The Chester Zoo monorail was an internal transport system at Chester Zoo that operated from 1991 to 2019.
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Description
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The system was 1.4 kilometres (0.9 miles) long[1] and travelled on a single track elevated guideway, a straddle beam monorail, to give views of the zoo grounds – the track crossed Flag Lane twice on its one-way circular route. The two halves of the zoo were connected by the system and there was one station in each part, one near the lion enclosure (Jubilee Square station) and one near the monkey building (Tsavo station, formerly known as Monkey Island station from 1991 until 2015).
The system operated four trains. Each train on the system could seat 24 passengers between its four cars[2] and a full tour took around fifteen minutes.[3] The layout had a separate depot and control room[4][2] and carried approximately 2,000 passengers per day.[5]
T&M Machine Tool Electronics upgraded the monorail's drive system and electrics in 2009, including conversion from DC to AC electrical operation and automation improvements involving the laying of over 25 miles (40 km) of cabling, at a cost of £300,000. The upgraded system used pairs of 2.2-kilowatt (3 hp) AC motors for each carriage, with remote monitoring managed over a 5 GHz wireless link.[6][2]
History
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The monorail was built and installed by Computerised People Mover International at a cost of $4 million and then opened by the Duchess of Kent in 1991.[4][7][8] During its first trip around the zoo, the train suddenly broke down while the Duchess was still on it.
Following the major improvements in 2009, the monorail was re-launched by music producer Pete Waterman during a visit on 23 July 2009, when Waterman drove the first loop of the new system.[2] One week later a power failure occurred, requiring the first eight visitors of the day to be escorted off the monorail using a hydraulic lift.[9][10]
On 17 May 2012, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip took a tour of Chester Zoo in a specially redecorated monorail set painted in a Union Flag theme for their Diamond Jubilee tour of the north-west of England.[11][12][13]
About 2017, Redcroft Management Ltd conducted a "Monorail Future Options Appraisal & Viability Assessment" project to evaluate the commercial and practical viability of extending, replacing or closing the monorail, with options of funding by the North of England Zoological Society.[1]
In June 2019, Chester Zoo announced that it would be closing the monorail as it had become unreliable and now covered less than half the zoo because of expansion to over 125 acres (51 ha). The zoo also stated that it "no longer fits our vision for a world-class modern zoo". The system closed on 3 September 2019.[14][15]
List of trains
edit| Train no. | Image | Paint theme | Theme years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue band on white |
1991 [1] – 2010 [2] | ||
| Giraffe coat | 2010 [3] - 2016 | |||
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|
Elephants | 2016 [4] – 2019 [5] | ||
| 2 | 
|
Green band on white |
1991 - 2010 | |
|
Snake skin | 2010 [6] – 2016 | ||
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|
Cheetah | 2016 - 2019 | ||
| 3 | 
|
Yellow band on white |
1991 [7] – 2010 | |
| Zebra coat | 2010 [8] – 2012 [9] | |||
|
Union Jacks | 2012 – 2016 [10] | The royal visitors used this train on 17 May 2012. It was repainted in this theme to commemorate this. | |
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|
Penguins | 2016 – 2019 | ||
| 4 | Red band on white |
1991 - 2010 [11] | ||
| Tiger coat | 2010 - 2016 [12] | |||
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|
Ants | 2016 [13] – 2019 |
References
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- ^ a b "Chester Zoo - Monorail Future Options Appraisal & Viability Assessment". Redcroft Management Ltd. 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d Coulbeck, Ben (23 July 2009). "Music mogul Pete Waterman launches Chester Zoo's revamped monorail". Chester Chronicle. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
- ^ "Pete Waterman gets birds eye view of the zoo". News. Chester Zoo. 17 July 2009. Archived from the original on 31 July 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
- ^ a b North, B H (July 1992). "Next Stop for the Peoplemover (Abstract)". Urban Transport International – Peoplemovers Update Supplement. Landor Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 14 May 2009.
Computerised People Mover International have developed a straddling monorail which is in use at Chester Zoo.
- ^ Yigitcanlar, Tan; Fabian, Lawrence; Coiacetto, Eddo (2008). "Challenges to Urban Transport Sustainability and Smart Transport in a Tourist City: The Gold Coast" (PDF). The Open Transportation Journal. p. 42.
Automated People Movers: Daily Ridership (Thousand People)... Chester Zoo, UK: 2
- ^ Tinham, Brian (March–April 2011). "Chester Zoo monorail upgrade goes smoothly" (PDF). Engineer to Engineer. Plant Engineer. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
- ^ "Chester Zoo". Monorails of Europe. The Monorail Society. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
- ^ "Historical Archives of the site of Upton's Zoo". Upton-by-Chester Local History Group. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
in 1991 the duchess of Kent opened the zoo monorail.
- ^ Moreton, Nick (27 July 2009). "Eight people rescued from Chester Zoo monorail after power failure". Liverpool Daily Post.
- ^ Porter, Gary (30 July 2009). "Chester Zoo's revamped monorail service breaks down due to power failure".
- ^ "Great British Monorail Train Unveiled". Zoo News. Chester Zoo. 11 May 2012. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
- ^ "The Queen unveils plaque at Chester Zoo". ITV News. 17 May 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
- ^ "The Queen's Diamond Jubilee tour of the north-west of England". The Daily Telegraph. 17 May 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ^ De Lucia, Carmella (26 June 2019). "Chester Zoo's popular monorail to be scrapped after 28 years". Chester Chronicle.
- ^ Whelan, Zara (3 September 2019). "Chester Zoo monorail will make its final voyage today - it's the end of an era". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 8 November 2020.