Original Disney World Monorail Car Now On EBay

By  //  May 7, 2014

Car Was Used During Park's Grand Opening in 1971

ABOVE VIDEO: Disney found some early footage of Magic Kingdom construction in our film archives. Check out this clip, which documents the building of Cinderella Castle, Haunted Mansion and Main Street, USA, as well as the arrival of the first Monorail! Video courtesy of Disney Parks.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA — A theme park warehouse based in Orlando known as Theme Park Connection, which specializes in buying, selling and trading Disney items, has listed an original monorail cab car on online auction site eBay. 

(Photo courtesy of Theme Park Connection)
(Photo courtesy of Theme Park Connection)

According to Theme Park Connection’s eBay listing, the vehicle was the front cab of the red monorail which serviced Walt Disney World from the grand opening of the resort in 1971 to the arrival of the Mark VI monorails starting in 1989.

About the Mark IV Monorail

  • The Mark IV monorail is a design model of straddle-type monorail trains
  • The design was developed by legendary Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr
  • Ten trains were built by Martin Marietta in 1969 at the cost of about six million USD each and they were used on the Walt Disney World Monorail System between 1971 and 1989 before they were replaced by the Mark VI monorail, although a few lasted until 1991
  • Sometime between 1991 & 1994 Monorail Coral and Lime (which had been introduced new in 1984) were sold for $3.5 million each, refurbished, and used to begin the Las Vegas Monorail operations
  • These would be the first Disney monorail trains that had a real transportation purpose
  • It was no longer a ride in the park but a necessary element to the resorts continued operation.
  • Inspired by the look of the popular Leer jets Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr designed the new Mark IV trains
  • The Mark IV trains were manufactured by Martin Marietta in Orlando, Florida with 10 trains originally being built
  • When two additional trains were needed in the mid-1980s as attendance increased, Disney turned WDI to build the additional units
  • When the Mark IV monorails were retired, most of the trains were scrapped.
Photo courtesy of Theme Park Connection
Photo courtesy of Theme Park Connection
http://www.ebay.com/itm/390832391157
http://www.ebay.com/itm/390832391157
http://www.ebay.com/itm/390832391157
http://www.ebay.com/itm/390832391157