Monorail and Lightning

[skyhawk]

Was at WDW about a month ago. We wanted to ride with the monorail driver at one point, but we were told guests aren't allowed there during a lightning storm (it was pretty intense at the time). We said ok, and rode "in the back", but as i"m thinking about it now, not sure why this is a rule...any ideas?

 

[Minnesota]

I have ridden up there several times and here is my best guess though I don't know for dead certain. If you try and board at "public" places like the TTC they will usually tell you in some manner you can't ride up there. If you are boarding at a hotel where you are probably a "guest" you can usually get up there if no one else is. As for the lightening, if it was not at the TTC or public place I would only guess that they would not want guests overhearing the radio calls that might frighten them. (some things said may seem normal and not overly concerning to a trained ear but might be frightening to the untrained ear. Example: I am currently growing E. coli in my microbiology lab. frightening to some but once you know I am growing a non-lethal strain found in every living person's stomach, not so frightening)

 

[FigmentGuy]

Example: I am currently growing E. coli in my microbiology lab. frightening to some but once you know I am growing a non-lethal strain found in every living person's stomach, not so frightening)

ROFL You should see the faces when I say "Helicobacter Pylori is what we are testing for Mr Doe". Laboratory tech here. I can totally see how non common lingo could freak a guest out. I worked at a zoo during college, and we had all kinds of "codes" for everything. It was all this "alpha, zeta, bibbidy bobbidy boo" lingo. I had a hard time remembering those codes. Most of the time i just wanted to get on the radios and say... "Im out of slushie mix on my vending cart" ....to... "a kangaroo is loose again". (guests loved that one)

 

[goofy4tink]

We were told the same thing several years ago. And you can ask to ride up front from any departure point. We were 'cut' by another family at the TTC last year. But lightening does change things a bit. I would imagine that it would be for the reason a previous poster mentioned. The driver has to be much more attentive during these frequent storms.

 

[tlev]

I thought the monorails ran on rubber tires specifically to not have lightning be a problem.

 

[erikthewise]

Riding up front may be curtailed whenever special circumstances occur that require the drivers full attention. I'm sure that's all it is with the lightning.

As far as the safety issue is concerned, being in a monorail (or an automobile) is one of the safest places you can be during a lightning storm. I saw a presentation on this at the Boston Museum of Science many years ago, where they specifically talked about being in a car.

It has nothing to do with rubber tires, which would have to be "a mile thick" to provide enough insulation to stop a lightning bolt. It's because electrical current flows along the outside of a metal surface in this situation. To demonstrate this effect, one of the Museum staff sat in a metal mesh cage (somewhat like an electrical cage in a theatre) suspended from the ceiling while visible electrical bolts of roughly a million volts from a large Van de Graff generator struck the cage. The staff member then placed her hands flat against the inside of the metal mesh while the bolts were hitting the cage!! And of course she was completely unharmed, because the electricity flowed along the outside of the mesh, no more than an inch from her hand.

 

[Sorcerer Figment]

Riding up front may be curtailed whenever special circumstances occur that require the drivers full attention. I'm sure that's all it is with the lightning.

As far as the safety issue is concerned, being in a monorail (or an automobile) is one of the safest places you can be during a lightning storm. I saw a presentation on this at the Boston Museum of Science many years ago, where they specifically talked about being in a car.

It has nothing to do with rubber tires, which would have to be "a mile thick" to provide enough insulation to stop a lightning bolt. It's because electrical current flows along the outside of a metal surface in this situation. To demonstrate this effect, one of the Museum staff sat in a metal mesh cage (somewhat like an electrical cage in a theatre) suspended from the ceiling while visible electrical bolts of roughly a million volts from a large Van de Graff generator struck the cage. The staff member then placed her hands flat against the inside of the metal mesh while the bolts were hitting the cage!! And of course she was completely unharmed, because the electricity flowed along the outside of the mesh, no more than an inch from her hand.

Hey, I saw that this summer! Very cool stuff! I highly recommend it!