Pittsburgh Skybus 1967

[JustSayNo420]

Came for Skybus, stayed for the music!

[Mark1976]

The music is from an album called Variations by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is based on a classical piece of music by Paganini.

[drrkressg]

They found one of these old cars behind a barn last year, and Bombardier is refurbishing the car (what many years ago, was Westinghouse Transportation). It is going to be placed in front of the System's Division Headquarters in Pittsburgh later this year.

It is nice to see a piece of Pittsburgh history saved and displayed.

[Liz2257]

Just found this ... thanks so much for posting! I rode on this as a kid, and I remember being intensely disappointed - I thought it was going to be like an amusement park ride for some reason. LOL!

[88XR7]

The music sounds like it was made with an analog synthesizer, such as a Moog or an ARP.

They built something very similar (if not identical) on the college campus in Morgantown, WV. Even the shuttles look the same.

They call it the PRT (Personal Rapid Transit). The entire system was still in use last time I was there, which was 2005.

[stealth7usa]

Most remarkable in this video is the condition of the track and field. The county ought to be ashamed to the condition it fell into. Hopefully some community effort was made to restore the stadium and grounds to their former glory.

[carguy53]

Where did you find the music for this?

[tcomden]

This film was made in 1969 - note the sprocket holes. But even back then I was adding music. If I could not find a classical match, I would turn to my teen age son for a popular soundtrack Now, 40 years later, he doesn't remember, either but thinks it might be Andrew Lloyd Weber.

[chartle1]

@carguy53 A little late but Sound Hound says Variation 16 by yes ALW

[LarryDildo666]

8========>

[shanegedekoh]

this is the best song ive ever heard

[slickhector]

Also, Pittsburgh public transit is remarkably extensive given the size of the city. My bus to work goes every 10 minutes on weekdays. But if you live in the low-density new car suburbs in the north or by the airport, good luck. Public transit will never be cost effective there.

[slickhector]

I'm not mourning the death of Skybus. Miami and Detroit did Skybus more or less and look at how well known they are for public transit. If it was a good idea the great transit success stories would have latched onto it: San Francisco, NY, London, etc.

Pittsburgh seems to attract these cockamamie transit concepts. Like building the first ever maglev in the US to the sprawling suburb of Monroeville.

[greganddonny]

Dey use this for the beginning a' that Easter movie? what's it...Jesus Christ Superstar?

[sgtdanz]

that is crazy to see,i remember it being there all my life but never running!!!i think they took it down around 1992 and moved it to another city

[hcarducci]

That music is tight!

[signmaned]

I waited in line at the fair in '66 for what seemed forever. I never did get on. We had to get to the races across the street at South Park Speedway. We were back the next night at the fair to watch Gary Lewis and the Playboys. Then we moved the next week to god forsaken, Ohio. I still miss the Burgh! Even after all these years I would still like to move back.

That Skybus was a really cool thing though. I can't remember what year they took it out.

[blythenow]

My dad, Bill Walker, was on the development team of Skybus. He & his team were visionaries about the need for non gas - powered, public transpo. Here we are in the US in 2008, with most cities (including Pgh) w/o decent public transportation, feeling the effects of addiction to fossil fuels that these guys were trying to address way back when. Loved seeing the ol Skybus...like finding a long, lost family member!

[Tequilatortura]

i found a relic still standing of the southpark skybus system....its in the ethelbert dog park there is a building there and there is a sign that reads " north station " something something

[Tequilatortura]

what keeps the bus from falling off the track?

[moonspots01]

I remember clearly the "skybus" demo track at South Park in the early 70's. Although "skybus" never made it in Pittsburgh it lives on today as the "people movers" of Miami, Detroit, and several airports around the world. I guess people just weren't ready for driver-less trains yet. Thanks for posting this. I hadn't thought about this for many, many years.

[ajlordnikon]

Man, I remember that thing. With how PAT runs the system, it's best they never built that thing.

[ericsatidiitedu]

I was just a couple of years too young to ride this thing, but I remember those tracks all through my youth in Bethel Park.

Seeing the view from the train in motion reminds me of Disney's WedWay PeopleMover in the Magic Kingdom. Not a bad association...

[fivechildren]

How neet was seeing this video!!

WOW...really NEET!!

I grew up near South Park, and remember the "MonoRail" as we called it.

How nice to see it again...'Thanks for posting'!!