Did Circus Circus have a train or monorail operating on the property?

I often use Google maps and street view to get driving directions in advance. Looking at Circus Circus, I noticed an elevated track that runs parallel to Circus Circus Dr from the taxi loading area to the West Tower. It looks like it may have been a train or monorail at some point but can't find any information about it. I'm curious if indeed it was some kind of guest shuttle and if it was ever in operation.

Yes, you're right. The tram became necessary by the growth of Circus Circus from a standalone casino to a casino plus several discrete hotel towers.

Short on funds, Circus Circus creator and owner Jay Sarno didn’t build a hotel tower until 1972, four years after the casino opened. Sarno sold the property to William Bennett and William Pennington, who added a second tower in 1975. A quintet of low-rise motel units were built in 1980, a third tower was constructed in 1986 (as was the tram), and a fourth tower, along with Adventuredome, followed in 1993.

According to an official MGM Resorts International source: “The tram went from the Skyrise Tower, which is on the north side of Circus Circus Drive, to the front of the tent top on Las Vegas Boulevard. It was taken out of commission about 19 years ago, mostly due to maintenance costs for the 1987 technology. Spare parts were given to Circus Reno,” now owned by Eldorado Resorts, “as they have the same system. The track and car are still there.” Indeed, only a few years ago, a car could still be glimpsed peeking out of the Skyrise Tower tunnel.

Our own investigations revealed that when Circus Circus branched out into Reno, a sister tram was imported from Switzerland. Mounted aboard an American truck chassis, it's hauled back and forth via cable, connecting the North and Sky towers. In 2012, a hotel representative told a Reno TV station, “We’re not going to change it. You know, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” By that point, the four-mile-per-hour vehicle had logged more than six million trips.

And we can personally attest that it's a fun little thrill ride for very young children.

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Diamonddog2801 May-06-2019

Pete

When we stayed in The Manor rooms at the rear of the property, we used the monorail to get there...this was the early 90's (91 & 912 I think).

Vegas Fan May-06-2019

ed h.

stayed there at the manor, as well. it seemed every time i rode this monorail, there was background music, and it was always the same song, the beatles' "chains". but it was a muzak version, slow and all instrumental. lol.

Miguel_Buelna98 Jun-29-2019

Miguel

I remember when I was 4 my cousin took me on the tram and I had fun I know it wasn't born the time but I still somehow remember that there was a 2nd track that extended from the casino to the manor buildings

Question of the Day - 06 May 2019

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