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Monorail Refurbishment

I can't find a photo with quite the right angle, but isn't it a sheer drop to the ground between the platform and the track? I can't remember.

09062000_monorail_1.jpg
 
The volumes of people on the platforms and where they stand within organised batching areas is heavily supervised. That makes it far safer than the crowds that normally huddle near the platform entrance of most stations during busy times, many of which are completely unmanned. Any risk is likely far lower than at a normal train station. The safety record of the Monorail, having had tens of millions of guests over many decades pass through it, proves that.

Even as recent as the 80's, British Rail operated older coaching stock that didn't even have central locking on the train doors. Trains would pull into stations, and many passengers would swing the doors open and start embarking before the train had even stopped!

The Monorail is not risk free however, and we know that Merlin are extremely conscious of safety. It's on their property and they've decided it's not worth the risk. It's likely that they have policies, and are probably insured to that effect, that guests cannot be waiting on platforms for attractions without air gates.

They could massively enhance guest experience by installing air gates, or even some form of cheaper manually operated system, but the fact remains that they choose not to. They don't think it's important enough. That's the meat of the matter.
 
I do wonder if Towers are planning to put solar panels on their car parks in the near future (no doubt covering that lecy bill) but that the chance might be done to replace the electrical components on the Monorail as while I'm not sure what voltage they give, it's likely not very energy efficient and overhauling that system would help in the long term to keep the Monorail going.
 
Slugjc said:
It's cheap 1980s build quality that's won't have been properly maintained.
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I'm not sure referring to 'cheap 1980s build quality' does the ride justice.

The Monorail is actually the single most expensive investment that was ever made into the park, roughly double the cost of Oblivion, which comes in a distant second. And I don’t think they were skimping on budgets, either. They brought in Sir Robert McAlpine to handle the civil engineering (of both this and the Skyride), which is probably one of the most notable building firms to ever be involved at Alton Towers

The fact it is still up and running 40 years later, with minimal significant refurbishment work in between, is testament to its original build quality.
 
Slugjc said:
This is now a nearly a 40 year old transport system. That probably wasn't designed to last this long. With the age you loose knowledge on how to maintain and the parts become harder and more expensive to find. Plus with the building. It's cheap 1980s build quality that's won't have been properly maintained.

I know a few have mentioned a company derby. If they are busy supplying systems to other countries, a pokey little theme park in Staffordshire, may not be priority for them. And also, may not cost affective for towers to use them
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I think it is europa who also opperate this system and they are expanding their network, suggesting that they are confident it had quite a bit of life left in it.
remember that the complex maitanence heavy part is the trains, the track should be quite simple fortunately the trains are the easiest part of the system to replace if someone manurfactures new ones, which is possible (see the wave and art engineering, top thrill 2, etc)
 
I can imagine the cost of getting it here from Canada didn't help. Plus William Shatner is know to be expensive. Rumour is George tekei won't get out of bed for anything with 2 zeros.

Cheap may have been the wrong word. Better with 1980s design.
Squiggs said:
I'm not sure referring to 'cheap 1980s build quality' does the ride justice.

The Monorail is actually the single most expensive investment that was ever made into the park, roughly double the cost of Oblivion, which comes in a distant second. And I don’t think they were skimping on budgets, either. They brought in Sir Robert McAlpine to handle the civil engineering (of both this and the Skyride), which is probably one of the most notable building firms to ever be involved at Alton Towers

The fact it is still up and running 40 years later, with minimal significant refurbishment work in between, is testament to its original build quality.
Click to expand...
 
Slugjc said:
I can imagine the cost of getting it here from Canada didn't help. Plus William Shatner is know to be expensive. Rumour is George tekei won't get out of bed for anything with 2 zeros.

Cheap may have been the wrong word. Better with 1980s design.
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If the cost of getting it shipped from Canada was prohibitive Broome would have just ordered some new, surely?

My assumption was that he picked up a bargain, but yes civil engineering is expensive there's no two ways. I was told once (back when the monorail was only half as old as it is now, cripes...) that there was a problem with the track supports very early on which caused the whole lot to be overhauled after a season. Just hearsay from someone who worked there at the time.

It's a real sadness to see the Monorail in the state it's in.
 
Was it £15 million or £5 million? Seen both figures quoted today and in old material from the time.
 
I very much doubt Alstom manufactured vehicles are within economic reach for Alton Towers. Or any theme park, for that!

Litchurch Lane have never built a monorail. It isn't what they do, it's just a coincidence that the company running the show is also the company that via several other acquisitions also owns what was once Von Roll. If Alstom were called upon to build a monorail for somewhere in the midlands, it'd be built somewhere else and shipped in.

The previous owners, Bombardier, also made planes - but it's not as if there was a chance Derby could have started building them in slack periods.
 
IF they were to renovate / buy new monorail trains, what improvements would people like to see, for me my thinking it:

Air conditioning would be nice (Do the current ones have heaters?) but I struggle to think of where they could go, as space is quite tight inside the cabins behind the outside benches is the wheels, perhaps they could fit them bellow the middle seats maybe like the new under ground trains as above the cabin would probably make it more top heavy.

New benches, I think replacing the wooden benches would be nice, but I don't know about swapping them for cushioned as the freestyle drinks cups that I see very often will almost defiantly be spilled on them, perhaps some fiberglass design.

New lighting and windows to add more light into the cabins as they are pretty dim, and if done well they can make the cabins feel a lot larger than they are

new paint scheme inside, currently the whole interiour is just one colour, often quite dark I think making the place feel smaller and darker if they could make the top brighter colours to make it feel larger (for instance they could go for a 2 colour approach making the top half white, bottom half some primary colour (see new west midlands trains)

Exterior vinyl's I am not sure about this, I only remember the monorail with the vinyl's and I think there is a bit of charm, but I could see how changing the exterior could make them fit in much better with the rest of the branding of the park
 
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