabins but it doesn't get too hot or humid in Southern California and that never stopped them from running.
peak tier list, right beside the living with the land fruit tier list
We are just blowing over the fact that the Simpsons' monorail crashed and burned? The episode though, is S teir.
When I was a kid, the Mark 4, 5 and 6 are just what Disney monorails looked like. I think since you only have the first hand experience of the 7, that skews your opinion on the Mark 5.
Dallin, you forgot about the Cars monorail!
Dallan; I’m loving the subliminal WEDWay Peoplemover music you have prominently in the background! Very sneaky, but very cool.
I must be showing my age, but is no one else going to mention that Richard Nixon, his wife Pat, and daughters Tricia and Julie are sitting in the cab of the Mark II and Art Linkletter is standing in the bubble? I guess so.
Also, the clip of the toy monorails in the store runs in reverse and it's not every day we get a relevant food review in an Offhand Disney video. I enjoyed all of those, but am surprised I'm the only one who seems to notice.
Finally, more tier lists! They're fun!
Monoraaaaaaaiiiiiiiilllllllllll
I'm an 80s kid and a massive helicopter nerd. The Mark IV, V & VI remind me of Bell or Sikorsky designs and are just so aestheticly pleasing. The VII on the other hand, looks like a killer whale. And while I would love to ride an orca, I want to ride on it, not in it.
Where does the LV monorail stand? Created by the same company that built WDW monorail and Vegas used Disney’s monorail for the first few years of operation.
They're great monorails! A different animal, but fun to ride!
We almost had a monorail transportation system in Seattle, but then they never expanded it after the 62 Worlds Fair, so it only goes to one stop and back.
As someone who rode the original Mark4 in 1972, a cast member had to get out of the pilot cab and press a button for the doors to open. They were located on the engine and had 6 buttons to open the doors and a master button which opened them all. Otherwise great video.
Yes sir. It was all manual back then, and the "pilot" actually controlled the speed of the train (including bringing it to a stop in the station at the designated point), unlike today.
every trip to WDW I ride the monorail from Epcot to the TTC and back just for the sake of riding the monorail. I even have a "Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas." shirt
Singing...'Monorail, Monorail, Monorail...'.
I was waiting for you to get to Tokyo, because at first it looked like you had forgotten about it. I am very glad indeed that you remembered Tokyo's mighty Mega-Mover Monorail of awesome.
Interesting facts-It is the only monorail to have a level floor and the ability to move between cars. It also is the only one to have emergency exits at the ends. Both of these are to comply with Japanese safety legislation. So that's why it (unfortunately) can not be a little sleeker and more "Disney" on the outside. It's basically a standard Hitachi product with a custom interior and windows (and built extra long to accommodate all of the crowds).
we need more passionately angry Dallin
I work the monorails right now! :D
Episode idea:
List of the most expensive things you can buy on Disney property.
What makes the list? Decommissioned ride vehicles? Diamond-covered castle replicas? You can technically buy a multi-million dollar house on property at WDW. Does that count? We aren't counting visit expenses like hotels, only items you can take home with you, so I think a home technically counts. Whether or not we include the expense of a Club 33 membership to the list is up to you. But I'm curious: What are the top 5 or 10 most expensive things you can buy in Disney parks?
This is the content i subscribed for
Highly recommend the book "The Disney Monorail: Imagineering a Highway in the Sky", by Jeff Kurtti, Vanessa Hunt, and Paul Wolski. Excellent history of practically every Disney-owned/operated system to-date.
So no disneyland hotel monorail pool slide?
10:00 : Chocolate dumplings are nice, too!
Thanks for the history lesson!
20:10 I asked a senior cast member at the Disneyland Monorail years ago about a Mk.VIII version and was told that they were developing one for WDW, and that would happen before any upgrades to the DL monorail. Granted, this was pre-pandemic and firmly in the middle of Iger’s first run as CEO, so I don’t know how much has changed since then.
The Mark I was beautifully slick and definitely has that retro future vibe. Just gorgeous. (Now, if you can put all of the bells and whistles from the recent tech and keep that aesthetic...) (And yes, dear god in heaven, AIR CONDITIONING!!!!! Sorry, I live in Florida. Air conditioning is NOT optional.)
Bob Gurr is the goat isn’t he?
Absolutmuah!
I’m surprised that you nor Adam the Woo or any of the Disneyphiles have done a video on the Monorail. This was a guy whose main job was to run the entire length of the train and slam all of the doors. This was usually very fit, most likely some kind of marathon, runner or something. And he wore a polyester outfit and had like a chrome hardhat. In his job main job was to simply run up and down the monorail station, slamming all the doors.. on those old monorails doors sounded like big car doors from like a 75 Buick Skylark or something. It was really funny, and I’m surprised none of you’ve done a story on those guys. Those were the early years of Walt Disney World
i need you to know "our forefathers and our five mothers" cracked me UP kdljflsdkjflsdkfj the joke deserves some appreciation
"Transportation videos will continue until the People Mover improves."
Oh aye! Solidarity, Bruce!
You're missing the monorail that went to burning man 😮
S-Tier for me will always be the Mark IIIs. Because I’m old and I am biased toward the Anaheim park.
back in like 2018 Siemens offered a new monorail system, but disney declined the offer. As a result, Siemens pulled their sponsorship of Disney.
Last time I was at Disneyland, I actually took the monorail into the park for the first time
I had the toy monorail as a kid, it doesn't deserve F tier. The doors actually did open, and it was quite fun. Though you cannot fit in it and the doors came off too easily.
Was fun though. C tier would have been fair.
Also wish the Mark 1 was in B tier atleast, it's beautiful
As a wheelchair user who doesn’t get anything to hold on to and is a Walt Disney World visitor, I’m almost scared to go on the Mark VI monorail currently, because if the doors open I would probably get sucked out the door
But what a way to go!
The only thing I’d take issue with is the idea that a monorail having Mickey designs all over inside or Disney character wraps and Disney music makes it better. I’m a purist. I want my transportation if the (retro) future to just be itself. Just be confident in its pure sleek design and color scheme. I know I’m at Disneyland. I don’t need to be bombarded with the Mickey head shapes in every land, on every ride. Main Street would not be better if “let it go” was playing instead of the old timey music loop it currently plays. (I honestly don’t even love it when the dapper dans sing Disney hits instead of turn of the century barbershop songs)
Honestly the next generation of monrails better have all the best aspects of the S tier mixed together the time of THE ULTIMATE MONORAIL is upon us 😂
What about the monorail water slide in the Disneyland resort? Where would that go on this list?
0:31 I know it's a joke, but this has been an actual Transformers story premise called "Dinobot War". [I may have spent too much time reading tfwiki as a kid]
15:51 perfectly describes the mark VI
at certain angles the mark 7 keeps making me think "amogusrail"
I love this!!! Now do a wrapped Skyliner car tier list(please😇)
I think the MK1 should be bumped up to B tier, since it's the only monorail to kidnap a vice president.
The Mark VII's used to have air-conditioning but it's been broken for years now. I remember it having air-conditioning when I was growing up so I don't know if they just haven't taken the time to fix it or if they are getting ready for a new Monorail Mark
Correction: The Mark IV cabs were air conditioned, just like the rest of the train (when it worked, that is). How do I know this? Because I was a monorail cast member (AKA "host", or "railee", to the "trammies") in the seventies. I also checked my copy of the Mark IV SOP that I still possess just to be sure. After all, it's been about 50 years...
Mark 8 should be solar powered, with led side panels and under glow. Along with heat and air throughout.
I want a Monorail Train Set.
Me Three!
actually offhand the toy monorail has a remote control which i would argue bumps it up to at least a D
Mark one to three and the same Monorail just added more cars for the train.
i definitely prefer the mark 3 and 7. the disneyworld monorails look like buses
You may not be able to make a Peoplemover Tierlist yet, but what about a Steam Train Tierlist? There are plenty of those!
contemporary hasn’t offered private dining since pre-covid 2020
But how would you rate the cardboard monorail from the 1972 "A Visit To Walt Disney World" board game?
I definitely feel the toy monorail should be higher, especially if we consider the original Schuco Monorail system that was modeled after the look of the original Disneyland versions. Come on man, it's a monorail you can OWN, with accessories! Where's your inner child?!?
Now do the ferries. This isn’t a request
How did you leave the monorail water slides at the DLH off the list??!
i love your MIND!!
Was the Mark VI operating at WDW back in 2019? If so, I hope maintenance has fixed its issues. When I last rode it, it was rattling and shaking like nobody's business - both the 7 Seas Lagoon monorail and the one to EPCOT. Also, I think it needs more seating.
Your panel of monorail scientists is wrong!! :) Mark IV were the absolute best. The popping noise of the door actuators signaled your time to disembark, the solid slams as the cast members hurried down the train closing doors built excitement for the trip, and all guests were COMFORTABLY SEATED. The color stripe was continuous, not interrupted by "deltas", and they didn't suffer the ignominy of "wraps". The Mark VI's are offensive in all these respects, with standing room, bad graphics, and the flimsy sliding doors. Passenger trains look better with an odd number of carriages, and the 5-car Mark IV's demonstrate this. The six-car Mark VI trains are easily bisected by the aesthete!
(1987 MK cast member)
You missed the monorail sign with the glowing lights.
The chocolate monorail does move; it travels from your mouth to the toilet