Trailblazer was a suspended

monorail A monorail is a Rail transport, railway in which the track consists of a single rail or beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, the term refers to the style ...

that operated at Fair Park in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

from 1956 to 1964. It was the first commercially operated monorail system in the United States.

History

Envisioned as a demonstration project for transit solutions, Monorail, Inc. erected a short test system in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

's Arrowhead Park as the Skyway Line in 1956. During the year, the company contracted with the State Fair of Texas for an expanded project at Fair Park in Dallas. Originally envisioned to be long with terminals at the Automobile Building and Pennsylvania Avenue (with a midway station at Cotton Bowl Plaza), the line was later reduced to terminating at the Cotton Bowl. It was completely funded and constructed by Monorail, Inc and operated as a fairgrounds concession by Texas Skyways, Inc — making it the nation's first commercial operating monorail line Most of the materials (including the vehicle) were repurposed from the Houston test project. It opened with a fare of 25 cents in time for the 1956 State Fair of Texas, and became a top visitor attraction."Park Board Agrees to Monorail Plans," The Dallas Morning News, 08-14-1956 It also made an appearance in the 1962

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

''State Fair'', which was filmed in Fair Park.

Service and operations

A 51-passenger vehicle—named Trailblazer—was built of light blue fiberglass and powered by two Packard 352 gasoline engines. A two-man crew operated the system with the driver sitting above the passenger compartment atop one of two

bogie A bogie ( ) (or truck in North American English) comprises two or more Wheelset (rail transport), wheelsets (two Railroad wheel, wheels on an axle), in a frame, attached under a vehicle by a pivot. Bogies take various forms in various modes ...

s. Trailblazer was supported by high inverted J-shaped steel towers spaced apart. The suspended vehicle ran above the ground on pneumatic tires with a maximum speed of ; however, the system at Fair Park was limited by the acceleration possible between stations. The monorail operated for several years during the State Fair of Texas and year-round on weekends. The system became a showcase of transportation technology for Dallas and Monorail, Inc, attracting the attention of urban planners and city leaders from around the world. Thirty months after installation, the system had attracted 50,000 riders; by the end of its life, it had carried over 1,000,000 people. In April 1958, a small fire caused the evacuation of Trailblazer, but the six passengers and two crew members escaped unharmed. The system was closed in 1964 due to diminishing novelty and maintenance, being replaced by the Swiss Sky Ride. The track was dismantled and the vehicle was scheduled to retire to the Goodell Monorail Museum in Houston. Several years later, however, the monorail vehicle was found in a salvage yard. It was later purchased and moved to the town of Wills Point, Texas, and converted to a residence, where it remains today."A Trailblazer’s resting spot
, The Houston Chronicle, 01-20-2009

References

External links

Photo in Fair ParkPhoto of Automobile Building TerminalDallas Public Library ImagesVideo of Trailblazer"Living in a monorail car"
{{US non-airport people movers defunct monorails monorails in the United States passenger rail transportation in Texas railway lines opened in 1956 railway lines closed in 1964 State Fair of Texas suspended monorails transportation in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex