Is there a more iconic mode of Disney Transportation than the Monorail.  In Florida it’s our Highway in the Sky that whisks us from the parking lot directly to either a few fancy resorts or a couple of the theme parks.  This is one of the first “attractions” that thousands of families encounter when they visit and it’s certainly a magical way to start or end your vacation.  When my family would first get on the monorail I knew I was on vacation when I would hear those famous words “Please stand clear of the doors. ¡Por favor manténgase alejado de las puertas!”  Depending on how many times you have visited if you are like me you mouth these words as they are announced over the speaker system.  These are probably the only Spanish words I know and feel that I pronounce correctly, and I’m not the only one.  There are even places online selling t-shirts or stickers with this phrase on it.  Fans just can’t get enough.

So where did the Disney Monorail all start?  Well back in 1958 legendary Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr headed a team that designed and manufactured the cars, chassis, suspension and propulsion system of the original Red Mark I train.  It debuted in the Disneyland park on June 14th, 1959.

Over in Florida the monorail system debuted when Walt Disney World opened on October 1st, 1971 with the newer (at the time) Mark IV monorail trains.

Then in 1989 the fleet was updated to the newer Mark VI model built by Bombardier of Canada at a reported cost of over $3.5 million US dollars per train.  Now here we are in 2021 and we are still riding along on those Mark IV trains which have been running for over 30 years.

Recently fellow TEC member and penny pal Jim McNally commissioned a special monorail design coin for his website zzzCoins.com.  These were designed and rolled by another fellow collector Donald Cade and were produced in January 2021.  The front design features the monorail in the middle and our favorite safety announcement in english on top, and Spanish on the bottom, as well as Don’s initials DC just  below the grip on the left side.  On the reverse side is the promotion for Jim’s elongated coins website http://www.zzzCoins.com.

Jim had 300 copper pennies produced with this design and an additional 29 denomination sets that include the design rolled on a US cent, nickel, dime and quarter.  The denomination set is available for purchase on his website which is how I acquired my set.  This is such a cool design and unique way to promote a website.  Both Jim and Don did a great job coordinating these.

If you are interested in purchasing a set of these please head over to Jim’s website immediately.  With only a small number of these denomination sets rolled I’m sure they will go fast.  zzzCoins also has an extensive inventory of Disney pressed pennies both current and retired designs, as well as from other locations all over the United States.  Right now Jim is offering to include one of the monorail pressed penny designs with each order placed on his site while supplies last.

On just a quick side note, this is not a paid advertisement, Jim is one of my penny pals and I jumped at the opportunity to grab a set of these coins as soon as I heard about them.  I have used his online shop numerous times in the past to help fill in some gaps of my Disney penny collection.

From time to time we will be doing similar posts reviewing other privately designs and rolled coins which is really a big part of elongated coin collecting.  So many times we only think about the designs available at theme parks or road side attractions, but private designers create some really fun and unique designs that are extra special since they are only produced in very limited quantities.  They make a great addition to any collection, but you have to be quick.

Thanks again for visiting this week, I hope you learned a little bit about the famous Disney Monorail system.  It truly is my favorite way to get into the parks.  Even now in 2021 it still seems like a futuristic method of transportation.  Maybe that’s just the kid in me, but I hope it never goes away.  Stay safe everyone, and Keep on Pressing!