Pulling a Monorails W/ Parking Tram?

[N234MM]

I was reading a great website and came across an interesting fact at the bottom of the page. "If the work tractor is not available, the train can be towed by a Parking Tram (which has been done in past years)." Has anyone ever seen this? How can it be done with the Monorail in the air and the tram on the ground?

Scroll to the bottom and you will see this under "Other miscellaneous notes:".

http://www.monorailyellow.com/monorails.asp

Also, is Mark IV Blue still near the Contemporary?

 

[Phonedave]

I was reading a great website and came across an interesting fact at the bottom of the page. "If the work tractor is not available, the train can be towed by a Parking Tram (which has been done in past years)." Has anyone ever seen this? How can it be done with the Monorail in the air and the tram on the ground?

Scroll to the bottom and you will see this under "Other miscellaneous notes:".

http://www.monorailyellow.com/monorails.asp

Also, is Mark IV Blue still near the Contemporary?

I can envision how it would be done in areas that a parking tram can access. But the beamways cross water, grass, and forested area. The parking tram is not going over that stuff.

-dave

 

[Rob562]

I can envision how it would be done in areas that a parking tram can access. But the beamways cross water, grass, and forested area. The parking tram is not going over that stuff.

-dave

Plus, I believe there are three work tractors. Some run on electricity, some on diesel. Which one is used depends on what the problem is. (train failure, power failure...)
Unless the spur track or switch is broken and keeps any tugs from getting out onto the beams, they can get at least one of the tugs out there to push/pull the train to a station...

I'm wondering if what was posted was a mis-interpretation of the usage of the trams. In case of major issues, they can use (and they have used) parking trams to bring Guests from the TTC to the MK bus loop. (I think that was even done recently where there was a problem with the monorails and high winds kept all watercraft from operating)
Perhaps what they read said something like "parking trams can supplement the monorail service in case of a major system outage" and it was interpreted as being "parking trams can pull a monorail if it breaks down)

-Rob

 

[Phonedave]

Plus, I believe there are three work tractors. Some run on electricity, some on diesel. Which one is used depends on what the problem is. (train failure, power failure...)
Unless the spur track or switch is broken and keeps any tugs from getting out onto the beams, they can get at least one of the tugs out there to push/pull the train to a station...

I'm wondering if what was posted was a mis-interpretation of the usage of the trams. In case of major issues, they can use (and they have used) parking trams to bring Guests from the TTC to the MK bus loop. (I think that was even done recently where there was a problem with the monorails and high winds kept all watercraft from operating)
Perhaps what they read said something like "parking trams can supplement the monorail service in case of a major system outage" and it was interpreted as being "parking trams can pull a monorail if it breaks down)

-Rob

That does make more sense.

And yes, it was done pretty recently

-dave

 

[N234MM]

Rob562, I see your point but I don't think that's what they ment to write. The article read, "If the work tractor is not available, the train can be towed by a Parking Tram". That would be hard to mix up that bad.

I guess you could hook a rope onto one of the pennel hooks on the monorail and tow it a short distance. But it seems that would put loads and forces on the train that wouldn't be good for it. Can anyone find a pic?

Also, does anyone know if Monorail Blue (Mark IV) is still stored at the Contemporary? That webpage also mentions it being there as well.

 

[WDW Monorail]

Plus, I believe there are three work tractors.

-Rob

To my knowledge, there is only one [diesel] tractor on site. If I am not mistaken, tractor #3 is at WDW while #2 is at DL. I assume #1 was retired.


Just a thought to ponder, how was the crash between a Mark IV and the tractor "cleaned" up? I assume that the tractor was still operational.

 

[unkadug]

Another line that doesn't ring true is:

Putting this diplomatically, no media service in Central Florida has since published an unfavorable story about the Company.

I know this isn't true.

 

[Phonedave]

Rob562, I see your point but I don't think that's what they ment to write. The article read, "If the work tractor is not available, the train can be towed by a Parking Tram". That would be hard to mix up that bad.

I guess you could hook a rope onto one of the pennel hooks on the monorail and tow it a short distance. But it seems that would put loads and forces on the train that wouldn't be good for it. Can anyone find a pic?

Also, does anyone know if Monorail Blue (Mark IV) is still stored at the Contemporary? That webpage also mentions it being there as well.

Just thinking about it as well. If you were to us a tow cable between a tram engine and the monorail, there would be a component of the force vector on the parking tram in the verticle direction. Working from memory, isn't a parking tram tug balanced by the load of the cars on the hitch. The tram tug is not the most stable of vehicles with the cars removed. By trying to tow with it, where the monorail is above it, I just envision that thing bobbing all over the place.

-dave

 

[Timon]

Plus, I believe there are three work tractors. Some run on electricity, some on diesel. Which one is used depends on what the problem is. (train failure, power failure...)
Unless the spur track or switch is broken and keeps any tugs from getting out onto the beams, they can get at least one of the tugs out there to push/pull the train to a station...
-Rob

WDW as far as I know has only two diesel powered tractor/tugs. WDW & DL tractors can't be shared as one of many reasons is DL monorail track is 20" wide and WDW's is 26"

Attached is the number 2 WDW tractor with work trailer. Also attached is the DL tractor in the roundhouse.

 

[goofntink]

I believe it was misinterpreted as well. The monorails can be towed by another monorail if the tug is not available.That is what they have meant to say.

 

[Timon]

Opps

I may be wrong about there being 2 WDW tractors vs 3, as I read in another unofficial source that there could be 3. I'm trying to find a official confirmation of this. I go past the Monorail roundhouse twice a week and so far have only seen the #1 and #2 tractor.

As for one train pulling another. Technically "Yes" but probably could only "hitch up" in a station since the trains don't carry a tow bar and if they did have one while out of station, sliding down the cab nose to the track to hitch it up would be crazy dangerous. I'd wait for a tractor.

 

[Uncle Lupe]

How many Monorail Avatars can fit into one thread?

 

[unkadug]

63,186

 

[Monorail_Red]

The WDW Monorail System has a total of 3 diesel-powered work tractors. They each have their own running number and color stripe. They all have been in service since the Monorail System was constructed. (I believe)

#1 - Red
#2 - Blue
#3 - Green

The DL Monorail tracks are totally different than WDW's, and it would be impossible to swap equipment between the two systems.

As to a Monorail towing another Monorail, it isn't engineered for that. The "tow hooks" (almost like a pintle hitch on trucks) are located under the nosecones. So if a Monorail was to try and line-up to another Monorail's hitch, the nosecones will collide and the tow hooks would still be a good 10ft away. I suppose it is possible to fabricate a tow bar for the application, but there are two problems with that. 1st, it would probabaly have to be at least 15ft long, and if going around the outside of a curve, it will scrape & probabaly tear up the beam. 2nd, there would be no way to put the tow bar in place from the beamway. Another issue would be the brakes. The tractors have on-board air systems to use the train's brakes when coming to a stop. While another Monorail has enough power to get another Monorail moving, there would not be a safe way of bringing the two trains to a stop.

Parking trams have been used in the past, but with all the development (and swamp land ) surrounding the Monorail tracks, I don't see parking trams being used today, mainly due to safety. A tram can't tow a train all the way back to the shop. You run into stations and other obstructions like trees, guard rails, etc. Anything a tow cable can snag. I can see them being used in the rare event that a train gets stuck right on top of a switch beam. Like said before, the physics of using a tram don't always check-out either.

:wave:

 

[boo52]

The WDW Monorail System has a total of 3 diesel-powered work tractors. They each have their own running number and color stripe. They all have been in service since the Monorail System was constructed.

Tractor 3 is the newest. It only came online within the past 5 years or so.

 

[Rob562]

Are the tractors dual-powered? (i.e. they can run on diesel or electric)

If the breakdown isn't beam power-related, it'd seem unnecessary to run a diesel engine when the tractor could just draw power from the beam. (And I'm sure the diesel tractor would be rather loud, obnoxious and create fumes going through the Contemporary)

-Rob

 

[Monorail_Red]

Are the tractors dual-powered? (i.e. they can run on diesel or electric)

If the breakdown isn't beam power-related, it'd seem unnecessary to run a diesel engine when the tractor could just draw power from the beam. (And I'm sure the diesel tractor would be rather loud, obnoxious and create fumes going through the Contemporary)

-Rob

All the tractors are diesel powered. No electric. They aren't that loud going through the Contemporary either believe it or not. The fumes aren't an issue because it dispurses rapidly.

 

[EpcoTim]

As to a Monorail towing another Monorail, it isn't engineered for that. The "tow hooks" (almost like a pintle hitch on trucks) are located under the nosecones. So if a Monorail was to try and line-up to another Monorail's hitch, the nosecones will collide and the tow hooks would still be a good 10ft away. I suppose it is possible to fabricate a tow bar for the application, but there are two problems with that. 1st, it would probabaly have to be at least 15ft long, and if going around the outside of a curve, it will scrape & probabaly tear up the beam. 2nd, there would be no way to put the tow bar in place from the beamway. Another issue would be the brakes. The tractors have on-board air systems to use the train's brakes when coming to a stop. While another Monorail has enough power to get another Monorail moving, there would not be a safe way of bringing the two trains to a stop.

Couldn't they use tow chains? And if the braking systems are air they could still stop the train. I take a guess that not only those two things, but also the enormous force on the towing monorails frame/chassis would just be too great.

 

[Monorail_Red]

Couldn't they use tow chains? And if the braking systems are air they could still stop the train. I take a guess that not only those two things, but also the enormous force on the towing monorails frame/chassis would just be too great.

Well tow bar or chains you still run into the problems of getting it in place, and dragging on the outer edge of a curve. Monorails are only meant to move what's within the limit of its chassis. As to the brakes again, they are air, but only are used when stopping at low speeds. The rest is all dynamic. Monorails towing Monorails just isn't feasible.