Merry Hill was very cutting edge for it's time. As a teen I used to journey there on two buses from Wolverhampton (it took ages) to experience the future of shopping. I think the Richardson twins had big plans back then but most of their ideas never got funding/planning. I think they wanted the worlds tallest tower to be built there too if memory serves me correctly.
Regarding the monorail - why did it need a driver? Surely this small system could have been automated? An added unnecessary cost.
I wish they would bring this back i loved this when i was a kid It was worth going to Merryhill and going to dicovering zozes afterwards to. Loved those 90s days.
This really was before its time. I was only five when the monorail was closed, but I still remember journeying on it with my parents. Thanks for sharing this footage with us!
Where the life boat was, is that where that pre school is now? I remember going on this as a kid, it was the highlight of going to merry hill for me lol x
I remember going on the monorail as a young man ...looking back now, this new travel mode in the black country was a bit like The Public is now .. Years will pass before we all forget about this long lost monarail ... love the two vidios....oh for got to say that when i worked on british rail i often went into merry hill (round oak then ) in my job
i believe its new owners of the merry hill now its not the brothers that own it anymore. i think they might own the waterfront still but they dont own the shopping centre. i wish they'd bring it back just like a big group of people on the facebook bring back merry hill monorail group. it might take off now but i doubt it will ever come back to merry hill again which is a massive shame.
I remember the monorail at merry hell, it used to cost 20p. the reason it closed is because no one used it. I beleive that the monorail was sold to a place japan. I also remember the life boat. which was brought to cope with the influx of barges that was expected with the the boost to the local tourism trade, which never happened, and by some short insight of size and scale the lifeboat didn't fit in the nearby canal. so it was never used and placed on display in the carpark. lol
They are! The Alton Towers monorail trains came from the 1986 Expo 86 in Vancouver, Canada. I have a little of those trains, but only on super 8 cine film, and not digitised.
I have heard talk suggesting that the 'elf n safety people were concerned about evacuation, and that there was a dispute between different organisations which owned the shopping centre, the Waterfront area and the monorail itself. What I do not know is exactly what is truth and what is heresay.
It is also possible that the monorail fell foul of government transport policies, which you may recall were to look at all transport modes (train, tram, bus, etc) and always choose the cheapest, no matter whether a different mode would do the job better.
This explains the problems getting the Midland Metro funded, and why nowadays the only public transports serving the Merry Hill area are diesel motor buses, these being the least effective in getting people who have a choice to choose to use public transport.
Merry Hill was very cutting edge for it's time. As a teen I used to journey there on two buses from Wolverhampton (it took ages) to experience the future of shopping. I think the Richardson twins had big plans back then but most of their ideas never got funding/planning. I think they wanted the worlds tallest tower to be built there too if memory serves me correctly.
Regarding the monorail - why did it need a driver? Surely this small system could have been automated? An added unnecessary cost.
mildredsmittens 2 months ago
I wish they would bring this back i loved this when i was a kid It was worth going to Merryhill and going to dicovering zozes afterwards to. Loved those 90s days.
TheSquallLeonheart 3 months ago
I LIVE BY HERE BUT IT HAS CHANGED ALOT
Mr20938 3 months ago
@Mr20938
I noticed that it had changed quite a bit when I visited the Merry Hill shopping centre last April.
That was probably my first visit since the monorail closed,
Simon
citytransportinfo 3 months ago
isn't that music there playing in the monorail off the dear hunter?
redtempest911 7 months ago
i always wanted to go on it when i was a kid lol
redtempest911 7 months ago
this is amazing! Sad that it's no longer there. Great video tho, thanks!
peanutismint 8 months ago
I miss this monorail :(
queenrocks21 9 months ago
This really was before its time. I was only five when the monorail was closed, but I still remember journeying on it with my parents. Thanks for sharing this footage with us!
Nastranai 10 months ago
Where the life boat was, is that where that pre school is now? I remember going on this as a kid, it was the highlight of going to merry hill for me lol x
tonimusher 1 year ago
what was the music they played on the trains
aaronblueyonder1 1 year ago
@aaronblueyonder1 At one stage I heard Ravel's Bolero, this being the music Torvill & Dean danced to when the won the Olympic ice skating.
citytransportinfo 1 year ago
I remember going on the monorail as a young man ...looking back now, this new travel mode in the black country was a bit like The Public is now .. Years will pass before we all forget about this long lost monarail ... love the two vidios....oh for got to say that when i worked on british rail i often went into merry hill (round oak then ) in my job
;>)
notlob444 1 year ago
it only lasted about 5 years didn't it
MidlandNinja 1 year ago
you say waterfront west was planned on the system maps where was his ment to be built
djclewes 1 year ago
i believe its new owners of the merry hill now its not the brothers that own it anymore. i think they might own the waterfront still but they dont own the shopping centre. i wish they'd bring it back just like a big group of people on the facebook bring back merry hill monorail group. it might take off now but i doubt it will ever come back to merry hill again which is a massive shame.
djclewes 1 year ago
I remember the monorail at merry hell, it used to cost 20p. the reason it closed is because no one used it. I beleive that the monorail was sold to a place japan. I also remember the life boat. which was brought to cope with the influx of barges that was expected with the the boost to the local tourism trade, which never happened, and by some short insight of size and scale the lifeboat didn't fit in the nearby canal. so it was never used and placed on display in the carpark. lol
blackcountrystalker 1 year ago
Transport before it's time or a bad idea? Not sure...
But a brilliant vid.
kpmarek 1 year ago
It shut down because it broke too many times and it was expensive for repairs so they closed it, i live there so you know lol
zakki081311 1 year ago
very good so far...may I ask why did it close down?
CoachAlex1996 1 year ago 2
@CoachAlex1996
Its a long story - but essentially it was because no-one saw the value in it (my opinion).
citytransportinfo 1 year ago
@citytransportinfo hmmmmm...that's a shame...was there a lack of ridership?
CoachAlex1996 1 year ago
They look the same as the one's used at Alton Towers
Grecra02 1 year ago
@Grecra02
They are! The Alton Towers monorail trains came from the 1986 Expo 86 in Vancouver, Canada. I have a little of those trains, but only on super 8 cine film, and not digitised.
citytransportinfo 1 year ago
@Grecra02
They are! The Alton Tower monorail originated at Expo86 in Vacouver, BC, Canada, in 1986. Afterwards they were sold to Alton Towers.
A similar monorail is used in Sydney, Australia. A film of these is planned, but whilst its in the queue it will be a few months before it is ready.
citytransportinfo 1 year ago
so why was it cancelled dont tell me the idear was too good
duxberry1958 1 year ago
@duxberry1958
I have heard talk suggesting that the 'elf n safety people were concerned about evacuation, and that there was a dispute between different organisations which owned the shopping centre, the Waterfront area and the monorail itself. What I do not know is exactly what is truth and what is heresay.
citytransportinfo 1 year ago
@duxberry
It is also possible that the monorail fell foul of government transport policies, which you may recall were to look at all transport modes (train, tram, bus, etc) and always choose the cheapest, no matter whether a different mode would do the job better.
citytransportinfo 1 year ago
This explains the problems getting the Midland Metro funded, and why nowadays the only public transports serving the Merry Hill area are diesel motor buses, these being the least effective in getting people who have a choice to choose to use public transport.
citytransportinfo 1 year ago