The Official Monorail Mark VII Thread

[Andrew1955]

Originally Posted by Big Disney Fan

So what's going on then?

Disneyland has three heat indexes (is that a word?). they are heat index 1, 2 and 3. when the temperature in Anaheim reaches 90 degrees (i realize i accidentally said 95 degrees in one of my other posts) the park declares heat index 1. this means that all of the costumed characters have shorter shifts on stage, all cast members in long sleeves may role them up, and certain rides (like monorail) have their own procedures to follow (such as not loading guests).

heat index 2 is at 95 degrees and mostly just means that characters have even shorter shifts.

Heat index 3 is 100 degrees and the characters are usually removed from stage completely.

hope this answers your Q.

[Neo]

Yep... they also are supposed to increase umbrellas and water this year among a few other things. The Department of Labor and the Department of Health are working together this year to make sure there are a decrease in heat stroke victims on the job. Amusement parks have their own rules and they are getting very strict. As soon as Heat Index 3 is reached all CM's resort wide should be pulled from the sun and into shaded areas and given about a gallon of water every hour to ensure they do not have heat sickness. They also have other methods they must follow too.

[Space Mountain]

Originally Posted by Andrew1955

Disneyland has three heat indexes (is that a word?). they are heat index 1, 2 and 3. when the temperature in Anaheim reaches 90 degrees (i realize i accidentally said 95 degrees in one of my other posts) the park declares heat index 1. this means that all of the costumed characters have shorter shifts on stage, all cast members in long sleeves may role them up, and certain rides (like monorail) have their own procedures to follow (such as not loading guests).

heat index 2 is at 95 degrees and mostly just means that characters have even shorter shifts.

Heat index 3 is 100 degrees and the characters are usually removed from stage completely.

hope this answers your Q.

There is such thing as a 4 too. We hit it last year in July when disneyland hit 106.

-SPACE

[ryguy222]

Ah, lets see, how often is Disney at a heat Index of 1? I'm thinking it hits that for a couple of hours, if not the whole day during the summer. Gosh, even then old monorails ran at hotter temps, and more reliable. Or perhaps not. Huh, Arizona hit Disney's heat of six today, 115, and I just got back from chicago and that was in the 60's

[PeoplemoverMatt]

**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

[kmb728]

Great pictures man i cant wait to ride the new monerals


hopefully they are fully operating by my trip starting july 27th

[Alex_Toto_Disneyland]

^ Nice Pics Matt... like the new Blue lighting, very Futuristic!
-Alex

[Clrntfrk777]

Those blue lights are awesome. So do they turn off when the monorail's in operation so it's easier to see out the windows?

[barfownz]

I havnt ridden it yet but i see it go back and forth back and forth into TL station while i'm working.

I want to ride it!

I think July 3rd was the first day to allow guests since i first saw it on the tracks with guests that day.

[Andrew1955]

Originally Posted by barfownz

I havnt ridden it yet but i see it go back and forth back and forth into TL station while i'm working.

I want to ride it!

I think July 3rd was the first day to allow guests since i first saw it on the tracks with guests that day.

the third was the first day of carrying guests.

(I want to ride it too!)

[atbsfire]

Originally Posted by Clrntfrk777

Those blue lights are awesome. So do they turn off when the monorail's in operation so it's easier to see out the windows?

nope, the lights stay on :D

[Executioner]

LOL this is so funny. So now it's open to guests but only a night. LOL They really are struggling to make this work aren't they? So the new scoops and fans haven't done as much as they thought then eh? I take it that Orange is still in Canada awaiting for the word to come down, but also to get changes done to it that Red is testing out to see what works. Well I hope they figure this whole predicament out soon because Purple can't keep going like this.

[SplashMan]

I am surprised that they didnt discover this problem before opening it to the public. It is pretty obvious that little fans are not going to help in the SO Cal summer heat, especially when its over 100 degrees out. Hopefully they fix it quickly so it will be open during the day when I go in mid August.

[ryguy222]

^Oh they know about it, but people are so anxious to ride it, and the temps are bearable at night. They're still working on it. But they wanna see how people like it.

[HiddenMickey]

I love the blue lights! Can't wait to ride it, esp at night!