On this day (June 14) in 1959, the Disneyland Monorail System, the first daily operating monorail system in the Western Hemisphere, opened to the public in Anaheim, California. Via Wikipedia, here are some facts and figures about Disneyland’s original monorail system:
- Grand opening: June 14, 1959
- Designer: WED Enterprises
- Three trains: Mark VII Red, Mark VII Blue, and Mark VII Orange
- Max train cars on beam: 3
- Track length: 2.5 miles (4 kilometers)
- Ride duration: 10 minutes, 30 seconds
- Coupon required (originally): “E”
- Ride system: Each train was propelled by six DC electric motors mounted in articulated powered trucks shared between cars, not just the lead car.
- 1959 construction costs of the entire system averaged over $1 million per mile (>$620,000/kilometer)
- Oversized ceremonial scissors failed to cut the ribbon during the televised opening ceremony, so Walt simply tore it
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