Monorail Red Puts Rumors to Rest
Disneyland has been conducting regular after-hours tests of Monorail Red, putting to rest persistent Internet chat room rumors that the new Mach VII would have to be sent back to the assembly plant for major modifications.Disney officials said that the new monorail has been cycling around the beamway under its own power and that sending the futuristic bullet-nosed train back to the Vancouver, Canada, assembly plant was “never considered.”
After the test-and-adjust phase, Monorail Red will undergo state inspections, and Disney employees will be trained in the operation of the five-car burgundy train before visitors get their first ride.
Monorail Blue, still under construction in Canada, is scheduled to arrive at Disneyland between mid-April and early May.
The monorail’s sleek iconic exterior features color-shifting paint with gray pinstriping that evokes the stainless-steel side panels of the 1959 original designed by Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr.
— Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer