June 14, 1959 – The Disneyland monorail opens

On this day in 1959 the Disneyland Monorail System opened at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, during the rededication of Tomorrowland. The original trains, the Mark I Red and Blue, each stretched three cars long. In 1961 a lenthened station at Disneyland Hotel station connected with the monorail track to accommodate a new four car train, the Mark II. This improved ridership and usability of the system as real transportation to and from the park, not just a ride.

These days, the cars are often outfitted with decals representing Disney movies or park expansions. For example, in 2012 the cars were dressed as characters from the movie “Cars.” Monorail Red became Manny Monorail, Monorail Blue became Mandy Monorail, and Monorail Orange became Mona Monorail. The track features two stops, one in Tomorrowland and the Downtown Disney Station. The latter stands where the original Disneyland Hotel (and Hotel Station) used to be prior to being torn down in 1999.