Drop before Lift Hill on Shockwave

Does anyone know why there is a small drop before the lift hill on Shockwave at Drayton Manor? I have never seen it on any other rollercoaster, and it seems wierd to have a long flat section, then a tiny drop before the hill. I assume its something to do with connecting the train to the chain lift, but if that is the case why don't others have it? I can't find any pictures to show you it so i hope you know what i mean.

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This Season:
Flights on Air: 2
Escapes From Nemesis: 2
Drops into Oblivion: 2
Spins On Maelstrom: 2
Drops on Apocalypse, Sit-Down: 1, Stand-Up: 1, Stand-Up Floorless: 5
Survival on Shockwave: 1

I believe Desperado in Vegas has one too.

There are pics on two pic on RCDB. Who's been on this because it's the only stand-up with a zero-g roll. how does that feel standing up any different. Just curious. Sorry to get off topic. Maybe the drop is like that because of B&M influence while still working for Intamin.

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"Excitement, Adventure. A Jedi Craves Not These Things."

The Zero-G roll is painful, but then i thought that about the whole rollercoaster.

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This Season:
Flights on Air: 2
Escapes From Nemesis: 2
Drops into Oblivion: 2
Spins On Maelstrom: 2
Drops on Apocalypse, Sit-Down: 1, Stand-Up: 1, Stand-Up Floorless: 5
Survival on Shockwave: 1

ms696969 - I am not sure why.. but Magnum XL200 has a small drop too.

Also, before you get an "official" notice... your Signature is only supposed to be 3 lines or less. (TOS)

B&M had no influence on this coaster. I forgot when it was built, but it was well after 1990, which was the year B&M's first coaster was built. They didn't suddenly go back to Intamin for a few weeks to help on another coaster... If people think that because of track style, maybe Ron Toomer went to The Netherlands every once in a while to help build boomerangs and other loopers, just like B&M apparently worked on every Intamin coaster with track resmbling their own.

Other coasters with the "little dip":

Batman The Escape [Intamin Stand-Up] SFAW; Flashback [Intamin Space Diver] SFMM; and IIRC don't the Intamin bobsleds also have it?

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"There's nothing sweeter than a bowling ball with a liquid center" - Homer Simpson

B&M probably did have influence since they worked at Intamin at the time.

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Top 10:
10)MF 9)Medusa 8)Raptor 7)DD Fire 6)S:RoS 5)Boulder Dash 4)Hulk
3)Beast2)Nitro1)Magnum

FYI, according to rcdb.com B&M's first coaster was PGA's Vortex, which opened in 1991. Drayton Manor's Shockwave opened in 1994.

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"There's nothing sweeter than a bowling ball with a liquid center" - Homer Simpson

Magnum's long, flat section is just there so the train can go over the walkway below it, and get to the lifthill, which is a little ways away from the station. The drop is there, I think, so that the train gathers more speed and can engage the chain properly. Just a hunch.

RCDB is wrong... Iron Wolf was B&M's first coaster, for SFGAm in 1990.

I-Nar - no, RCDB is not wrong, I need new eyes. Thanks for the correction ;-)

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"There's nothing sweeter than a bowling ball with a liquid center" - Homer Simpson

I thought it must be something to do with engaging with the lift hill. My sister had some strange theory that it would test whether you were properly held in. I ruled that out though.

BTW i did get an "official" warning - i hope i have sorted it out though now.

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This Season:
Flights on Air: 2 Escapes From Nemesis: 2
Drops into Oblivion: 2 Spins On Maelstrom: 2
Drops on Apocalypse, Sit-Down: 1, Stand-Up: 1, Stand-Up Floorless: 5 Survival on Shockwave: 1

ms696969, please make sure that your signature is 3 lines or less - it's the rule!

I have never seen this shockwave, however from my experience most of the coasters that I have seen that have a station with a platform not too far off the ground tend to not have that first dip. Magnum's station is so far off the ground that it makes sense to drop the track close to the ground so that the lift chain drive can be mounted close to the ground directly on the slab. I am sure that there are many other engineering reasons why.

its probably so the train can engage the lift

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Xcelerator count: 8

TrBiggar said:
...If people think that because of track style, maybe Ron Toomer went to The Netherlands every once in a while to help build boomerangs and other loopers...

Actually, for quite a while, Arrow was manufacturing Vekoma's track. They stopped in like, 2000 though. (because Vekoma was livid with Arrow's poor track making, or something like that)

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Why do they report power outages on TV? SANDWICH! Feel free to call me Mack. Or S00perd00perhyper.