WooferBearATL Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Monorail Accident Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 An employee, at that. So very sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WooferBearATL Posted July 5, 2009 Author Share Posted July 5, 2009 An employee, at that. So very sad. Very Sad. Walt Disney's monorail system really is an amazing thing. I'm kinda surprised that was able to happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 There almost certainly must have been some sort of malfunction. I am quite certain there will be a lengthy investigation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WooferBearATL Posted July 5, 2009 Author Share Posted July 5, 2009 Photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoeter Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 So sad to hear. It must have been some sort of malfunction as Terpy stated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIlover123 Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 So sad to hear. It must have been some sort of malfunction as Terpy stated. Yes was probably some sort of miscommunication. you don't hear of too many accidents at Disney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 With all the supposedly failsafe mechanisms built into the monorail, this is not supposed to be even possible. A system has apparently miscommunicated or been manually overridden when that is not supposed to be possible. As always, we will just have to wait for the investigation. Meanwhile, my heart goes out to the cast member's family and friends. So very sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/05/u.s.disne...rail/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 This is devastating news for Disney fans. I prey for the cast member and the family of relatives and co-workers. So sad just sad. WofferBearATL - it's been a long time since I have seen you post and it is good to see your OK and hope you will join us more in conversation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 http://www.clickorlando.com/news/19954891/detail.html# http://www.clickorlando.com/2009/0705/19955739_640X360.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Kid Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 This is truely sad and I feel a little safer that KI doesnt have any so this terrible accident couldnt happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Sadly, there is no such place as "it can't happen here." It can happen anywhere. That's one reason why parks and park companies stress safety so much. Yes, there can be no monorail accident at Kings Island, but only because there is no monorail. Safety is paramount. Safety first. Safety always. Safety all ways. Not all accidents can be prevented. But, we must do what we can to try to prevent them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WooferBearATL Posted July 5, 2009 Author Share Posted July 5, 2009 This is devastating news for Disney fans. I prey for the cast member and the family of relatives and co-workers. So sad just sad. WofferBearATL - it's been a long time since I have seen you post and it is good to see your OK and hope you will join us more in conversation. Yup, will do better. Right around my B Day work got crazy. Then my ex/best friend was diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. Sooo, my attentions have been directed away from on line activities. Things are quieting down now so should be easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faeriewench Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Wow the monorail. That shouldn't have happened. I feel for the drivers family =( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delirium_Guy Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 With all the supposedly failsafe mechanisms built into the monorail, this is not supposed to be even possible. A system has apparently miscommunicated or been manually overridden when that is not supposed to be possible. As always, we will just have to wait for the investigation. Meanwhile, my heart goes out to the cast member's family and friends. So very sad. Incredibly shocking way to wake up this morning and even more surreal to see in person as I cut through property on the way to work this morning. As someone who hits the Parks, and monorail up weekly, I've seen this young man on plenty of occassions and had a few conversations while waiting to board. Incredibly, incredibly sad. Regarding the system being overridden, it IS possible for this to occurr. As its been told to me by those who work there, when they are removing a monorail train from service the anti-collision system is manually DISABLED in order to make the switch to the maintanance track. One big problem that I'm seeing out of all of this that I never realized is that Monorail Central, which is located in the Transportation and Ticket Center, has NO visuals on where the trains are at any given point and purely rely on radio communication. Pilots report their position along the track by reading off a number that is located on every support beam along the entire track. If the pilot of monorail pink had incorrectly reported their position, Monorail Central wouldn't have know what was about to happen. Its speculated, and I stress speculated, that at minimum the impact speed could have been 15mph.....but likely not greater than 30mph. While impact speed may not seem so fast, the fact that the pilot cabin is composed of fiberglass, plastic and foam insulation is where the problem comes into play. It is designed to absorb the impact in the event of the collision, where as the passenger cabins are very much reinforced with solid steel. It is so very difficult to even imagine this happening, but like others have said it can happen anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goofywdw Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 There are pages and pages of different theories on one of my Disney World forums I belong too. I don't know what to think but I saw a video of the aftermath a guy too in the station right after it happened and it was very scary. They were yelling for the driver, who we now know was killed on impact, which is a very sad thing to think. Our deepest condolences to the loss aboard the Highway in the Sky- The Walt Disney World Monorail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast79 Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Very sad, when I went to WDW way back in 95 we waited to ride in the front and I remember the driver showing us how simple the controls are. With today's technology I'm surprised they haven't switched to some kind of GPS tracking systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/...0,4851944.story ...According to a former Walt Disney World monorail driver, the vehicles were outfitted with a safety system called Mapo. The former driver, who said he drove the current Mark VI monorail trains, said as soon as the monorail train gets within two checkpoints of another train, it automatically stops. The former driver said he believes there are about 150 to 200 feet between checkpoints. He said drivers whose monorail train had to be shut down three times were removed permanently from their position.... 12 pictures: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/...64.photogallery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomTheater Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/or...0,5007407.story UPDATE: WDW Monorail is set to reopen today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coaster_junky Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 wow, a death happens and an attraction is down for one day, and then a burst blood vessel and a ride is still down from almost a month ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarketingExpress Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 This is truely sad and I feel a little safer that KI doesnt have any so this terrible accident couldnt happen. It's not like this is a common occurence. In fact, this is the first fatal accident the monorail system has experienced in 38 years of operation...I would still consider the monorail system a safe mode of transportation on the Disney property. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeLorean Rider Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 With all the supposedly failsafe mechanisms built into the monorail, this is not supposed to be even possible. A system has apparently miscommunicated or been manually overridden when that is not supposed to be possible. As always, we will just have to wait for the investigation. Meanwhile, my heart goes out to the cast member's family and friends. So very sad. Incredibly shocking way to wake up this morning and even more surreal to see in person as I cut through property on the way to work this morning. As someone who hits the Parks, and monorail up weekly, I've seen this young man on plenty of occassions and had a few conversations while waiting to board. Incredibly, incredibly sad. Regarding the system being overridden, it IS possible for this to occurr. As its been told to me by those who work there, when they are removing a monorail train from service the anti-collision system is manually DISABLED in order to make the switch to the maintanance track. One big problem that I'm seeing out of all of this that I never realized is that Monorail Central, which is located in the Transportation and Ticket Center, has NO visuals on where the trains are at any given point and purely rely on radio communication. Pilots report their position along the track by reading off a number that is located on every support beam along the entire track. If the pilot of monorail pink had incorrectly reported their position, Monorail Central wouldn't have know what was about to happen. Its speculated, and I stress speculated, that at minimum the impact speed could have been 15mph.....but likely not greater than 30mph. While impact speed may not seem so fast, the fact that the pilot cabin is composed of fiberglass, plastic and foam insulation is where the problem comes into play. It is designed to absorb the impact in the event of the collision, where as the passenger cabins are very much reinforced with solid steel. It is so very difficult to even imagine this happening, but like others have said it can happen anywhere. Monorail Central does indeed have a very large electronic screen/map indicating the position of all monorails on all three circuits. Monorail Central is FAR more sophisticated than you're giving it credit. I have personally seen it on multiple occasions. Believe me, they have the ability to know exactly where each monorail is without communication from the monorail driver. In addition, though the system that will automatically brake the monorail can be disabled, it does not disable the sensors alerting the trains as to where they are in relation to the other trains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coaster_junky Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 so, would the monorail driver have like a flashing light or something notifying him that he was getting very close to another monorail? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goofywdw Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 ^They actually have a very smart system called MAPO and automatically stops the monorail if a train is too close. It is almost like block breaks on a roller coaster. In order to switch tracks the driver must override the MAPO and take the monorail into reverse over the switch track onto the new track. Well everything went bad that could have. Here is a great video explaining what happened and how this easily could have been avoided. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeLorean Rider Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 ^They actually have a very smart system called MAPO and automatically stops the monorail if a train is too close. It is almost like block breaks on a roller coaster. In order to switch tracks the driver must override the MAPO and take the monorail into reverse over the switch track onto the new track. Well everything went bad that could have. Here is a great video explaining what happened and how this easily could have been avoided. Fun fact, the MAPO system is so named because it was with the profits of Mary Poppins that the first monorails and monorail safety systems were developed. Mary Poppins=MAPO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coaster_junky Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 wow, but you can't really put that much blame on the cast member that was killed can you? for all we know he thought the other monorail was on the other track, but when he realized it wasn't it was to late to stop and go the other way. and delorean rider, that was a neat little fact, i knew it stood for marry poppins, but had absolutly no idea why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goofywdw Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I never knew that DeLorean Rider! That is funny It was really a group error, everyone could have been taking the necessary precautions but were not. I know it was 2 AM but it is all about the safety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coaster_junky Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 and exactly how would he have known that the monorail in front of him was traveling in reverse if it was dark, or is the track more lighted than what the pictures made it look? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goofywdw Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 You would think there would be some sort of announcement over the radio that the train is switching tracks so the drivers should be aware. Notice in the video I posted at about 1:30 that they could have been more aware and paying more attention to the radio and heard the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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