**WARNING: These pictures are extremely NERDY. Do NOT operate heavy machinery while looking at these pictures.**
Well my camera and I took a couple laps around the beamway last night on the new Mark VII Monorail Red. Just about every question regarding ventilation and heat was answered. Yesterday, Mark V Purple was out running during the day because its windows can fully open. Mark VII Red did not come out until after the fireworks when the air had finally cooled off enough to let Red run with its nifty new mid-cabin ventilation system.
What's important to note is that while ONLY the front and rear cones have A/C systems that MUST be running for those to be open to guests (just like Mark V), the middle cabins still do NOT have working A/C systems. What's been reworked in the past few weeks is that new air scoops have been installed, and with the help of small fans, blow the air into the cabins from the outside. As you'll see, there are also small vents in near the floor and above the windows that blow air in, but are NOT A/C units. These were part of the original design, but the new scoops were not. But enough of my rambling, let's get to the visual aids!
One note: These pictures were taken at night, which isn't too camera-friendly for anyone. I figured night pictures would be better than no pictures. So while they're not perfect, here you go...
Hey look what's running, and open, for
everyone!
Mark VII Red looks sharp with that 'new monorail' smell
We'll start with stuff that was in the original design, such as these windows...
As you can see, the scary corporate lawyers have made sure no can hang out of these windows. Problem is, not much air can get out of that minute opening either.
Here's where air was supposed to come in to the middle cabins: First, this small vent is located above the windows.
Under the end benches, there's this vent meant to blow air in from the under-carriage.
Obviously, this dreadful lack of air inflow and outflow was not going to create a pleasant ride during the summer midday when these heat indexs are being declared. So Red was shelved until they could find at least somewhat of a solution. That solution turned out to be scoops - aero-dynamic holes in the roof meant to draw air in and help air inflow inside the cabins, with the help of small fans of course.
We'll look at the scoops first from the inside. Those rectangular holes in the roof are where air drawn in by the scoops enters the cabins.
Here's a closer look at the underside of the scoops. You can reach up, stick your hand into the holes, and feel the fan-assisted air moving in. You can also feel that you've just stuck your hand outside, which begs the question, what happens when it rains?
There's a big difference between fan air and A/C, just like your car has fan air and A/C options. The monorails just received a big addition to its fan air system.
But as we know from our cars, fan air doesn't do a whole lot to cool the inside of the car. That's A/C's job. Well, there is no A/C, so the new monorail simply can't be run during the day yet. It's too warm. That's a problem that still needs a solution. Here's a look at the scoops from the outside...
Unfortunately the general lack of light didn't make a very asthetically-pleasing photo, but you can see the scoops there.
Alright, that's enough extreme nerdishness for now. Let's focus on just how cool this new monorail actually is eh? How 'bout this cool lit-up logo in every cabin?
Here's a look at the rear-facing bench with the lit-up logo directly behind it. The cool blue nighttime lighting really works here. (Note: There are vents directly under the lights, and notice the scoop holes up on the ceiling)
Here's a look at the inside of a middle cabin showing the blue lighting & new seat configuration. The bench-style seating does a great job of improving mobility around the cabins, though it does reduce capacity a smidge.
I brightened up that picture to better show where everything is in the cabin. Here's how the cabin looks in a raw photo.
The blue lighting really looks nice doesn't it? Here's another look at the lit up logo. I NEED one of these sitting on my desk. Looks super cool!
One last look at Red - very sleek!
So that concludes a very
informative look at the new Monorail Mark VII Red. If you haven't ridden it yet, go check it out! Just don't expect to see it out when it's marginally hot outside. The CMs at the entrance to the monorail stations will be happy to inform you if Red is out running or not. If it's not running during the day, it'll probably be running towards the evening and closing hours so don't give up!
-- PMM
