Coaster Myths and Misconceptions

While visitng Islands of Adventure, in line for the Hulk, I was standing in back of one of the sound engineers who designed the sound effects on Dueling Dragons. He sincerely claimed that Hulk had a highly sophisticated system of electromagnets that would allow the coaster to be stopped at any point along its track (including while in the middle of an inversion). If that doesn't scream incompetence then I don't know what does. I finished out the conversation by saying that I worked as a smudgepot supervisor of one of the only domed orange groves in Canada.

They just keep coming to me...

Space Mountain (MK) is fastest and most scaryist ride in the park!

Thunder Mountain uses the same trains as the MK Railroad.

You drop 200ft on Spiderman.

Putting a train backwards on a coaster isnt safe and can cause death and mutilation.

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Summer 03-CP, HP, Canobie, SFNE, SFWOA, and SFGAm.

Wow CoasterKrazy, that girl was a moron, thank god you put her in her place! Can you believe people these days, thinking that two Impulses were the same ride?

Wow I never thought there would be so many!
But it's true, people really are stupid nowadays

That one about the sound engineer scares me though.........

Not that anyone would do it, but putting a train on backwards would cause serious problems. The dynamics wouldn't be right for the tracking of the wheels. Brake fins are often somewhat off center and wouldn't line up with the brakes. The chain dog wouldn't engage, and the anti-rollbacks wouldn't function.

When coasters are operated with the passengers facing backwards, the chassis of the cars actually are running frontwards. The car bodies and seats are turned around backwards on the chassis.

Rideman will now proceed to tell me about the one coaster where they do turn around the chassis and change all the attachments to make them work. :)

I don't know how it's done but SFMM runs Colossus backwards during Fright Fest.

I've heard this more than three times while waiting in line for Millennium Force: "Fabio got hit by a bird on this!"

I just given up on correcting people.

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"Life is like a roller coaster...enjoy it."

They dont even say "train" they call it a "car" or a "thing"'

SFNE Cyclone on ride

"OH **** we are going to die! THE CARS GONNA COME OFF THE TRACK!!! OH f***!!! IM GOING TO BURN THIS RIDE DOWN IF I EVER GET OFF THE D*** THING!

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http://www.skiboards.cjb.net

Message boards for snow sports lovers! Come join!

My dad on Shockwave(RIP). "**** ***** **** **** ****** ****** Shockwave **** ***** loop **** **** owwww!"

The girls behind us were laughing so hard at him. My friend saw a picture of Millennium Force and said,"Woah! That drop isn't safe. It even bigger than straight down."
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All who think Mean Streak needs a match taken to it say I.

mean streak has square wheels.

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TOP THRILL DRAGSTER I await your coming see you on may 4

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Raven_Rider said:
Wow CoasterKrazy, that girl was a moron, thank god you put her in her place! Can you believe people these days, thinking that two Impulses were the same ride?

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Yeah, I know I can't believe it! Especially since I didn't say anything AT ALL and Wicked Twister and Superman: Ultimate Escape actually ARE different rides! I'm so glad you put me in my place since this IS a thread about coaster misconceptions! What was I thinking?

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Intelligence is a God given gift: Know how to use it.

Sorry CoasterKrazy, I meant thank god *he* put her in her place, not you.;) I just thought it was funny how you acted like the girl was an idiot for comparing two Impulses(which are the same ride technically), and you actually stood up for the "obvious coaster enthusiast." And regarding your last statement, I have no clue what you were thinking!

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Trekker Park said:
Rather than statements of fact, my all time favorites are half hour debates during long lines :

l. Which is faster, a train going 60 mph down a wooden coaster hill or a train going 60 mph down a steel coaster hill ?

2. Is a train going faster at 60 mph down the hill or 60 mph around a bend ?

3. Is the force of gravity stronger at the top of the hill or at the bottom of the hill ?

4. Are the g forces stronger in padded seats or wooden or plastic seats ?

I have found it especially entertaining to listen to these people using various formulas from math and physics to decide these questions.

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1. steel hills are, more often than not, steeper than wooden hills. therefore, there is less track being traversed, and reduced friction. so, the train on the steel will be going faster as it continues its trek down the hill.

2. if the "bend" is completely devoid of downward track, the hill. depending on the size of the "bend," the acceleration may be greater.

3. bottom of the hill, obviously.

4. as with the others, i don't think this is much of a debate, but it's got to be fun going about proving that the padded seat has reduced forces. unless, of course, the padding is excessively thick but weak.

At Cedar Point last year, I was walking under Millie in that tunnel (Yeah, I forgot what it's called.). I hear a guy say "What's that other track for? Oh I know! It must be spare track!"

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Ask me about my new house!

AIM: Pritti Kittie

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hogfat said:

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Trekker Park said:
Rather than statements of fact, my all time favorites are half hour debates during long lines :

l. Which is faster, a train going 60 mph down a wooden coaster hill or a train going 60 mph down a steel coaster hill ?

2. Is a train going faster at 60 mph down the hill or 60 mph around a bend ?

3. Is the force of gravity stronger at the top of the hill or at the bottom of the hill ?

4. Are the g forces stronger in padded seats or wooden or plastic seats ?

I have found it especially entertaining to listen to these people using various formulas from math and physics to decide these questions.

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1. steel hills are, more often than not, steeper than wooden hills. therefore, there is less track being traversed, and reduced friction. so, the train on the steel will be going faster as it continues its trek down the hill.

2. if the "bend" is completely devoid of downward track, the hill. depending on the size of the "bend," the acceleration may be greater.

3. bottom of the hill, obviously.

4. as with the others, i don't think this is much of a debate, but it's got to be fun going about proving that the padded seat has reduced forces. unless, of course, the padding is excessively thick but weak.

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For number 1 and 2, no matter what steepness, or length, 60 mph down a wooden hill and 60 mph down a steel hill are still the same speed, so..neither one is faster, same with the bend and hill one.

Number 4, no matter if the seats are padded, the G's are sill the same, it is whether you feel them as much.

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I have a million weird stories, there isonly one weird one I can think of right now, but I have lots more. There was this one person who I talked to, and we struck up a conversation about rollercoasters, and he said. "There is this one ride at Six Flags (SFMM) where you go into this round room, and you spin around at 100 MPH and you skin almost gets ripped off your face, like this (demonstrates face movement)."

I said "No, TRUST ME, there is no spinning ride that does that, ANYWHERE, there is a ride Spin Out where you spin around, and the floor drops, and Superman which is a coaster that goes 100 MPH, but no spinning ride that spins 100 MPH"

He said "No I went on it, and someone's head almost exploded on it because of the forces, they were rushed to the hospital, but they lived, it was all over the news"

I just gave up....
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Welcome one and all, y'all come have a ball!
Things a bear-y fine, ridin' on the old Knott's bear-y line!
*** This post was edited by MilleniumForce6279 4/22/2003 8:30:46 PM ***

I love it when people think the floor drops out on Gravitrons I tell them and tell them over and over that you just slide up but they never believe it! Another good one I heard once is that if you don't bend your knees a little bit on king cobra they would snap during the loop because of the high g's.

edit:spelling
*** This post was edited by Mike77 4/22/2003 8:39:40 PM ***

Here's a few I've heard:

While in line for Superman:UE(SFWoA). "They need to run two trains on this ride" "The park ran out of money and couldn't finish this coaster, so they left like it is and ran it"

On Batman Knight Flight, "Your shoes better be on tight, if you lose one, the train will fall off and we'll drown in the lake"

A guy standing in front of Mind Eracer(sfwoa) last year, scraching his head and said "I know the Corkscrew is around here somewhere"

On Cedar Creek Mine Ride(CP), a guy screaming his head off, and yelling "this is too scray, I can't handle this ride no more, get me off this ride!" (oh wait, that was me, lol)

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Is it May yet??

http://www.zerognetwork.com

My favorite GP experience to date was when I was riding Knight Flight in the front row and a girl turned to me and asked, "that gate goes down before we go, right?"

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Kara (car-uh)
Magnum Crew '03
1024 Laps on Timbers
621 in '02

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CP Dude said:
mean streak has square wheels.

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I thought this was a thread about MYTHS!

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- John
Dag, yo

While standing on the platform of Blue Streak at CP I heard a woman explaining to her husband "They're tearing down Magnum because it's obsolete". Ironic.

Then there was the guy in line for S:ROS at SFNE saying "This ride would be better if they put in some loops or corkscrews". Right.

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Without the chaindog, you'd never get up the lifthill...