The History of the Disneyland Monorail: Mark V, 1986-2008

I love when we can have a Disney Parks Blog series that spans both Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts, so many thanks to my fellow author, Nate Rasmussen, for the excellent story on the Mark IV Monorail. Today, we return to the Disneyland Resort to continue our look at the history of the Disneyland Monorail with the Mark V.

The most recognizable difference with the Mark V, compared to its predecessor, the Mark III, was its look. Designed to resemble the Mark IV monorail at Walt Disney World Resort, this new model was white with an accent color stripe running along the side. The four different colored stripes along the Mark V Monorails were red, blue, orange and purple.

Another major difference was the new path the Disneyland Monorail would travel. In 1994, the path was diverted to run above the Eeyore section of the original Disneyland parking lot (remember that?) to accommodate the construction of Indiana Jones Adventure. Then in 1999, when construction began on Disney California Adventure park, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and the Downtown Disney District, portions of the track were re-routed to accommodate these additions.

The opening of the Downtown Disney District also provided an opportunity for a brand-new station to be constructed for the Disneyland Monorail. When the station opened in 2001, it provided a convenient second entrance to Disneyland park, which is still available for guests today.

Check back next month, when I hand the controls back to Nate Rasmussen, who will tell us about the Mark VI Monorail, which currently travels the “highway in the sky” at the Walt Disney World Resort.

The History of the Disneyland Monorail: Mark V, 1986-2008 by Erin Glover: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog