1 train vs. multiple
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I went to SF:AW last Sunday (which really sucked) and I couldn't figure out why so many of there rides were only running single trains. Serial Thriller, Viper, XLR-8 were all running only one train while the other one was just parked on the transfer track. Is there any reason that they wouldn't run the trains when the lines are 90+ minutes? This point bothered me the whole time I was there. I asked one of the ride ops why they weren't running the other train and he said "I don't know, that's a good question". Does anyone know why this is or is it just poor management?
Other than trains in need of unavoidable planned downtime during peak operating hours, I see no reason why a park should not be running peak capacity during those times. I also don't understand why parks need to cease operations on rides during peak attendance times to add capacity; this simply seems like poor planning.
I may be an enthusiast, but I think any park patron can come to the conclusion, while waiting in a 90-minute line for a ride and seeing an extra train sit idle, that the park doesn't care if customers are served quickly or not. Those who do not frequent parks like enthusiasts do may not observe this enough to see a pattern and complain, but I'm sure they register the idea in their subconscious and think about spending their entertainment dollars elsewhere.
Is this something a park customer should complain to Guest Services about? Or am I being oversensitive? Can some of the park employees out there explain why standard operating procedure would include setting up for subpeak capacity on reasonably expected high attendance days?
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Revised projection for 2002: 35 parks & 120 coasters. 23 & 94 through 8/4
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A rollercoaster? What's that?
Running two trains just adds the maintence time that is needed for that certain train. Plus, running two trains you have a bigger cahnce of something braking down on a train and hence- more maintence work! It's all about $$$$$$$
If it's a Saturday during the summer, then there is no excuse for a park to bust their butt to get more than one tain operating. If the park is not crowded(as SFWoA was not crowded when I was there), and the lines aren't that long, one train op isn't all that bad.
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"Jessica, you're turning me into a criminal, when all I want to be is a petty thug." -Bart Simpson
Terry Cruise said:
. Serial Thriller, Viper, XLR-8 were all running only one train while the other one was just parked on the transfer track.
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I think you went on a bad day or something. On Sundays I rarely wait in line more than 40 minutes for anything until after 2:00 PM. Did you go later in the day?
I find it interesting that you saw the Viper second train on the transfer track. I have been about 4 times in the last month and the Viper second train seems to have dissapeared. It's odd that Serial thriller only had one train. I was there on Friday night and 2 trains were running and the line was only 20 minutes long. I don't know about XLR8 . I have not bothered to ride that this season.
Sorry to hear you bad time, but I think it must have been a bad day. There was a big concert the night before and they might have had to have additional help late that night preventing the workers from making it the next day.
I swear the parking lot on Saturday was like nothing I have seen. The line was down the freeway for parking. Maybe many of the poeple who came in from out of town for the concert went that sunday as well.
*** This post was edited by Markieb on 8/7/2002. ***
With inverted coasters, transferring trains on and off the tracks is a lot harder I believe. At least with SLC's it is.
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Six Flags, the only chain of parks that can manage to have stacking with a one train operation.
Craig the Coaster Freak said:
"Running two trains just adds the maintence time that is needed for that certain train. Plus, running two trains you have a bigger cahnce of something braking down on a train and hence- more maintence work! It's all about $$$$$$$
Right .. and when the queues aren't full of tired, hot, and bored people, Six Flags cannot sell them $4 cups of vaguely lemon flavored water.
Cam.
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Cameron Silver
Six Flags is not the only company to have the issue, outside of Cedar Point, Cedar Fair has it happen at WOF and Valleyfair, I am not sure how things are run at Dorney, MA, and Knotts though.
WOF operations tries to run at capacity whenver possible and tries to add a train before the line gets out of control. Maintanence is the main problem there, you must have them present to add a train and they often don't want to. T-Wolf is the most difficult one as adding the train is purely by hand, they have to hand crank the transfer track over and then push the train forward. It sucks even more to remove a train as Wolf has no feeder wheels. You have to push the train backwards up a pretty steep incline for a loading dock.
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wof fan
Markieb said:
I find it interesting that you saw the Viper second train on the transfer track.
I just want to clarify...I saw the trains for XLR-8 and Serial Thriller sitting on the transfer track and one running train. For Viper, I saw them running only one train but I didn't see the second train sitting on the transfer track. I was making more of a generalization about running only one train. However, I don't want to give false information. Sorry for the confusion.
Single-training is my biggest pet peeve at ANY park.....I'll more easily forgive ankle-deep trash....(which you get more of when lines are long due to single-training in the first place)....it makes the ride-ops lazy, and creates more safety "issues" than when things are operating at a "normal" pace.....
"Cost of Doing Business"....Dick Kinzel.....
"If you don't like wear-and-tear on your coasters, then close the park"....bill (RGW) lentzsch
Exactly, Gator. Those quotes sum it up perfectly. I don't expect three trains running on Raging Bull on a rainy Wednesday in May, but I sure do on a beautiful Friday evening in July! And is the third Demon train permanently retired? If they aren't going to use it on a Saturday in July, when will they?
I guess it could have been worse. They could have had single trains running at those busy times.
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Revised projection for 2002: 35 parks & 120 coasters. 23 & 94 through 8/4
Matt said:
WOF operations tries to run at capacity whenver possible and tries to add a train before the line gets out of control. Maintanence is the main problem there, you must have them present to add a train and they often don't want to.
That's kind of interesting because at CP, maintenance is not needed to transfer trains. The crews transfer them on in the morning and off at night. Last year, Gemini went from 6 down to 4 most nights and I don't think they needed maintenance for it. Maybe I'm wrong, but I know I'm not wrong about opening up the ride and closing it down. The crews do it all! :) I find it a bit disturbing how "maintenance" seems to run the show so to speak at many parks. At CP, maintenance can stop the show so to speak if there's a problem, but for the most part, park operations determines the number of trains, vehicals, etc - and most of the time, things are run to full capacity at all times during June, July, and August nomatter what size the crowd is. Stopping operation to transfer a train on in the middle of the day is kind of stupid. :)
I really disagree with the theory that long lines make the park more money. Aside from concessions within the queues, I think they'd make more money with people wandering around playing games, looking in shops, eating in restaurants, etc. Train maintenance is a cost of doing business and I am glad CP realizes that it is to their benefit to run things at full capacity.
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-Matt
2001 Magnum Crew
RubberDucky said:
With inverted coasters, transferring trains on and off the tracks is a lot harder I believe. At least with SLC's it is.
Actually removing a train from the circuit on an SLC is fairly simple, it doesn't take very long at all.
While I don't have any experience working a ride in which a train can be added or removed, I have heard that when the line is small, it slows the loading time. The guests don't move as fast as they would if they had to wait longer, so this can set up a fault in the computer, meaning delays for everyone.
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Big Bucks, No Whammies, and Stop.
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On the seventh day, God created coasters!
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