Backyard dreamers are those true visionaries who build their dreams at great expense and for only personal reward. They are seized by a vision and they must realize this vision in physical form. If anybody can be called the patron saint of backyard dreamers, it would have to be Kim Pedersen of Fremont, California.
In 2001, Kim and Carol Pedersen realized a life-long dream of building a monorail in their backyard. Since do-it-yourself monorails are in short supply, Kim had to build everything from scratch. Straight rails were made from laminated beams from the lumber yard. Curved rails had to be custom-made by Kim out of
vertical 3/8″ plywood pieces with a horizontal 3/4″ plywood strip on top for a smooth running surface… Long bolts [were] driven in at the junctions at an angle to tie the beam sections together, post-tensioned
Rails were mounted to 31 pylons scattered throughout the yard. That was just the rail part of it. He also had to build the train from scratch, powering it with twin 12-volt motorcycle batteries.
The Niles Monorail garnered fame with every imaginable tech-related media outlet at the time covering it: Mike Rowe, Wired, Tech TV, and numerous local outfits. On March 2, 2013, Carol Pedersen reported on her Facebook that Kim was cutting up the monorail, with one Facebook commenter alluding to code compliance issues with the City of Fremont.
On January 24, 2017, Kim Pedersen died of acute myloblastic leukemia, which he had been fighting since May 2016. Kim’s son Kory wrote a heartfelt message on the Monorail Society site, saying in part:
Please reflect on the multitude of passions my father had by visiting his YouTube channel (found under Kim A Pedersen). Think about what drives you. Consider wrongs you see in the world, and how you feel they can be corrected. Recognize that the only things stopping you from making influential change in this world are your own misgivings. Let doubters be damned and fight the good fight, as unique as it may be.
Monorail Society Facebook Page
