Wow. Well, I guess if it came from a magazine there must be at least some truth behind it. Anyone else have any more informations on the 4th Dimension modifications?
If all this is true, I think some of the problems with train weight and track stress could be fixed, but it seems that capacity would only get worse with these shorter trains. More trains = More time checking restraints = Longer wait times.
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Intelligence is a God given gift: Know how to use it.
*** This post was edited by CoasterKrazy on 1/1/2003. ***
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Superman:The Escape(1997-2002) May he one day fly again.
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To the person who keeps deleteing my account: This is really starting to become annyoieing.(sp?)
P.s For those of you that dont understand my humor I misspelled the word above on purpose. The reason for doing this was to A. Hopefully Annoyie And B.It was
While I don't have an exact figure, and won't venture to make one up, I will just say that the daily operating costs on X are astronomical. Parts are replaced daily, and the trains need constant care. I was speaking with a maintanance worker who stated that SF had one other ride that was as high maintanance as X, and that is S:TE. And he wasn't talking about just SFMM but the entire SF chain!
I think there is a reason you don't find 200ft 4Ds advertised on Arrow's website, they do not wish to ever build them that tall again.
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Superman:The Escape(1997-2002) May he one day fly again.
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Intelligence is a God given gift: Know how to use it.
Well, on the Discovery Channel special that told "all" about X and the 4th Dimension concept, it said that after 22 million dollars, the world's first 4D opened to the public. We all know how accurate the Discovery Channel is on roller coasters, so that number could be a lot higher, or slightly lower. X wasn't cheap by any means, that's for sure.
I think that future 4th Dimension coasters will be cheaper than what X was. Once the technology has been perfected, and Arrow becomes more efficient at producing 4D coasters, the costs should go down. I can't confirm this, but I would think that one of the reasons X was so expensive was because it's massive support structure not only has to hold the weight of the ride, but it also must meet certain earthquake standards. Plus, as ride technology increases, support numbers can go down. Look are current Arrow coasters and compare them to past Arrow coasters. The amount of supports, especially on their loops and corkscrews, goes down a considerable amount.
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Intelligence is a God given gift: Know how to use it.
"I doubt that. If a park wants a coaster similar to X, I'm sure Arrow could do it. Apparently, they originally weren't planning on building 4th Dimension roller coasters the size of X, but they did it anyway".
Not quite what I said. Sure Arrow will build one if a park wants, companies aren't going to turn down business. The problem is, parks *aren't* going to want one in the first place because of the overhead costs. B&M get plenty of attention for their flyers without building them 200ft tall and dealing with all the headaches and forcing themsleves into bankruptcy. A lesson I'm sure Arrow has learned well.
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Superman:The Escape(1997-2002) May he one day fly again.
*** This post was edited by DWeaver on 1/1/2003. ***
CoasterKrazy said:
Anyone else have any more informations on the 4th Dimension modifications?
Back in June, there was an "accident" when one of the arms bent too much and was being dragged along the brake run with riders. That is why it was closed for 3 months. When it was SBNO, they added thicker arms to each wing so they could handle the extreme forces caused by the ride. Along with those, proxy sensors along the track can tell if a wing is bending too much. No problems have arose since then, but only time can tell.
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Xperience The Xtreme: Your Guide To X
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Intelligence is a God given gift: Know how to use it.
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