In 1964, the first Disney designed PeopleMover system carried guests through the Ford pavilion at the New York World's Fair. Three years later, Disneyland inaugurated a similar system called the Goodyear PeopleMover which has carried countless numbers of people over millions of passenger miles before its unfortunate closer in 1995. The year 1975 brought the WEDway PeopleMover to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom by utilizing a linear induction propulsion system to economically transport thousands of guests silently every day. The Community Transportation Services (CTS), a former subsidiary of Walt Disney Productions, was responsible for all the research, development, construction, testing and operation of transportation systems for the Disney Parks, including Walt Disney's planned Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT). In today's new article, thanks to a 1977 booklet created by the CTS, we will take an in-depth look at the WEDway PeopleMover, your quiet and carefree highway in the sky...
Contents: WEDway People Mover
2 Twenty Years of Transportation Solutions
3 System Overview
4 Drive System
6 Vehicles
8 Automation
10 System Capacities
12 Track and Support
13 Collision Control and Braking
14 Applications/Operations
15 Walt Disney World System
16 WEDway System Summary
Twenty Years of Transportation Solutions
It started in 1955 at Disneyland, with double-decker buses and riverboats. Already a “mini-city" in transportation activities. Disneyland introduced the first daily monorail service in 1959. The design and development of the monorail system reflected Walt Disney's personal commitment to not only build an attraction, but more importantly, to provide a transportation system for the future.
In 1964, the first Disney-designed PeopleMover system carried guests through the Ford pavilion at the New York World's Fair.
Then, three years later, Disneyland inaugurated a similar system which has carried 36 million people over 27 million passenger miles.
And now, at WALT DISNEY WORLD in Florida, the WEDway PeopleMover utilizes a linear induction propulsion system to economically transport thousands of guests silently every day. This unique transportation system has met the requirements of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration for application as a downtown people mover, and received that agency's certification in May 1976.
Community Transportation Services represents two decades of research, development, construction, testing and operation of transportation systems – systems that not only provide solutions to Walt Disney Productions' needs, but also provide solutions to the transportation needs of today’s cities.
Community Transportation Services will develop the transportation systems and technologies to be showcased in the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT) in a continuing effort to provide clean, efficient transportation to cities throughout the world.
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