Batman & Robin: The Chiller - SFGADv Deconstruction??

^ So gravity wouldn't pull the train down through the zero-g roll? Considering you're going downhill at a fairly good rate, then through a flat zero-g roll, then back down a hill again...I honestly don't believe that it would valley in the middle of the zero-g roll. However, between the cobra roll and zero-g roll...yes I believe that.

Here's a pic of ONE of the valleys in the zero-g roll, not fully upside down, but close enough. The train is not moving, and you can see a team member on the water effect lift trying to communicate with guests on the train.

http://us.f2.yahoofs.com/users/44497a9em6670ffa0/b4fa/__sr_/98aa.jpg?phYjXuFB.XyZUSIh

Yikes! That would really suck, especially with just lap bars.......................... *** Edited 1/26/2007 3:21:36 AM UTC by DantheCoasterman***

Told you.

I just don't understand why the park would modify this ride. It's an older ride (how many years do they think they'll get out of it), and because one side is always closed, it always has a long line (when it's open), mostly due to the single-train operation.

I don't see why they're keeping it around. Tear it down, throw up two spinning coasters in it's place, and give that side of the park another family coaster apart from Skull Mountain.

Edit: I forgot about Blackbeard. *** Edited 1/26/2007 2:57:34 PM UTC by Arson***

Maybe they are planning a retheming of the area to the justice league and dc comics characters. If they do that then that coaster can pull the theme of the area together nicely.

Perhaps along with modifying the zero-g into a triple up/down, they're going to renovate it to the point where they will be able to run both sides (at the same time)?

That would require additional POWER though, wouldn't it? Nothing they do to the RIDE is going to affect its draw of power (short of changing the launch mechanism)....

SO....my guess is no, they'll still run *independently*...which, theoretically, should NOT prevent them from alternating launches and STILL increasing capacity all the way up to "reasonably acceptable"... ;)

*** Edited 1/27/2007 6:51:04 PM UTC by rollergator***

I just don't understand why they're modifying it. It's a ten-year-old coaster that's eclipsed by just about everything built since then, is slow to load/unload, and (since both sides are different) will always have a line because everyone will want to ride both sides. Even if both tracks are altered, the power problem is still there (if it exists).

I'm an enthusiast, and I don't have the Batman side of the credit, but honestly, they need to replace it with something that can 1) handle the crowds that park gets, 2) doesn't require as much work to keep running, and 3) will be marketable. Pouring money into the Chiller... won't do any of that.

If it were up to me, I'd be re-tracking Rolling Thunder, which has been busy since El Toro opened. That thing should get plenty of work to keep it running smoothly (and open both tracks). Now that's a ride that needs some TLC, not a ride I could see the park removing in the coming years. *** Edited 1/27/2007 7:01:53 PM UTC by Arson***

The Backwards Zero G has never been ECLIPSED by anything, Honestly it is the most amazing inversion in the world. I am very very sad to see it go.

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MagnumsRevenge said:
The Backwards Zero G has never been ECLIPSED by anything, Honestly it is the most amazing inversion in the world. I am very very sad to see it go.

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I agree. Despite it's well-documented operational problems - it took me 5 visits to SFGtAd before I managed a single ride on the Batman side (and I live in England!) - Chiller remains, for me at least, a unique and outstanding attraction. The only coasters which IMHO provide anything approaching a similar experience are the two versions of Mr Freeze. Chiller should not be regarded as falling into the same "cut the losses" category as SFMM's Flashback and Psyclone, the demise of which I have to agree with from a commonsense standpoint. Regardless of the steel (and now wood) additions which have been made to the park since its debut, Chiller continues to warrant a place in GtAd's coaster line up.

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Fun said:
... just like you can't stop at the top of Dragster? I'm sure it very rarely happens, but given the right conditions, a train could come to a rest partially upside down.

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I was so happy someone said this and I found a video of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeOEZqbCjzQ

I am sure I am not the only one who has seen this before.

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rollergator said:
That would require additional POWER though, wouldn't it? Nothing they do to the RIDE is going to affect its draw of power (short of changing the launch mechanism)....

SO....my guess is no, they'll still run *independently*...which, theoretically, should NOT prevent them from alternating launches and STILL increasing capacity all the way up to "reasonably acceptable"...

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Possibly... although wouldn't the zero g slow the ride a smidgen more than straight track? And if so, wouldn't it then require less power in order to get it to the same spot on the spike?

Also, perhaps they'll install some sort of super-mega-rechargable battery. So instead of drawing a huge amount of current off the power grid at launch, it would draw a steady flow to a super-battery, and then that super battery would discharge to provide the power necessary to launch the LIMs.

It would essentially be how the S&S towers work... there's an air supply not connected to the towers where the "real" compressors just steadily charge it up. Then, when the towers actually shoot, it pulls from THAT tank into the shot tank, and when the shot tank is at the proper pressure it shoots. But that way you don't need as big of a compressor to run the ride.

(Or am I mistaken on that?)

Two part answer:

Part 1, the straight track replacing the zero-g *might* reduce the need for power by a VERY small amount...the ride wasn't exactly BLASTING thru the tophat or cobra roll prior to this modification, so I doubt the power required would change by more than 5%....

Part 2, the storage concept to reduce/eliminate power spikes - to my way of thinking, that IS a *substantive* change to the launch mechanism....obviously, YMMV.

*** Edited 1/29/2007 3:56:48 PM UTC by rollergator***

It is being said that the zero-g rolls are being replaced with a camel back (ala KK) from someone that was at Eastcoaster today. I guess that should have some serious airtime with how fast you should be going over it.

SFGADV was not at Eastcoaster, but they sent a statement that was read by an ACE person. In the statement they confirmed that the rolls are gone forever and would be replaced with a "hump." The terminology got quite a laugh. So I guess anyone that rides Chiller this year will get humped!! :)

Well, they have to do something with the top park of KK that is getting chopped off...

...oh, wait, that was dragster. Wrong rumor - oops! ;)

I see The Chiller like I see Hypersonic XLC. Both are launched novelties, and they don't really do anything for me. Both have downtime and capacity issues for the parks they are in. The difference is, of course, Cedar Fair is removing Hypersonic, where Six Flags is... humping it.

Arson, you've made your point how many times on this page alone? I count three. I won't bother to go back and count the rest. Cedar Fair is not removing Hypersonic as they don't have a buyer, so it will run this year from what I've read.

Chiller is a whole lot more fun than Hypersonic XLC, and more rerideable. You don't have to worry about your shins on Chiller.

Here's the difference between Gadv. and KD: Great Adventure needs Chiller, whereas the loss of Hypersonic probably woudn't impact KD as much in the capacity area. KD doesn't get anywhere near as crowded.

^^ I just think it's a poor decision to keep it running, that's all. Great Adventure doesn't need it in my opinion, since one side of it was closed for most of the season last year (when Robin was open). Rather than modifying it, I'd rather they move it to a park that would take care of it a little better.

I went to Great Adventure five times last year, and of that, only ONCE did I see Robin up and running. Is it a loss to me? Hardly. *** Edited 2/4/2007 9:04:47 PM UTC by Arson***