Every Role a Starring Role – Disneyland Resort Monorail Pilot

This month, we celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Disneyland Monorail, which opened in 1959 as part of the first major expansion of Disneyland park that included the Matterhorn Bobsleds and the Submarine Voyage.

Walt Disney was personally intrigued by various forms of transportation and included a “highway in the sky” in his early plans for Disneyland park. Today, the Disneyland Resort is the only place in the world to experience the Disneyland Monorail Mark VII.

Mike Gibson has piloted the Disneyland Monorail for 20 years and was the first cast member to operate the orange Mark VII train. Mike explains his duties in this “Every Role a Starring Role!”

Learn about the history of the Monorail here:

• The History of the Disneyland Monorail: Mark I, 1959-1961
• The History of the Disneyland Monorail: Mark II, 1961-1969
• The History of the Disneyland Monorail: Mark III, 1969-1987
• The History of the Walt Disney World Monorail: Mark IV, 1971-1989
• The History of the Disneyland Monorail: Mark V, 1986-2008
• The History of the Walt Disney World Monorail: Mark VI, 1989-Present
• The History of the Disneyland Monorail: Mark VII 2008 Present

Every Role a Starring Role – Disneyland Resort Monorail Pilot by Kevin Rafferty, Jr.: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog