Bayern Kurve Horn?

Hi All -

Just wondering, I have seen many articles about Bayern Kurves, some of them stating that the horn blew at the start of the ride, and others that it blew at maximum speed. Which one of these was it, or was it both?

Also, was the horn manually or automatically triggered? I know the Bayern Kurve at Canada's Wonderland had an automatic start button and ride cycle, but I am not sure about the horn trigger...

Thank you

krachenwagen1

If I not mistaken the one at Kennywood waits until it hits it's maximum running speed.

That is one loud trumpet...but I'm always happy to hear it.

The horn is wonderful at Kennywood. It's almost like the ride is exclaiming how stoked it is to reach top speed.

When I ride the one at Kennywood, I scream with excitement when the horn blows. I absolutely love that ride!

I'm trying to recall the one at Cedar Point. It seems to me I was told that the horn was both tied to the control system, and also had a manual control, at least in the early to mid 1970's

I recall SFMM's Sierra Twist going off at ride start-up.

I remember distinctly, as I lived in the Cedars and my window was directly behind Schwabinchen and Bayern Kurve. And the horn sounded when it reached full speed. I didn't know any of the girls on the ride, so I don't know how it operated, but I recall it was kind of random so I'm going with manual.

It's a foot pedal right next to the brake. The operator can blast it whenever they so desire. It's better at full speed because you get the train whizzing past it, and that can give it a unique sound.

The horn is a foot pedal, too? Does that ride have *any* buttons on it?

Does anybody have photos or diagrams of the controls on the Bayern Kurve? Obviously the brake control is a foot pedal (you can tell because you can see the operator jumping up and down on it) but I always wondered what other controls that ride has on it.

I'd like to find a good photo of the version Cedar Point once had. The ride originally had a bus-bar along the track to power the tilt motors, instead of the extension cord to the slip ring in the middle. So in the middle of the ride there were obstructions, including a tall tower with a basket on top with two figures bouncing up and down in the basket. I always assumed those guys were broadcasters...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

And I think those bus bars were a problem, or there was something that caused the tilt to not work sometimes. Or occasionally you'd see one where a few of the sleds had perma-tilt going on there, and those were seats that couldn't be filled. Anyway, over time most of the rides eventually went with the hideous extension cords for the middle.

One of my favorite moments during a ride on the Bayern Kurve is when the ride begins to slow down and the sleds start to rise. If the ride is slow to stop the riders are treated to a different force going over the top. It's a little air time, especially for those toward the front of the train. Love that.

I'd forgotten about the scenery set up inside the ride. There were the flat evergreens and the crows nest. The painting of the spectators along the back was interesting, there were a few of those characters that stuck out to me. Their appearance was odd or out of scale somehow.
Those Schwartzkopf rides were so kooky. There was that lighted sun peeking over the backdrop on so many of them, the Swiss Bobs and the Sprung Schanze come to mind.

http://schwarzkopf-coaster.net/OKbayernkurveGF.htm

Not Cedar Points, but this is what a complete one looked like.
Also, check out this page, it has an unusual Kurve, plus a rare Cortina Jet

http://schwarzkopf-coaster.net/ESbayernkurveGF.htm

I still believe that's one of the greatest flat rides ever. Such a great sensation.

I really wish someone would come out with a new version and parks would add them. I need to get to Kennywood.

Only one I ever rode was Mt. Kilimanjaro at Kings Dominion eons ago. I don't remember it having a horn, but I do remember liking the ride. As much as I love Schwarzkopf stuff, though, I never thought the Bayern Kurve was anything to write home about, so I never rode the one at Kennywood on my two visits there.

And that's too bad, Mr. Vater. Kennywood's Kurve is one of the best ever, it goes so fast. When it went away for a minute I was sad, then rejoiced when they said it would be making a return. I guess they had said that all along, but I didn't believe them.

Anyway, it's so popular there, I believe it's a local favorite for sure.

Vater, It's my favorite non-coaster ride at the park.

The one at Great America Santa Clara had the bus-bar. It was partially enclosed, so the tether wouldn't work. Or rather, they were able to partially enclose it because it had the bus-bar. I believe we only blew the horn at the start of the ride (push button).

The good news is that the one at Great America was still running when I visited there a few years ago, and it was still partially enclosed, still had the bus bar.

The bad news is that they were running it at about half-speed.

Not that I should be surprised. I got the distinct impression that Great America had deliberately slowed and toned down every ride in the park to make them all as uninteresting as possible. This is the park that installed a Break Dance...as a kiddie ride. Well, they did have Geauga Lake's old Top Spin, but just as at Geauga Lake, it wasn't operational when I visited...

Great America does not deserve to have a Bayern Kurve.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Nor a train, trolly, world's largest Imax, triple wheel...but perhaps they do deserve the Grizzly. ;)

Hi again -

In response to RideMan, I found a link to the Bayern Kurve ride manual.

I think there is information in there on ride controls, and some on the maintenance/parts as well.

http://ridemanuals.com/PDFs-Password%20Protected/SCHWARZKOPT/SCHWAR..._00001.pdf

Sorry if I did not insert the link the right way, I am new to the forums.

Fascinating. And welcome, krachenwagen1. As far as I'm concerned you can come around here aaaaanytime with that kind of stuff.

So, it seems the manual suggests blowing the horn before the ride starts, to be used mainly as a warning to those that might be hanging around. And that makes sense- I've noticed on various videos that at the European fun fairs riders don't always form a queue as we know it, but stand all around the edges of the platform clutching ticket or token in hand, even while the ride is in full motion. Once the ride stops there is a scramble to find a seat, some get one and the others retreat for the next cycle.
We here in North America would consider that dangerous and an unacceptable safety procedure and we favor the "first come first serve" approach anyway. But there's still that horn, so why not blow it while the ride is going full tilt? It adds excitement and draws attention that way.

Thanks again for that. The geek in me made me read the whole thing.