Monorail still down as workers pinpoint problem

The Seattle Center Monorail remained out of service Friday as workers tried to diagnose an electrical flaw in the red train's power system.

Tom Albro, president of Seattle Monorail Services, which operates the city-owned elevated line, said it's not clear when service will be restored. One of the train's two propulsion systems is failing to draw enough electricity.

"It could be a 25-cent part," Albro said Friday. "It's the kind of thing that's a real head-scratcher to find."

The red train has been idle since Monday morning, when Seattle Center officials estimated repairs would take until Friday. The red train is one of two monorail trains, each of which has logged 1 million miles to and from downtown since the 1962 World's Fair.

The blue train is undergoing tests after a rebuild of its drive system and other components. It should be running again by Labor Day, Albro said.

After that, the red train will be overhauled, and both trains should be operating together next spring, he said.

The monorail is a tourist attraction that serves 2 million riders in a busy year.

A succession of stalls, a fire and a crash earlier this decade spurred the city to invest at least $4.5 million in maintenance and replacement parts, instead of scrapping the historic trains.

Mike Lindblom: 206-515-5631 or mlindblom@seattletimes.com