Okay...sorry I haven't been posting for awhile...but another one of my famous random old attraction questions has popped into my head...
I was reading about the Viewliner in Tomorrowland...and I'm wondering...why was it removed so quickly? Seems it was only there for like a year.
It was unreliable. It kept on breaking down because of the engine, which kept on overheating, causing the unreliability of about a Rocket Rods level. It looked pretty cool, actually.
"The views and opinions expressed on this post are mine and do not necessarily represent or reflect those of The Walt Disney Company."
You'll find a good discussion about the Viewliner here:
http://www.answers.com/topic/disneyland-railroad
The Viewliner (which was powered by an Oldsmobile V8 and whose cab looked very suspiciously like a highly modified Oldsmobile sedan) debuted in 1957 as a modern contrast to the antique trains of DLRR. It was ultimately replaced by the Monorail in 1959.
"Yesterday, a man walked up to me and said, 'Isn't it a shame that Walt Disney couldn't be here to see this?' and I said, "He did see this, that's why it's here."
-Art Linkletter July 17, 2005-
When you wish upon a star your dreams come true.
I could see why that poor engine overheated, look at all thous people it's hauling. too much strain for a 1950's V8 all day, every day.
Yup......
She's cold and she's cruel
But she knows what she's doin'
She pushed me in the pool
At our last school reunion
She laughs at my dreams
But I dream about her laughter
Strange as it seems
She's the one I'm after
Cause she's bittersweet
She knocks me off of my feet
And I can't help myself
I don't want anyone else
She's a mystery
She's too much for me
But I keep comin' back for more
She's just the girl I'm lookin' for
In all my research, I've never come across this explanation for the ride's quick demise. It was only around for about a year and a half.Originally Posted by ttztotdca50
What I have read, however, was that a newer, more futuristic train was on the horizon for 1959--actually, above it. The Monorail, the true "train of the future," unseated "the fastest miniature train in the world."
There were two trains and two stations. The Fantasyland train only stopped at Fantasyland; the Tomorrowland train only stopped at its respective station. The trains travelled around a figure-8 loop through Tomorrowland.
Bob Gurr, who designed the trains, wrote an excellent article here about his work on the project.
Oh, and about the Disneyland Railroad Wikipedia article: You might want to take what's there with a grain of salt; several "facts" presented there are in error.
Last edited by Steve DeGaetano; 08-26-2005 at 09:30 AM.
Not to mention there doesn't seem to be any ventilation for the radiator and idling an engine like that would be a killer for a big 1950's Olds V8. I don't think the train actually weighed that much, but a 1950's V8 is less powerful than today's V6's and it probably did put a strain on the poor engine. Now, a modern V8 installed in a train like that today would have that thing zipping around the tracks and not overheating at all.
I'm thinking that unless the train had multiple gears, it was probably geared very low which would provided excellent low-speed power, but would've also kept the revs really high all day long.
By the way, where does the monorail get its power from? Is there some kind of power supply running through its track? I don't think I've ever seen a power supply anywhere in the track.
600 Volt DC running through the two bus bars on the right side of the beam. Look for the signs saying "PELIGRO - DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE".
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