Do/Can Ride-ops actually turn trim brakes on/off

Is there actually a button for turning the trim brakes off and on, that the ride ops can use at random?

At the park where I work, there are no controlable trims, but then again....most of our coasters don't have them. I would think that trims are set by maintenance personnel and only maintenance personnel.

No.

On a few rides yes (CP's Gemini/Magnum), but most don't have those controls.

I was just about to mention Magnum and how it's pretzel trims can be turned off by anyone in the control booth.

I forgot about Gemini though.

It depends upon the coaster. Most modern rides use proximity sensors that keep track of the trains speed. They feed the info to a control unit and it activates the trims as needed. Some old style trims work off a switch in the track that sets them regardless (Like the trim on the Thunderbolt just before the 90 ft. drop).The older style can be over ridden, usually by shutting off the air to them. Those controls are not accessable by the ride operators, just by maintenance.

I am not quite sure of what you are asking here, so I will give two answers:
1)assuming that the ride is not completely computerized, then yes, when the op. pushes a button, the brakes lose thier pressure and allow the train to continue along the track.
2)Some coasters do have the adjustable pressure dial right there on the control panel (to adjust for varying weather conditions/weight of the train), which can be used at practically any time. *** Edited 6/14/2004 2:34:23 AM UTC by Im a Grover*** *** Edited 6/14/2004 2:34:59 AM UTC by Im a Grover***

On Kennywood's Thunderbolt you can see the knobs (not buttons) right next to the control both. Those knobs regulate the air pressure that sets the trims. I don't know if the operators are allowed to touch them anymore, but back in the good old days they used to release the trim brakes if they knew an enthusiast was riding, or during special events.

The T-Bolt ops adjust the trims according to the weather and amount of load that is in the train.

The Phantom ops also do the same with a single brake on that ride. Unlike the T-Bolt knobs that everyone can see from the loading area, the PR setting is just a switch.

Let me stress that this is only one of many, many brakes on that ride. It's generally only used to be put at no pressure when an empty train cycles, so it makes it in to the station a bit easier. The crew has no control over anything that could compromise safety on the ride.