The opening ceremonies for the Monorail. Art continued, “I want to hear from an expert. In 1959, the Submarine Voyage was an amazing new attraction that took guests on an underwater journey to the North Pole from 1959 to 1998. Wow!.. For more information on our data collection and use practices, please read our Privacy Policy. The Nixon family poses in front of the Matterhorn Bobsled attraction in June 1959. Walt invited more than 2,000 members of the press, celebrities and dignitaries to attend, including Vice President Richard Nixon, his wife, Pat, and their daughters, Tricia and Julie, who sent us a special message you’ll read later in this post. Mr. George, The Disneyland Monorail has always been a favorite attraction of mine, much like the Disneyland Railroad. The original trains, the Mark I Red and Blue, were each three cars long. Thoroughly enjoyed the historical detail, photos and documents. Monorail Orange was removed from the line and taken to Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, CA to be reverse engineered. I thoroughly enjoyed this Blog post with all the accompanying documents as well as the chronological time-line of events. Walt Disney originally envisioned the monorail as a practical form of public transport for the future. Shortly afterward, he selected Greg Emmer as Senior Vice President of Operations. The Mark VII currently transports guests from Tomorrowland to the Downtown Disney District and back, but today we’re going to start at the very beginning – the Mark I. My favorite WDW picture ever is from the period of time when rails was implementing the Mark VI’s. The Mark I train opened on June 14th, 1959 and ran until 1961 when it … The passing of the torch if you will. The Disneyland Monorail opened on June 14, 1959 as apart of the first New Tomorrowland. 02:15pm (approximate) – Vice President and family will be escorted from the reviewing stand to the rear of the Carnation Ice Cream store on Main Street for special photographs. What a great article, George! Please do more like it, for us history buffs! But Automobiles were really gaining momentum and “the powers that be” determinied that California was “for automobiles.” That part aside I thoroughly enjoyed this article. 03:00pm – Matterhorn Bobsleds, Autopia, and Motor Boats open to the press, 03:15pm – The Vice President and his family will be taken to Monorail Station in Tomorrowland for press photography of the Monorail dedication, 03:30pm (approximate) – Submarine Dedication ceremony. In these photos taken during the afternoon press photocall and official dedication of the Monorail, you can see the large scissors that Tricia and Julie Nixon used during the ceremony. Between the historical photos/letters from the Archives, mysteries revealed, and a look back at an historic day in parks history, this is exactly what the Disney Parks Blog can offer that no one else can! That was 50 years ago and so on Sunday, June 14, 2009, there’s reason to celebrate. If not the best, one of the best I have ever read on this blog. its such a great feeling of hopping on that monorail and bypassing all the distance and getting dropped off to disneyland hotel. Walt Disney’s hope was not only to provide a scenic journey above Disneyland, but to create a solution for mass transportation needs all around the world. Such an amazing piece of history and I am so glad to catch it. I’d really like to use that picture as a background. Disney originally patterned with the Alweg Company of Germany and Disney Ledged Bob Gerr to build the monorail system. Well-written! This model is a replica of the first monorail in America, the Disneyland 1959 transportation of the future! 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