The James Bond’ 77 Theme - In memory of composer Marvin Hamlisch - RIP (1944 - 2012)
Although they only appeared on three occasions, MONORAILS seem to have taken on an almost iconic status as the preferred mode of transport for Bond movie villains.
In You Only Live Twice, a circular electro-magnetic monorail system was installed around the base of SPECTRE’s hidden volcano base linking the launch area, operations, and various accommodations (including the cells where captured astronauts are held). There are at least three types of carriages used on the system, a domed personnel carrier, an open topped larger personnel carrier, and an open cargo carrier (The image above is the original sketch of the proposed carriage types by designer Harry Pottle.)
In Live and Let Die, Kanaga also has a monorail as part of his underground drug distribution center on the island of San Monique. It’s purpose and destination is never explained, although Bond and Solitaire use it to escape following Kananga’s death.
While in The Spy Who Loved Me, Karl Stromberg has a magnetic levitation, or maglev, style monorail installed around the perimeter of the submarine holding pen inside his super tanker Liparus.
