suspended inversion

I want to know if a Arrow Supended coaster couold have inversions if it were going fast enough. I think this could really help them get popular again.


-As long is there is never a SixFlags Sandusky I will live a happy life.

This was covered a while back in another thread: http://www.coasterbuzz.com/forums/thread.asp?ForumID=11&TopicID=51. Maybe that will help answer your question?

Interesting thread... don't know how you found that since it's like a year old or so!

But as much as it listed, and I hate reading lots... I didn't find this in the thread, and I'd like to know...

Why do they have horse collars on those coasters? I mean, I was on Iron Dragon at Cedar Point, and I just felt that it was completely unnecessary! I would say a lap bar would be more than enough. That coaster doesn't bank more than 50 degrees I think!


I don't think a loop may be able to be pulled off, but... I DO think that with the horse collars, a barrel roll might be able to be implemented with the next generation of those coasters! The track may be free swinging, but if the track can bend into a zero-G roll... I think it could be done w/out too many lateral G-s.

I don't see why it couldn't happen. You wouldn't get any -g's because you would uninvert when you would start to fall. The only thing I see holding it back is intensity and swinging.

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What is life with out coasters, geniuses, and/or SFA

The original scale model included an inversion that was very much like a barrel roll.

My theory on the horsecollars:
I have a very old tape of a show on coasters from the late 80s or very early 90s. It's one of the oldest TV coaster specials out there I think. Anyway, not only did they show the working scale model of the suspended with the inversion, but the prototype, which also included an inversion.
I don't remember whether it was at the Utah plant or not, but they built a small full scale prototype. (Like the 4th dimension prototype, just longer, and outdoors) A single suspended car was outfitted with 2 seats. They showed video of this and it included the inversion. They even showed an Arrow guy riding it! Anyway, it's been a while since I've watched this program, but I believe they mentioned that after this prototype, the inversion idea was immediately dismissed for the Bat. I guess it was a possibility. They had horsecollars on that, and probably never thought of changing to a lap bar.

From the looks of the video, it looked alright, but I guess the main concern was mechanical. What if, for some reason, the car traversed the inversion at a slower speed? It would be VERY bad. Think of inverting a suspended track with a car on it being held , then letting go, and letting gravity do it's thing!

This program was old and obscure, I think it may have been an episode of Nova or something from the mid-late 80s. Anyone else see it?
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- Peabody
(Who is going to look for that tape tonight!)

I just figured, that if its going fast enough it would be able to go through a loop, but it would really put a lot of stress on the track.

If I remember correctly, the reason Arrow left the inversion out of the suspendeds was because it could not come up with a fail-safe for the inversion. Suppose that a suspended coaster did have a vertical loop, and that a train running the course experienced mechanical failure during the middle of the loop and came to a stop. With the cars being free swinging, they would fall over to one side, and the aftermath would be disastrous. I'm sure there were other structural problems and rider comfort problems, but I think the lack of a fail-safe mechanism (that's why they toyed with the idea of a mechanical "pusher" through an inversion, but it most likely was not practical) caused the suspendeds to be inversion free.

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Mamba--One of the Tallest, Longest, Fastest Roller Coasters in the World

Adam Rentchler

Isn't the arrowbatic supposed to be a suspended looping coaster with one car? There's your answer.

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PKI-Kings Mills, Ohio-Wooden and Kiddie Coaster Capital of the World!
4/9/00-Newest Hyperbuzzer-200 posts! :)
You are the Weakest Link! Goodbye!!!

Different thing Koaster King.
We're talking Iron Dragon, PKI Top Gun suspended, not the new inverted Wild Mouse.

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- Peabody

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The Rentch said:
"If I remember correctly, the reason Arrow left the inversion out of the suspendeds was because it could not come up with a fail-safe for the inversion. Suppose that a suspended coaster did have a vertical loop, and that a train running the course experienced mechanical failure during the middle of the loop and came to a stop. With the cars being free swinging, they would fall over to one side, and the aftermath would be disastrous. I'm sure there were other structural problems and rider comfort problems, but I think the lack of a fail-safe mechanism (that's why they toyed with the idea of a mechanical "pusher" through an inversion, but it most likely was not practical) caused the suspendeds to be inversion free."

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Exactly what I was talking about, man. I rember that show I mentioned talking about them not being able to come up with a good fail-safe. I also think that was talked about in an old issue of APJ (Amusement Park Journal)
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- Peabody

I know what you're talking about. My answer fits his original question perfectly. And you're nevr gonna get Iron Dragon to loop. Maybe Top Gun and BBW, but those types of trains really aren't meant to. Maybe if you take out the floor.. not that's an invert. But the cars do swing. cool idea but I doubt it will happen.

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PKI-Kings Mills, Ohio-Wooden and Kiddie Coaster Capital of the World!
4/9/00-Newest Hyperbuzzer-200 posts! :)
You are the Weakest Link! Goodbye!!!

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Peabody said:
"The original scale model included an inversion that was very much like a barrel roll.

My theory on the horsecollars:
I have a very old tape of a show on coasters from the late 80s or very early 90s. It's one of the oldest TV coaster specials out there I think. Anyway, not only did they show the working scale model of the suspended with the inversion, but the prototype, which also included an inversion.
I don't remember whether it was at the Utah plant or not, but they built a small full scale prototype. (Like the 4th dimension prototype, just longer, and outdoors) A single suspended car was outfitted with 2 seats. They showed video of this and it included the inversion. They even showed an Arrow guy riding it! Anyway, it's been a while since I've watched this program, but I believe they mentioned that after this prototype, the inversion idea was immediately dismissed for the Bat. I guess it was a possibility. They had horsecollars on that, and probably never thought of changing to a lap bar.

From the looks of the video, it looked alright, but I guess the main concern was mechanical. What if, for some reason, the car traversed the inversion at a slower speed? It would be VERY bad. Think of inverting a suspended track with a car on it being held , then letting go, and letting gravity do it's thing!

This program was old and obscure, I think it may have been an episode of Nova or something from the mid-late 80s. Anyone else see it?
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- Peabody
(Who is going to look for that tape tonight!)"

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I captured that video about a month ago and put it online. It is of the scale model and the prototype. But it does not show the prototype looping.

http://www.angelfire.com/movies/coastervids/suspendcork.wmv

*** This post was edited by sfmmman2001 on 4/12/2001. ***

THANKS! I stand corrected. It's been a long time, but my memory told me that the single car prototype was a similar layout to the model, including the inversion. It must have gotten canned before the prototype!

Man I don't remember the prototype having two different track types. That one looks lust like Intamin track doesn't it! (HMMMMMMM..., the Big Bad Wolf was to be built by Intamin/Schwarzkopf, and they even started pouring footers for it before S. went bankrupt and Arrow took over. Could there be a connection there between the Arrow and Intamin/Schwarzkopf style tracks in the prototype?)
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- Peabody