Did Beast ever run more than 3 trains?

I was 7 yo when I rode it back in 1978 for the first of hundreds (thousand?) of rides! I saw it change through the years until I left Ohio back in 1994! I still get back at least every other year as my parents still live 2 hours to the north! I know a lot about the ride, but I cannot recall it ever running more than 3 trains! I remember the swamp and water trough though! I have a friend who used to work at KI back at Rivertown Pizza who swears there was 4-5 train operations! I tell him all the time he is full of it! However, I'm not 100% sure! I was just too young to remember that detail! I could see how 4 trains may be possible if the shed actually has the ability to stop a train and allow for a complete run (without valleying) to the 2nd lift! Still don't think it ever happened! Seems too pricey and maintenance unfriendly. I figure some of you experts on this board may know! Thanks in advance!
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Give me wood! :-)
328 and counting!

Well Problem is you didn't ride The Beast in 78 it opened in 79. It did however run 4 trains at one time.

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Hi.....whats your name again?

Visit the 1st and only Jeff Siebert Fan page!!

Are you excited or something? Just kidding,but you did put a ! at the end of every sentence. Anyway, I think the beast could/used to run 4 trains but I don't know for sure. It has enough blocks.

Beast opened on a preview night. Friday april 13th 1979 of which I was part of. They had just completed getting inspection that morning :)

One train ran opening day and the coaster has never ran more than three trains although it was originally designed to run 4.five car four bench trains. It ran for two years with three four bench trains and was accourding to Tom Rebbie Hacked off into three bench trains. i don't know if KI did this or they just got new trains from PTC.

BTW, FOF was also designed to run four trains and did run three trains for a while but the new restraint system gains nothing by running three so it only runs two.

Chuck, who says both FOF's have two extra trains and some extra tubs too.

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Charles Nungester.
It's official Lesourdsville Lake is closed for 2003

Thanks! Sorry about the 1978! Brainfart!

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Give me wood! :-)
328 and counting!

Four bench trains? Anyone have any pictures of these on The Beast, or any other wooden coaster? I always thought the most you could get was three.

At Paramount's Kings Island, do they ALWAYS run two trains now? I thought on my last trip that they were running three, but I'm not sure.

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

Coney Island Cyclone has 4 bench trains. I believe Roller Coaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach has 5 bench trains.

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If given the choice I'd choose a hamburger over a hotdog anyday of the week.

Coney Island Cyclone has 4-bench trains also. I do have a picture of Beast with its original trains from an old brochure. It looks like the trains had a gradual color change from the first car to the last. The color would change from yellow on the first car to green and then to red or orange on the last car. It looked pretty cool. Unfortunately I don't have a way to post the photo so you can see it right now.

Wood - anything else is an imitation

Ok, you beat me to Coney Island MF, but I will also add the Big Dipper at Blackpool runs 4 benchers too.

*** This post was edited by Thrillerman 8/1/2003 10:16:26 PM ***

I do remember the cool paint scheme with the gradual fade. I remember the first set of cues used to be close to where the closest point of Vortex is now. I remember beer sales (or at least people drinking beer) in line. It was also the first time I had ever smelled marijuana as someone was smoking it in line. That was back before the family theme took over. That first year ther was no tunnels over the double helix---just the framework!

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Give me wood! :-)
328 and counting!

Oh man....I'm busted again.

The picture I have, was taken from the top of the second lift looking at a train plunging down the firstr drop. It's a telephoto shot and there are NO brakes on the drop either!! Bummer, because I never rode the coaster until 1983 and we slid all the way down the hill. It was still fun though...especially after the attitude adjustment.

Wood - anything else is an imitation

3 hour 45 minute wait for my second or third ride in 1978. The long wait was due to a down-pour and the station was a nice place to avoid the rain. It was running well under four minutes with the four-bench trains. They were a long exciting four minutes with a full bladder. :)

All the brakes that were on Beast in it's final year of skids were on it when it opened. The only one I even think wasn't there was the one prior to the second drop.

Opening night the coaster ran with very little trimmage in the midcourse. When we came back two months later, It was almost stopping the train.

Four bench trains used to be more common than most people think, Kennywoods Racer used to have four benchers and many other coasters ran them. Now it is very very rare for a coaster to even open with a three bencher.

By the looks of things, GCI has the best idea. FULLY ARTICULATED one benchers that track TERRIFIC but may cut down on EJECTOR airtime due to the lack of whip action.

Chuck, who remembers the brakes being there and seen pictures recently on Bobcoaster Hooleys web pages. They may still be there. You can tell it's first year because the final helix though roofed was never enclosed untill the winter of '79/80 http://hometown.aol.com/Bobcoaster/index.html

C

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Charles Nungester.
It's official Lesourdsville Lake is closed for 2003

Roller coasters can't run. Duh.

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Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

I don't think the skids on the first drop went all the way down the hill its first season. I have a coffee table book that shows a POV shot looking down the slope with a very short skid brake at the very top of the drop only, with a fully enclosed helix in the backround. I'm also looking at a picture from the Cleveland Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine dated July 8,1979 that shows head-on the train plunging down the first drop. Now you can't see the very top most portion of track because the train is covering it, but the track immediately in front of the train is clearly visible and there are no skids there.

I do also have a picture from the guiness book that was reversed that shows the partiailly completed tunnel on the helix. Unfortunately, it was taken from the very top of the hill looking down, and the actual slope of the drop isn't visible. That whole first year is a grey area for me somewhat because I didn't get there until 1983.

I knew about the first year and the partially enclosed helix because it is the featured coaster article in the first issue of Coaster World (ACE's first newsletter). I swear I have another picture of the drop in another book that also shows no brakes on the first drop.

I suspect what happened is that the brakes on the initial drop were slowly added during the first or second seasons, but I can't say for sure. I'm not trying to start an arguement here Charles, I just have all these photos of the ride that I have studied for years that seem to contradict what you just said.

If anyone out there can help shed some more light on the topic, it would be greatly appreciated!!

Wood - anything else is an imitation

As I've indicated--I was very young that first year (7-8)! I'm pretty sure there were no skids on either of the drops (there might have been a small skid at the top of the first drop---I almost always chose the back car as this was always my favorite----so it was hard to see)! I know they added more grip to the first hill skids over the years! I also remember them adding skids after the first tunnel just before the dip into the woods! This was added later! I rode it quite a few times every year until 1994!

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Give me wood! :-)
328 and counting!

Kings Island always runs 3 trains on The Beast, Adventure Express, and Vortex, 2 trains on Son of Beast, Beastie (can't use 3), Top Gun (can't use 3), Flight of Fear (please don't use three! lol), and each side of The Racer, and one on Face/Off, Reptar, and Taxi Jam. PKI usually runs the maximum trains the ride/crew can handle unless there are maintenance issues with one.

-Danny
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Coaster Insomniacs- Coastin' the Night Away

Did they ever get a second train running again on Top Gun? I remember an unfortunate incident that Rideman had told me about involving one of the trains and a maintenance truck a few years ago. I don't remeber seeing the second train last year or the year before.

Wood - anything else is an imitation

The train incident was at the end of last year and they now have two trains running on TG again.

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If given the choice I'd choose a hamburger over a hotdog anyday of the week.