'No two trips are ever exactly alike': Monorail turns 50
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SEATTLE -- The Seattle Center Monorail, a moving memorial to the city's history, is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Built for the 1962 World's Fair, the project cost more than $3 million -- today's equivalent of approximately $20 million. And it personified the way in which America envisioned future back then.
President John F. Kennedy himself opened the World's Fair.
"May we open not only a great World's Fair, may we open an era of peace and understanding," he said.
A few months later, a king took a ride in the monorail. Elvis Presley took a ride on the celebrated ride while in Seattle filming the movie "It Happened at the World's Fair." A ticket cost just $0.50 back then.
Designed to cruise over Fifth Avenue at speeds faster than 55 miles per hour, each train has traveled more than a million miles over the years, offering its riders a scenic view out the train's windows to the front, the back and the sides.
The monorail's tracks have been shortened by a block and a half over the years. On a busy day, it carries some 20,000 passengers.
"Every time we come to Seattle, we have to ride the monorail," said one visitor.
"Amazing!" said a young girl riding the train.
Many have ridden the monorail more than once, but nobody has ridden it more than conductor Jayme Gustilo, who estimates he has taken "about 165,000 one-way trips, at least."
Gustilo, who first rode the monorail as a kid, has been working as a conductor for more than 20 years. And he says he has not tired of the ride yet.
"Even though it only goes one mile, and it only has two stops - Westlake Center and Seattle Center, no two trips are ever exactly alike," he said.
The monorail has hit a few bumps along the way. In 1971, a crash caused by brake failure injured 24 passengers. And in 2004, a fire broke out aboard a train carrying 170 passengers, including children. The very next year, two trains collided and stuck together.
Still, over the decades, it has won over the hearts of locals and visitors alike. An eighth grader has even created a video game called the Seattle Center Monorail Game.
The 50th anniversary celebration of the monorail kicks off at the Seattle Center on Saturday at 10 a.m. Historic photos and memorabilia will be on display aboard a parked monorail train. And a public ceremony will be held at 11 a.m.
Built for the 1962 World's Fair, the project cost more than $3 million -- today's equivalent of approximately $20 million. And it personified the way in which America envisioned future back then.
President John F. Kennedy himself opened the World's Fair.
"May we open not only a great World's Fair, may we open an era of peace and understanding," he said.
A few months later, a king took a ride in the monorail. Elvis Presley took a ride on the celebrated ride while in Seattle filming the movie "It Happened at the World's Fair." A ticket cost just $0.50 back then.
Designed to cruise over Fifth Avenue at speeds faster than 55 miles per hour, each train has traveled more than a million miles over the years, offering its riders a scenic view out the train's windows to the front, the back and the sides.
The monorail's tracks have been shortened by a block and a half over the years. On a busy day, it carries some 20,000 passengers.
"Every time we come to Seattle, we have to ride the monorail," said one visitor.
"Amazing!" said a young girl riding the train.
Many have ridden the monorail more than once, but nobody has ridden it more than conductor Jayme Gustilo, who estimates he has taken "about 165,000 one-way trips, at least."
Gustilo, who first rode the monorail as a kid, has been working as a conductor for more than 20 years. And he says he has not tired of the ride yet.
"Even though it only goes one mile, and it only has two stops - Westlake Center and Seattle Center, no two trips are ever exactly alike," he said.
The monorail has hit a few bumps along the way. In 1971, a crash caused by brake failure injured 24 passengers. And in 2004, a fire broke out aboard a train carrying 170 passengers, including children. The very next year, two trains collided and stuck together.
Still, over the decades, it has won over the hearts of locals and visitors alike. An eighth grader has even created a video game called the Seattle Center Monorail Game.
The 50th anniversary celebration of the monorail kicks off at the Seattle Center on Saturday at 10 a.m. Historic photos and memorabilia will be on display aboard a parked monorail train. And a public ceremony will be held at 11 a.m.
