Beast Blocks with skid

Does anyone remember the Blocks for the Beast when it had skids (1979 - 2001). If I remember correctly it was:

Blocks
Skid Brakes (1979-2001)
1.Dispach to Top of #1 Lift
2.Top of #1 Lift to 1/3 way up #2 Lift
3.1/3 way up #2 Lift to top of #2 Lift
4.Top of #2 Lift to brake 5 on the bridge
5.End of brake 5 on bridge to end of sidetrack
6.2/3 of the way in station to 1/3 up #1 Lift

Anyway I am working on a no limits recreation of it and it would be helpful if someone that knows could either say that what I have is correct or, tell me what it was. I have a recreation of the Beast in that game, but it was just ok and planning a much better one with all the details. The link is below if interested to see what I have so far and look at pics of my old Beast recreation

http://nldc.interfix.net/p755

considering it has three blocks in the station itself.

I think you need to update.

Chuck

Chuck:

Those blocks in the station are different than what you are thinking about. The train could not enter the station unless it was past block 6, it would stop 2/3 of the way. Look at it carefully, those blocks are conservative. No train can be in one block at the same time, that is the important rule.

So say a train is in station, so it is actually in blocks 5 and 6. The train behind is in the brake run, just waiting. So after they dispatch, the train on the brake run is in block 4. Before it can move, block 5 must be clear, so the train just dispatched must be past the transfer shed. Once it is, the train on the brake run moves forward.

However notice, how block 6 says in order for it to be clear, the train must be up 1/3 lfit 1. So for some reason they stop lift 1 (maybe because someone did not have a shirt or something minor like that). So now you have a train at the bottom of lift 1. What would happen with the train behind is that it would stop 2/3 of the way into the station. It would not be allowed to fully enter the station until the train ahead cleared 1/3 way up lift 1.

I hope I did not lose you there. Anyway also take note of how only 1 train is allowed to be on the brake run, that is a big difference than whay you have now with the new braking system.

Anyway I think what I have is very close to the blocking structure, just want someone that was has a better memory than me, and was a former Beast ride op to see if it is right. I was a former ride op, but only 1 season with the skid brakes.

I remember when I rode The Beast in 2001, the trains "stacked" and we slowed then stoped on the top of the 2nd lift. So only 1 train was allowed on in brake shed at a time, which i did find odd, but with skids I guess it's understandalbe.

Wasn't that long brake run before the tunnels in between your #'s 2 & 3 a block?

my understanding was the brake shed in the middle of the ride before the second tunnel, was not used for blocking purposes. It is just really to trim speed. At least that is what it was used when I was there, perhaps it was designed to be a block, but don't think it was ever used in that fashion.

Someone might know more about its purpose, but I think it was just long because skids work that way. It takes a skid brake a decent distance to stop a train, so that was used as a trim. It could also stop a train like if needed, or someone hit emergency stop and all the brakes went up.

The shed was a block with the skids. It isn't a block now.

Chuck, who says do a search on this subject. Shaggy posted the whole block system and operating procedure a year or so ago as to what it was with the skids.

P.S. It might be on URC but Im not advertising another site. Just saying that might be where he posted it. Do a search of Beast Blocks.

Chuck:

I remember reading Shaggy's post about it, but could not find it again there. Anyway I don't remember him saying that it was really used as a block. It is sort of used but not really. It is why they could split up the lifts to have 2 blocks, and why they can't do that now. I guess shaggy could comment and clarify. Anyway the current block structure is below

Fin Brakes and magnetic trims (2002-present)
1. Dispach to Top of #1 Lift
2. Top of #1 Lift to 1/3 way up #2 Lift*
3.1/3 way up #2 Lift to top of #2 Lift*
4. Top of #2 Lift to the end of Safety Brakes
5. End of Safety Brakes to end of Ready Brakes
6. End of Ready Brakes to End of Station.
*For purposes of train positioning and spacing, block 2 & 3 are considered the same (grouped together as one)

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Charles Nungester said:
The shed was a block with the skids. It isn't a block now.

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Doesn't a block have to be able to stop the train in case the previous train had not cleared the section ahead? If that is the case, I don't see how the shed could have been a block (with skids) if they were controlled by a manual weight system and not computers (assuming they had the ability to stop the train in the highest position).

The brakes in the shed were not controlled with a manual weight system. The weights were used on the first drop trims, second hilll trims, and helix drop trims. Back in the mid course brake run, not only were there pneumatic skids back there, there were advancing drive tires.

I'm not entirely certain exactly how the mid-course shed was set up, but it is quite possible that they used a manual adjustment system to establish the *minimum* brake position, then used pneumatics to pop the brakes up to full-stop in the event of a block stop or E-stop.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

The long shed before the second tunnel WAS originally a block brake because the original plan was to run four trains. They could never get the timing right, so they only ran three and simply used the long shed as a trim brake. Now all that remains are the magnetic brakes at the end of the shed.

The shed was a block with the skids back in the day. No blocks were moved from the ride till the magnetic brakes were installed in the shed in 2002-ish.

Thanks for the information, RideMan.

Did Beast open with skid brakes, (anywhere on the ride, including the shed) or were they added a following season?

When The Beast opened, it had skid brakes in the shed, at the end of the ride, and in the station. Of course.

I don't know about anywhere else, because it had been open for more than ten years before I took my first ride on it. Remember, I grew up as a Cedar Pointer. :) By the time I rode it, it had brakes on the first, second, and last hills.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.