Deja Vu at SFMM Reopens!

This weekend I was told that SFOG hopes to have their model up and running in 2-3 weeks. The second lift hill's motor is being replaced (again).

Several major parts were replaced or refurbished over the off-season, but the 2nd motor isn't properly pulling the train up the 2nd lift.

I see no reason why SFGAm's DV wont operate for the parks opening day (May 1st).

It finally opened at the end of July (2003) and ran right up to the park's final weekend.

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Peabody said:
320pph?????? Oh my gosh. To me anything under 1000pph (for a coaster) doesn't belong at a major park!

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Don't get to SFMM very often? ;)

lol...I've read recent trip reports...unreal! (and not in the good way!)

lol

P-body - the wait was about 30 minutes, which doesn't sound bad until you realize there was only about 100 people ahead of us in line.

Capacity nightmare due more than a little bit due to the *unique* seating configuration....I'll guess no coaster EVER features those again. It does surprise me that the parks don't come up with a better way to assign seat/row configuration to move the loading process along, but then again, that's another employee lining people up, and the seats themselves would need to be clearly marked.

SFoG's was down, and should not be expected to be up anytime TOO soon....they're working on getting the FIVE new rides up and running, and DV takes up enormous resources. The good news: the ride's in a perfect location for that V2 clone I've been waiting for...LOL.

Even with the bizarre seating, it should never take four and a half minutes to load a train. Simply stated, six minute dispatch intervals are unacceptable.

-Nate
*** Edited 3/29/2004 1:29:38 AM UTC by coasterdude318***

Maybe if they added another train? ;)

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coasterdude318 said:
Simply stated, six minute dispatch intervals are unacceptable.

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Ya don't say ;)

That's what I don't understand about the bar/safety belt checking on DV.

Why do people have to buckle the belt first, have that checked, and then be allowed to lower the OTSR? Why can't the rideops just check both at the same time?

I think it has to do with the fact that if someone were to forget to buckle the lapbar first and sat on it or something, it would be difficult to get it buckled after the OTSR was locked down. I tend to agree with you, though; I think a minor struggle to find a seatbelt once in awhile would be better than the lengthy, unnecessary procedure.

-Nate

Yep...and correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the stupid thing have a second belt as well? Why does a coaster need two? *** Edited 3/29/2004 3:29:23 AM UTC by Peabody***

Yeah, the second belt is the one attached to the OTSR. Kind of like what you see on the B&M inverteds.

Nate:

How is that any different from a wooden coaster with individual lap bars and individual seatbelts? A person could easily sit on the belt.

1) Wooden coaster cars generally do not have molded seats. Deja Vu's seats are somewhat bucket-shaped, which could potentially cause more difficulty in retrieving a seatbelt if someone were to sit on it.

2) OTSRs are more restrictive than just a lapbar (I'm speaking in a general sense here...think PTC). A lapbar is a simple bar to maneuver around if you're trying to put on a seatbelt. There's a lot more bulk there with an OTSR, particularly with the ones on Deja Vu. Take a look at what you'd have to work behind to buckle a seatbelt after the OTSR has been locked (keeping in mind that the seatbelt must be locked behind the OTSR and that the bottom of the OTSR rests pretty snugly against the waist of the seated passenger): http://www.rcdb.com/installationgallery1040.htm?Picture=3

3) Most (if not all) wooden coaster trains allow for each individual lapbar to be unlocked individually if a seatbelt needed to be retrieved. Deja Vu does not easily allow for this.

-Nate

Chitown, I think it has to do with people not being use to having a lap belt on steel coasters. If you don't notice it, you might forget, and they'd have to release the restraints. That would mean the load times could take even longer. *gasp*

Why do people have to buckle the belt first, have that checked, and then be allowed to lower the OTSR? Why can't the rideops just check both at the same time?

They were today.

The only announcement given was for riders to buckle the orange seatbelts before lowering the OSTRs. The reason is that if someone forgot to do their seatbelt and the OSTR was lowered and locked all OSTRs would have to be released so that one person could buckle the second belt, and then everything would have to be rechecked.

Today, ride ops were checking both OSTRs and seatbelts at the same time.

mOOSH

That's great, and I wish they'd do it that way at SFGAm, but then why the hell were the dispatch intervals at six minutes??? I didn't know people in the west were so slow. :)

-Nate

Well, maybe they will this year.

Give a CF park a Deja-Vu and let's see what happens. :)

True true....I can't believe how fast they get people through WT vs. other parks with impulses (never timed Steel Venom..do they do well with it?)

If they were checking seatbelts and OTSRs at the same time and still were doing 6+ minute dispatches I'm truely at a loss for words!