SEATTLE-- The Seattle Center Monorail celebrated its 50th anniversary Saturday, commemorating the Seattle icon's history with a day full of monorail-themed events.
Hundreds of people lined up at the Westlake Center Station in hopes of being one of the first 200 passengers in line. They received commemorative medallions, similar to those given to inaugural passengers in March 1962.
Seattle Center was full of life as people roamed the platform, perusing the booths and activities set up to honor the monorail's half-century of service. People enjoyed complementary cake as they learned about the monorail's history, were entertained by an Elvis impersonator, attended a public ceremony and climbed on board the red train for a look around.
Raffles were held for tickets to the RAT City Roller Girls, family fun activities, an Argosy Cruise and a night out on the town.
Children had the opportunity to color pictures of the monorail. At the Children's Museum, kids got to make their own monorail out of Legos.
Construction of the Monorail began in April 1961 by Alweg Rapid Transit Systems. The monorail's purpose was to be a means of conveinent transportation during the World's Fair in 1962 that would provide a vital link between the fairgrounds and attractions in downtown Seattle.
The trains were built in Germany and shipped to New York. They were they transported by railroad cars across the country. The Monorail officially opened to the public on March 24, 1962, roughly one month before the start of the World's Fair. With a $3.5 million price tag, the cost of production was easily paid for by the more than eight million passengers who rode it during the six months of the fair, according to the Monorail's website.
After the fair, Century 21 Corporation was given the Monorail system for free. They then turned around and sold the system in 1965 to the City of Seattle for $600,000. According to the Monorail's History page, the Seattle Center Monorail is one of the few fully self-sufficient public rail transit systems in the country.
Today, the trains transport approximately 2 million passengers each year.
For more information visit the Seattle Center Monorail's website.
