Springfield Monorail
- For the vehicle in The Simpsons: Hit and Run, see Monorail (Hit and Run).
| Springfield Monorail |
| Vehicle Information
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The Springfield Monorail was a short lived solar powered transport system in Springfield.
History
Thanks to a fine Mr. Burns had to pay for illegally dumping radioactive waste in a playground, Springfield came into possession of $3,000,000 (though Mayor Quimby attempted to pocket a million dollars for himself). A town meeting was held to decide what to do with the money. The townspeople were on the verge of adopting Marge Simpson's proposal to use the money to repair Main Street, when a man named Lyle Lanley interrupted the meeting and suggested using it to buy one of his monorails. Lanley's sales pitch trumped Marge's proposal, and the town built the monorail. Some people voiced concerns about the practicality of a monorail in Springfield, but Lanley deftly skirted around their questions. Homer Simpson became the conductor of the Monorail, chosen at random after an "extensive 3 week training course", which actually consisted solely of the meaning of the monorail's name (mono= one; rail= rail).
North Haverbrook
Marge was not convinced by Lanley's charm and decided to go to North Haverbrook to see what a monorail had done for their town. She arrived to see the monorail in ruins and North Haverbrook a veritable ghost town, devastated by "one of the crappiest trains ever built", and learned that Lanley had deliberately cut every corner possible and then skipped town with all of the leftover money. The result: North Haverbrook's monorail crashed almost instantly, causing tremendous property damage and loss of life.
Maiden Voyage
On the day of the maiden voyage, Lyle Lanley escaped from Springfield with the money he'd "saved" from cost-cutting. Soon after, the monorail went out of control, unable to stop because it was solar powered and the braking system was broken. The passengers were saved when Homer Simpson used the letter "M" (from the word "Monorail" in the door signage) as an improvised anchor. Homer threw the M (tied to the monorail by a rope) out the window and it became stuck in a giant advertising donut, bringing the monorail to a stop.
Lyle Lanley was later attacked by an angry mob in North Haverbrook when his escape plane touched down there briefly. The Springfield Monorail was demolished, but the station was not, and it is currently now in ruin and a target for vandals. The abandoned station has since became a popular tourist destination site.
Behind the Laughter
According to the true logo of the Springfield Monorail, it was originally created for the 1964 World Fair.
Appearances
Episode – "Marge vs. the Monorail" - Episode – "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses"
Video game – The Simpsons Road Rage
