Key Takeaways:
- The Seattle Center Monorail is one of the oldest operating transit systems of its kind in the world.
- The original 1962 trains are still in service today, and the history behind the Seattle Center Monorail goes further than most riders expect.
- From its World’s Fair origins to unexpected Hollywood connections, there is more to a two-minute ride on the Seattle Monorail than meets the eye.
Most people know the Seattle Center Monorail as a quick, breezy ride with a great view. The story behind it, rooted in the Century 21 Exposition, aka Seattle’s 1962 World’s Fair, is far more interesting. Here are ten things that might surprise you.
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The Company That Built the Seattle Monorail Did So for Free
When Seattle was planning the Century 21 Exposition, city leaders were hesitant to spend public money on an unproven transit technology. So ALWEG, a West German company, made an extraordinary offer: they would fund the entire $3.5 million construction cost themselves. Their bet was simple. If the Monorail could carry enough fairgoers over six months, ALWEG would recoup the investment through ticket sales and prove to the world that its technology belonged in real cities. It worked. ALWEG turned a profit before the fair even closed.
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The Name “Century 21 Exposition” Was About the Future, Not Real Estate
When Seattle named its World’s Fair the “Century 21 Exposition,” it was making a deliberate statement about the 21st century. The entire fair was designed to show visitors what life might look like in the year 2000 and beyond. The Century 21 real estate company, recognizable by its gold blazers, came along nearly a decade later in 1971 and borrowed the same forward-looking phrase. No connection. Just the same idea.
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It Opened Almost a Month Before the World’s Fair Did
The Century 21 Exposition officially opened on April 21, 1962. The Seattle Center Monorail was already running on March 24, nearly a month earlier. Those first preview rides built excitement and gave Seattleites an early taste of what the city of the future might feel like. By the time the fairgrounds opened, the Monorail already had fans.
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It Runs on 64 Rubber Tires, Not Steel Rails
The Seattle Center Monorail does not ride on steel rails like a traditional train. The two original aluminum trains use 64 air-filled rubber tires. Sixteen load-carrying tires sit on top of the concrete beam to support the train’s weight, while 48 smaller guide tires hug the sides for steering and alignment. It operates more like a bus on an elevated highway than a conventional rail vehicle.
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The Trains Had More Dramatic Names When They Debuted
When the two trains arrived in Seattle for the World’s Fair, they carried names befitting the occasion: “Spirit of Seattle” and “Spirit of Century 21.” Over the years, they became known simply as the Blue Train and the Red Train. Whatever you call them, they are the same two vehicles that have been running this route since 1962.
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Elvis Presley Filmed Here. So Did a Future Movie Star.
Elvis Presley filmed scenes for the MGM musical “It Happened at the World’s Fair” across Seattle Center during the 1962 exposition, including on the Seattle Center Monorail, at the top of the Space Needle, and through the fountains at what is now the Pacific Science Center. The film was released in theaters in April 1963. What most people do not know: a young Kurt Russell appeared in the film in an uncredited role, famously kicking Elvis in the shin in his big scene. It was his movie debut. The World’s Fair brought two of Hollywood’s most recognizable names to Seattle, one already a superstar, one just getting started.
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The Original Route Was Longer Than What You Ride Today
The track you ride today is not exactly the one built for the World’s Fair. Originally, the southern end of the line extended further into downtown Seattle, crossing over Pine Street. In 1988, to make way for the Westlake Center shopping mall, the tracks were shortened by about a block, and the downtown station was moved to the mall’s third floor, where it remains today. A small but real piece of 1962 history was quietly trimmed away.
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The Original 1962 Trains Are Still Running
The trains currently in service are the same ones that debuted at the Century 21 Exposition. They have been refurbished over the decades, but the Blue Train and the Red Train are original 1962 vehicles. For comparison, Disneyland opened its own ALWEG monorail in 1959 and has replaced its fleet multiple times since. Seattle’s trains have been running continuously for more than 60 years on the same beam they were built for.
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The Ride Takes Two Minutes. It Always Has.
The Seattle Center Monorail connects Westlake Center to Seattle Center in two minutes. Same trip, same beam, same speed as 1962. Some visions of the future age quickly. This one held up.
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Seattle’s Is One of the Last Original ALWEG Systems Still Running in the World
ALWEG built monorail systems with the ambition of transforming urban transportation globally, and Seattle’s was the proof of concept: the first full-scale commercial monorail in the world, built at true operating size to move real city crowds rather than as a scaled-down park ride like Disneyland’s 5/8-scale system.
That larger vision never fully materialized, and most of the original ALWEG systems are long gone. The Seattle Center Monorail is one of the rare few still in operation, running on the same route, with the same trains, as the day it debuted for the Century 21 Exposition. Every time you board it, you are riding a piece of living transportation history.
Come See What the Future Looked Like
The Seattle Center Monorail runs daily between Westlake Center in downtown Seattle and Seattle Center. In two minutes, you will ride an original 1962 World’s Fair train above the city, with a story most riders never know they are sitting in. For hours, fares, and trip planning, visit seattlemonorail.com.
Additional Sources:
- Century 21 Exposition. Wikipedia.
- ALWEG. Wikipedia, citing The ALWEG Archives (alweg.de) and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
- It Happened at the World’s Fair. Wikipedia.
- The City of Seattle and the 1962 World’s Fair. Seattle Municipal Archives.
