1/2 inch gaps in track?
The Grizzly at PGA is one of the most poorly maintained woodies I've been on. It just get rougher and slower each year, luckily I heard they were going to take it down and replace it with another woodie (however this was from a bored looking Grizzly ride-op, so who knows?)
Last few times I've been on it I always sit in the very back and look at the track behind me. The gaps in the track get bigger and bigger, and I know that there should be gaps in the track for a woodie because otherwise it wouldn't stand up to wind or earthquakes as good. I haven't gone to the park in years before last week but I noticed the gaps were becoming alarmingly big. Some were easily 1/2" or more! Usually these monster gaps were slanted (so the wheel doesn't dig into them as much) so that if you looked straight down on them they looked like an "N" or a backwards one. Some of the straight gaps ("H") were also 1/2" thick but never more. These straight gaps provide a much larger bump, however. The Grizzly has 3 insanely slow turns, giving you plenty of time to look at these gaps. They go down usually to the base of the track, but sometimes only a few boards (but past the upstop board!) The gap in the steel covering is usually an 1/8" or so wider than the gap in the wood, as well! And over some of the straight gaps, if you look at it from the side (easy to do when you watch a train make it's way around the exit to the chain lift) you can also see some of the track boards bounce and rattle together as the train rolls over the gaps.
I was wondering, do other extremely rough wooden coasters have gaps this large? I haven't been out of the California - Texas theme park area in 8 years, but this one is the roughest (especially for it's slow speed) around here. The old unmodified Rattler hurt more, but that's because it went so fast. I don't think it had large gaps in the rails.
Last few times I've been on it I always sit in the very back and look at the track behind me. The gaps in the track get bigger and bigger, and I know that there should be gaps in the track for a woodie because otherwise it wouldn't stand up to wind or earthquakes as good. I haven't gone to the park in years before last week but I noticed the gaps were becoming alarmingly big. Some were easily 1/2" or more! Usually these monster gaps were slanted (so the wheel doesn't dig into them as much) so that if you looked straight down on them they looked like an "N" or a backwards one. Some of the straight gaps ("H") were also 1/2" thick but never more. These straight gaps provide a much larger bump, however. The Grizzly has 3 insanely slow turns, giving you plenty of time to look at these gaps. They go down usually to the base of the track, but sometimes only a few boards (but past the upstop board!) The gap in the steel covering is usually an 1/8" or so wider than the gap in the wood, as well! And over some of the straight gaps, if you look at it from the side (easy to do when you watch a train make it's way around the exit to the chain lift) you can also see some of the track boards bounce and rattle together as the train rolls over the gaps.
I was wondering, do other extremely rough wooden coasters have gaps this large? I haven't been out of the California - Texas theme park area in 8 years, but this one is the roughest (especially for it's slow speed) around here. The old unmodified Rattler hurt more, but that's because it went so fast. I don't think it had large gaps in the rails.
You should try to get to PKD and ride the Grizzly there. Its a mirror image of the one at PGA, but the trains are different and it is a whole hell of alot faster. I was out of my seat over every hill! And about them replacing the grizzly, I think it mite be true. I thought that they were going to do it for this year but i guess they'll do it for 2002.
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Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity.
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Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity.
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