Boardwalk Bullet

I would guess Ghostrider rolled back as well. It barely makes it up to the scenic turnaround as it is.

Huh? In my hundreds of rides I've never felt like GR's train "barely" made it to the scenic turn. It's usually going at a good clip...10-15 MPH maybe.

IMO, 10mph is slow enough that it could be prone to rollbacks. When riding in the back seat, I tend to feel like the front of the train is pulling me up that hill instead of momentum pushing me up the hill. Regardless, it's much like The Boss's ascent to the block brake. It doesn't exactly rocket up there.

Which is a good thing. Then, the drop comes, and scares the **** out of you. :)

Yes. Pretty much all of my favorite wooden coasters have a brief pause of sanity in the middle somewhere.

...like the 2-second "better catch your breath here because all hell is about to break loose" mid-course block on Voyage? lol

And Rampage's 5th hill before the turn.

And the brief pause before THE DROP on Raven.

And the long dramatic turnaround drop on Boulderdash.

And those couple of slow-ish turns on Phoenix.

And the turn-around on Yankee Cannonball.

If anything I wish Voyage's mcbr was a bit longer. Might be a bit blasphemous.

I wish Voyage didn't have a midcourse brake. But it's still great. :)

I just found this forum when searching for information on the Bullet.

When I went by there today the train was located at the part where it rolled back on the video posted above. I guess they still haven't gotten that fixed? The carts for the second train were laying outside in an area that was not blocked off and they were putting them up on a mock piece of track adjusting them. I walked within feet of them.

I didn't bother asking when it would be up as the workers looked stressed and busy under the 95+ Texas heat and humidity. Anyone have an update?

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Acoustic Viscosity said:
Yeah, Renegade opened less than a week after its first test run if I recall. *** Edited 8/3/2007 5:14:35 AM UTC by Acoustic Viscosity***

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I believe it was 8 days but that was just because that was when opening day was. Others were invited to come ride earlier although it was late enough that I think the normal media day was cancelled or last minute or something. They had some media there right before it opened but I think that was more of a last minute make shift thing.

Boardwalk Bullet's first train was lifted off the track after the first valley and is the train sitting on the mock track peices. The train caught up on the anti-rollbacks (which were installed after the first test) was the 2nd train, which came very close to making it over the top, as it is currently stalled with the front car at the apex. I imagine they should be able to push the train down the hill and it will make the rest of the course no problem. After that, I also imagine that the trains should be able to clear the turnaround, as the 2nd train came so much closer than the first.

Kemah said this morning that they haven't decided if they will do a 3rd test run today or not.

They pushed the train off and it proceeded to valley out shortly afterwards elsewhere in the course.

^Yeah, I just read that after my post. However, the witness said that the train was lowered by the crane thing about halfway down the hill before they let it loose, so that could explain what hapenned.

I feel bad for the nightmare Kemah is going through.

Kemah is NOT having a nightmare....they're just delayed in having their wonderful dream become reality... ;)

Still, considering all the rain we've had in Texas and all the testing issues...I feel bad for them.

This coaster was originally supposed to open like July 4th!

Whats nightmarish about normal startup problems?

The Weather, Well what can you do about it? Call Al Gore, He's got all the answers.

The Vallying will work itself out. They may try to speed the lifthill if that can be done. A lot of wood coasters have adjustable lift chains.

Chuck, who says it valleys elsewhere after a push over because it did not aproach the next element at normal running speed but started from a dead stop. KINETIC ENERGY.

Chuck

Just dropped by on my way home from work. The workers were packing up to call it a day so no more tests. The worker that spoke to me reiterated what was said in previous posts. Sunday the second train stalled and when they pushed it down yesterday it made it about half through but it was supposed to be going 15 MPH when they pushed it down. Once they get the friction worked out that is causing it to stall it should make it the rest of the way. Although he is not totally sure he said they should be ready for another test tomorrow.

Sorry for typos Im writing this on my carpueters micro keybord in the parking lot.

A big part of the friction is they grease the wheels to overflowing, Like you would a tie rod end. This isn't normal operating amounts unless they grease it everyday. Most grease one car a day with the seventh day off. Therefore most aren't FULL.

Chuck, who says Chelshire Cat told me that was his problems on Legend the first year with PTC's and why it was so much slower in 2002 SRM than it was in 2003

Not sure if they tested today but they were in the process of ripping out about 20 feet of track located about 30 feet from the first drop. It was over 109 degrees with the heat index today and all the workers looked more interested in getting home as it was 5:30 and they were packing up, I wasnt able to talk to any of them.

Anyone else with an update?

My uneducted guess is that there are some issues with track guage and its bleeding off some of the speed. Sounds like they're addressing that now. Unless I'm mistaken the ride is being constructed by M&V. If there are problems with the track gauge it would not necessarily be a reflection of Gravity Group.