EYE screws on Goliath?

I say these things on a Show and wondered what they are.

http://rcdb.com/ig615.htm?picture=8 They are in the very center of the track. What Is there purpose? Why dont other coaster have them?

It looks like they might be somewhere for safety harnesses to anchor to.

Yep...so mechanics inspecting the track don't fall.

Most coasters don't require they screws. Their track is has points in which the mechanic can attach their safety harnesses.

Well, that thread was shot down pretty quick.
Nice reaction time, boys. ;)

Good question though, I had never seen that before.

- Josh

Just for the sake of conversation...

I'd certainly wouldn't choose to loop my safety line through one of those hooks... they don't particularly look like the most secure fixtures I've ever seen. Why not loop it around the track ties?

When you loop around something and attatch the lanyard (rope) back on to itself, it vastly decreases the weight capacity of the lanyard, and could jeopardize the effectiveness of the fall protection. The proper way to tie off is to hook the latch at the end of the lanyard on to something stable. (Unless you're using a lanyard that's specifically rated for self-tie off.)

Also, I'd assume that they're using double ended lanyards, so they can tie one off while moving the other, thus never leaving themselves unprotected at that height. It'd be a real pain in the ass to keep wrapping the lanyards around the track supports as opposed to just latching on and off through the loops shown.

I'd also assume if the loops are for fall protection, that they're inspected and rated for a certain stress and weight level, otherwise they couldn't be approved for use. They may look like it, but I'm sure they're not just 3/16 screw eyes bought at the Home Depot.

You're right, kpjb. Everyone knows that Six Flags shops at Lowe's. ;)

That said, kpjb, I have seen lanyards that were specifically designed for roller coaster track inspection (well, maybe not specifically for roller coasters, but that's what this Particular park bought them for...) where the lanyard had a D-ring on it a couple of feet from the end. That gives tie-off capability without the problem of hooking to the strap.

I would think that the eye bolts seen in the photo would be a real PITA, though. The same ParK where I saw the lanyard with the extra D-ring has equipped certain coasters with large rectangular tie-off points that would be a lot easier to use than those little eyes. I wonder, though...what if they ran a wire rope through the eyes and tied that off? Then the wire rope would supply a good tie-off point, and the eyes would restrain the rope and keep it clear of the train, and would limit the travel for the lanyard...

You can tie off to a rope provided it's rated for at least 1500# (or something like that; I don't have my fall protection notes in front of me, and they don't apply to my job...)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

What is PPKI, Dave?

People Pushing Krazy Ideas.

Yeah, I would expect to have seen a cable running through those eyes, and the maintenance people using cable-grabs on their harnesses. Was the picture taken during construction, before a cable was installed, maybe?

I was thinking 'Purple People Kill Idiots', but thats just me.

That photo is credited to Joe Schwartz, so I am guessing it was taken from an operating train. :)

I suppose it is possible that the eyes were there only for construction, and possibly for annual inspection...steel coasters are not necessarily walked every day the way wood coasters are.

As close together as those eyes appear to be, I'd think a cable grab device would not work very well...but a carabiner would work just fine.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

This is something I know nothing about, so this might be a stupid question.

On this picture you can see the eye bolts extending down the entire length of the first drop, but they are not present on the bunny hill. Would they have different safety tie offs for different areas of the same coaster?

http://rcdb.com/ig615.htm?picture=9

On this picture you can see areas of track with the bolts and areas without.

http://rcdb.com/ig615.htm?picture=10

Is it as simple as angle of decent and the degree to which the track is banked that determine which sections of track get the eye bolts? What do they due on the flatter sections of track for safety?

I know that a lot of the stuff lower to the ground can be accessed with a small crane or some other type of lift. But the bunny hill still has me stumped. It's tall enough that I wouldn't think they'd use a crane/lift and could definately kill someone if they fell from that height.

*** Edited 7/3/2005 5:08:33 PM UTC by Incidentalist***

You pretty much hit the nail on the head, Incidentalist. Where the eyebolts are placed is determined by DOSH. As far as the bunny hops, you can walk the box beam, if needed, but generally a cherrypicker is used to do any visuals and work.

Yeah, I was going to say cherrypicker or scissor lift (which are a lot of fun to operate, btw). They make them awefully high these days.