FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

29 February, 1988

HISTORIC TRAIN TO BE SHREDDED

This year, on the verge of the monorail system's 30th anniversary, a new design of Monorail — the Mark V — will go on line. In keeping with the new image of The Future, the Mark V Monorails are built of composite materials. No stainless steel. No bubble top.

Three of the old-style Monorails have already been destroyed. The fourth — Old Red — will take its last trip around Disneyland near the end of March. And it won't be put out to pasture. As with the previous three, Old Red is scheduled for demolition in an automobile shredder, its magnificent stainless-steel siding and shimmering bubble top reduced to rubble. Millions of childhood memories ground into scrap.

To those millions of children (and adults!), a ride in the bubble top was a high honor tantamount to an Olympic gold medal. A new generation will soon arise with no experience of such glory.

One man wants to stop that. Victor Koman of Huntington Beach, California, has mounted a campaign to convince the Walt Disney Company to donate the Mark III to a science center or railroad museum. "As beautiful as the new monorail trains are," Koman says, "I — and millions of others who grew up with Disneyland — have a special fondness for the Mark IIIs, with their bright colors and gleaming stainless-steel sides. Most important, though, was the bubble top.

"As a child, visiting Disneyland once every few years with my parents, the ultimate pride for me would have been to ride up there in the bubble, right next to the Monorail operator. Alas, I never had the time to wait out the others who had the same goal.

"Having moved down to Orange County a few years ago, I finally fulfilled that boyhood dream by taking my daughter for a ride in the bubble top of the last surviving Mark III — Monorail Red. I was glad I did, because the engineer told me that Old Red would soon be only a memory.

"They'll re-use the undercarriage on the new version, but I guess the current management at Disney doesn't see the value in preserving the body and interior of this lovely old machine. It's a vehicle, however, that reflects the way we saw the future from back in 1959. The future looks different now, but why destroy our old visions to make way for the new?"

Koman's organization — The Incredibly ad hoc Committee to Save The World's Last Mark III Monorail (or just Save Old Red!) — is striving to convince the Disney Company to donate or sell the venerable attraction rather than demolish it. At the same time, Save Old Red! is attempting to locate a museum willing to accept such a donation.

"There is a precedent," Koman points out. "A gazebo that once stood in Disneyland's Main Street Square was dismantled and donated to a commercial landscaper in Corona del Mar where it is now part of their nursery grounds."

Koman feels that the Monorail is more than an amusement park attraction. "It was the first operating monorail system in the Western Hemisphere. It was the first monorail in the United States to cross a public thoroughfare. It has carried young and old, rich and poor, dreamers and doers, presidents and kings. As the last surviving Monorail from that era, the Mark III is no longer just an obsolete amusement park ride — it is history itself. We can't let it die." Koman smiles. "Walt Disney loved trains. He would have preserved Old Red somehow."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

30 March, 1988

SAVE-THE-MONORAIL EFFORT
GAINS STEAM

Just last year, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers declared the Disneyland Monorail System a National Historic Landmark, and one man wants to stop the imminent destruction and save the monorail. Victor Koman of Huntington Beach, California, has mounted a campaign to convince the Walt Disney Company to donate the shell of the Mark III to a science center, railroad museum or private collection. "As beautiful as the new monorail trains are," Koman says, "the Mark III — with its bright color, gleaming stainless-steel sides, and bubble top — reflects the way we saw the future from back in 1959. The future is different now, but why destroy the way the future was? It would be tragic to lose such a lovely work of functional art."

Koman is striving to convince the Disney Company to donate or sell the venerable train rather than demolish it. At the same time, Save Old Red! is searching for a museum willing to accept such a large item. Response to Koman's one-man effort has been immediate and astoundingly positive. He has been interviewed on radio news and talk-show programs and the campaign received front-page coverage March 22nd and a followup March 29th in the Orange County Register, flagship newspaper of the Freedom Chain. The Los Angeles Times also profiled Save Old Red with an illustrated article. Calls and letters have flooded the Disneyland offices and former Disneyland monorail builders have expressed their fondness for the vehicle and their support for the preservation campaign.

"It's gratifying to know," Koman says, "that mine is not a lone voice in the wilderness. Disneyland guests favor saving Old Red somehow. The Disney Company has been very helpful in letting me publicize the monorail's plight. Everyone seems to be pulling for Old Red the way they rooted for Old Yeller in the Disney movie."

And maybe the saga of Old Red will have a happier ending.

INFORMATION ALERT

2 APRIL, 1988

DISNEYLAND SETS TERMS FOR MONORAIL ACQUISITION

• The display must be static. That is, the Mark III Monorail must not be a working vehicle. This will be easy to fulfill because the monorail will arrive without its undercarriage (which will be renovated and used on the Mark V).
• The Mark III must be on display to the public; free, if at all possible. Most museums could swing that, though the sort that operates on donations or modest admissions would likely be acceptable. Remember that it must be protected from vandals, and check your liability insurance.
• The monorail must never be used for commercial purposes. Again, nearly any museum can meet this stipulation.

The second cost will be that of transportation. I have asked for a ballpark estimate from Halbert Brothers, who have worked with Disney in the past. Naturally, the closer the museum is to Disneyland, the lower the cost. On the other hand, the farther away the final destination, the more publicity a long move will generate. It evens out...

We've compiled this information sheet so that you — the prospective recipient of Old Red — will know more about the costs and legal requirements of preserving the last Mark III Monorail. It is our hope that these terms and costs will seem reasonable and that you will make an offer to the Disney Company as soon as possible. The last reminder of a past era of transportation history is headed for the scrap pile. If you act now, you could be the one to keep them from bursting the bubble.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

8 April, 1988

DISNEYLAND MONORAIL TO BE DESTROYED APRIL 18TH!

For all intents, the nick of time is Tuesday, April 12th. If no museum makes an offer to the Disney Company by then, workers will not have enough time to remove the stainless-steel-and-Plexiglas outer shell with the care required to preserve the vehicle for display. One man who still hopes to pull off an eleventh-hour miracle is Victor Koman of SAVE OLD RED!, The Incredibly Ad Hoc Committee to Save the World's Last Mark III Monorail.

Koman's effort has stirred up public interest in saving the 20-year-old "train of the future." Orange County Supervisorial candidate Sam Porter has offered to store Old Red at his Trabuco Canyon ranch until permanent lodging can be found. Irvine Community Services Commissioner David Kidd has found a transport service willing to move it to the ranch or a museum. But the Disney Company needs the assurance that the monorail train's final refuge will be in public display, free if possible, and that it will never be put into commercial use.

Until a museum can be found — and Koman is burning up his telephone with nationwide calls — the fate of the last Mark III monorail tilts dangerously toward extinction.

"We've got to find someone with lawyers to talk to Disney's lawyers," says Koman. "An agreement has to be reached with the upper echelons of the Company so that the monorail crew can disassemble Old Red in a non-destructive manner. If we can only reach that point, we'll have a few more days to locate a museum." Koman is undaunted. A lifelong fan of Disneyland and Walt Disney's films, he deeply believes that when all hope seems lost, a last-minute rescue is close at hand.

"All we need is time. If enough people hear our cry, I'm certain that someone will step forward to save Old Red."

URGENT!
ONLY 2 DAYS TO SAVE TRANSPORTATION HISTORY FROM
OBLIVION!

You'll probably be receiving this on Monday. You do not have time to make a presentation to a committee. You do not have time to arrange a fact-finding mission. You do not have time for red tape, Byzantine intrigue, or thoughtful introspection.

GET ON THE HORN AND CALL DISNEY!

Forget the unease of doubt. Ignore the discomfort of personal responsibility. Seize the moment to bring a piece of history that has touched hundreds of millions of lives to your museum. The multitude of cheers you hear are the grateful voices of generations now and to come. You have the foresight to see the value of this monumental piece of transportation history. You have the literally once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to save the last of a breed. But it requires that you act now and get authorization later. Don't be daunted by anyone's resistance or attempts to delay you. Get a commitment from Disney that they will immediately order non-destructive disassembly of Old Red. Call David Kidd (below) to arrange transportation. Between us, I'm certain we can win.

Look at the publicity I received simply from my desire to save Old Red. Imagine what coverage will be received by the museum that pulls off the actual eleventh-hour rescue of that venerable train. It can be your museum, if you dare.

But you must act. RIGHT NOW!