Arrow Dynamics Theory

My friend and I were discussing coasters the other day, (big surprise) and we came up with a theory about Arrow Dynamics rollercoasters. In the 1980's and early 1990's, their standard coasters (sit down) were very tall, fast, and had many inversions to them. Almost every single 1980-1990 Arrow coaster I have been on has given me a headache from the OTSRs and sharp curves. Anyone else agree?

You haven't been around many enthusiasts before, have you!? :) Before 1990, the only people who could bend steel well were Inatmin/Schwarzkopf. Their smooth curves and lap bar only rides were a lot like the Swiss creations of today. Arrow left a lot to be desired in their transitions, restraints, etc. It took them almost 25 years to build a coaster with a different size loop and smooth transitions. (Tennesse Tornado)

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- Peabody

So what exactly is your theory?

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If the shoe fits, find another one.

I couldnt think of a better word, and no, I haven't been around that many enthusiasts, I'm 15.

That's OK... we won't hold it against you.

If you look at the "classic" Arrow rides you'll notice that many of them have fixed-radius turns instead of parabolic curves. What that means is that the trains generally don't "ease" into the next element, but rather slam into them. This violent movement is made worse by the fact that the wheels don't make solid contact with the track at all times (whereas modern steel coasters tend to have spring-loaded wheels).

There have been a lot of discussions about this over the years, and as you ride more and more, you'll get an appreciation yourself of what I'm talking about.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

Yeah I've noticed little banking on some of the curves, and the double loop, double corkscrews can hurt!

Another contributing factor you may not be aware of is the wheel assemblies that Arrow and Vekoma use. There is a large gap between the track and the side wheels and upstops. Those fun Swiss companies many of us love spring load their wheels to eliminate that roughness.

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- Peabody

I for one happen to love some of Arrow's transitions. Yeah, they're rides are a little raw around the edges, but they blow a lot of those modern Swiss companies away in terms of intensity and power. Face it, some of B&M's coasters just aren't that ferocious.

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I get the feeling there's a conspiracy over at King's Island to remove anything that has "K" or "C" in its initials.

You want to ride a painful arrow...well, you shouldve rode the Steel Phantom. Im not dissing it, for it was a great coaster, but quite painful, especially if it was your first time. After you rode it a couple times, you could brace yourself better for the pain.

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Fear the Wrath of the Phantom! Phantoms Revenge, Kennywood park, West Mifflin Pennsylvania.

I for one say the GASM at SFGadv was rough, and so was the Viper at SFDL.

I agree entirely with MooreOn. Rough doesn't mean bad. Just like different Ice Cream Flavors. Some may prefer the smooth Vanilla of the newer B&M and Intamin rides and some of prefer the intense Rocky Road that Arrow had provided.

Jason1, Phantom was one of my all time favorite coasters. Sure it was rough, but it was a great ride.

Peabody mentions that Arrow always used those same smallish loops on all their rides. That's exactly what's so great. They used speed and height to control the loop, not loop size. Imagine a B&M with one of these tight little loops - it'd be great. Instead of B&M's giant "floater" loops, use some of the tight intense ones. Nothing like a hill with a loop at the top - feels almost like you climbed too high and flipped back over.

Two of my all time favorite coasters are older Arrow's - Magnum and Steel Phantom. I'd love to chance to ride some more.

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www.coasterimage.com

Lord G - you can't chip your tooth on Vanilla ice cream ;-)

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2002 - the year of IB's LoCoSuMo!!

Arrows Megaloopers are the greatest, Shockwave and Vortex are just too great. Nothing like the feeling of getting pulled well slingshotted tho0ugh the top of an arrow loop while you sit in the back seat. I will take an Arrow over most B and M's anyday. Not much intensity unless you are riding a ride like Mantis, B:TR or Iron Wolf

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Does CCI know how to make a bad coaster?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, a little bump here and there gives the ride character. It's kind of like if your driving down an extremely new smooth ride in a car with excellent shocks, after a while, your going to want to go to sleep, however if your riding over a 10 year old road in a Kia (not dissing them, some pretty cool designs) well then at first your gonna like it (as a coaster enthusiast) after a while your gonna get sick of it but not before a few minutes that the coaster lasts. BTW Shockwave is #4 on my steel coaster list.

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Milwaukee Wisconsin, we bring you beer, brats and cheese. But don't be fooled, "Milwaukee truly is a special secret getaway that I will be sure to tell my friends about!" Erin Brockevich, not to mention that we are an hour from SFGAm........

Once again, apples and oranges! Geez, that analogy can even be made within the company, when comparing their steelies of the 80's to their steelies now. This "rough" topic has been brought up numerous times, and like Peabody said, you'll understand more about the differences after you ride as many different coasters as you can. A lot of coasters don't age well, but in some cases, being thrown around adds to the experience.
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Brad Sherman
Don't.....look.....back! The Headless Horseman awaits you in 2002!
Model coasters and rides

Peabody said: Before 1990, the only people who could bend steel well were Inatmin/Schwarzkopf.

...and the Man of Steel, LOL...:)

I also think a contributing factor is that generally speaking you get an Arrow a lot cheaper than competitors similar rides. I'm not saying that because you pay less, you get less. But if a park pays $8m for a ride, there is no point in spending $500,000 per year keeping it fresh and smooth. Hence they forget to change wheels, spend the time to make sure the Upstops and Guides aren't creeping too far away from the rails.

I would think that around the early 90's marked the end of the 100% cookie-cutter coasters. We were seeing them experiement with rides that were more unique. It took them a few years to get this right. Rides like Drachen Fire or Steel Phantom were obviously some of these early examples. After that, they seemed to be getting better, but sadly B&M came along and offered better rides than Arrow. Arrow lay low for a number of years, concentrating on fewer, yet much much better rides (my Cyclone - only track that is "cookie-cutter" is the loop, you can tell just by riding that they've piece by piece designed this ride for a more articulated, smoother finish). In recent years, their best proof that this company is capable of designing smooth rides - TT at Dollywood. I think that the reason that Dollywood went to arrow is they wanted a ride that looked good, and sounded good - personally, Arrow track is more pleasant to look at than B&M or Intamin, and it doesn't leave an uneasy roaring sound around.

It is obvious Arrow have been concentrating on their new rides. The 4D and Mad Mouse and new ArrowBATic are good examples of them exploring new frontiers. Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

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So what if the best coaster in Australia is a second hand Arrow?
http://www.totalthrills.com

It warms the cockles of my heart to see so many Arrow fans here. *sniff sniff*

I love you guys! ;)

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www.coasterimage.com

"Cockles"? There, there....big group hug! :)
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Brad Sherman
Don't.....look.....back! The Headless Horseman awaits you in 2002!
Model coasters and rides

Cockles? Are those like Kankles? ;)

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"Ruba dub dub, thanks for the grub...yay god!"