Disneyland's: The Viewliner (1957)

[Bret_D]

 

[Bob]

Styled after the GM Aerotrain. That was the "train of the future" at the time, lightweight and quick.

Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the hype, as it was essentially a string of GM buses on rails. It didn't have the comforts and ride qualities that rail passengers had come to expect. They lived on in commuter service for a while, but never took off as hoped.

The Talgo trains use a similar concept of lightweight cars and single axles. and are popular.

 

[Bill Anderson]

Is the Zooliner at the Portland Zoo still in service? I believe parts of its route had been torn up for remodeling.

 

[Bob]

Is the Zooliner at the Portland Zoo still in service? I believe parts of its route had been torn up for remodeling.

I think so, but I'm not certain. It's pretty much the main train, so I'm guessing it's in service, or would be if the entire zoo wasn't shut down for Covid. I used to do a lot of photography for the railroad there, and you're correct much of the route is no longer in service. The line to the Rose Garden is out of service due to the hillside sliding in places and they tore up much of the line in the zoo for the new elephant enclosure. I understand that, they're a zoo, not a tourist railroad, but the new line is a really short figure 8 that's pretty discouraging.