Front sections of most B&M trains...?
Almost every B&M train has a front section that contains no seats (excluding floorless and some inverted coasters).
Does anybody know what purpose these front sections serve?
Does anybody know what purpose these front sections serve?
B&M trains are designed around the fact that each row or car trails behind the one in front of it. Just like a trailer hitched behind a car. Each car consists of a lateral beam with the seats fixed to one side and the wheel assemblies on the other side. Another beam is fixed inbetween the wheel assys perpendicular to the previous beam and in-line with the track and is lined with brake pads. The beams look like a 'T' when viewed from the top with the bottom of the 'T' pointing forwards. At the point is essentially an universal joint connecting it to the car in front of it. Now, the problem with this arrangement is that the front car would have no car in front of it to keep its point off the track. B&M solved this problem with the nose car, it is connected to the car behind it via a in-line axial pivot only.
This is true with all B&M trains, whether they have a nose car or not. With Floorless and Inverted trains, the nose car is there, but with seats fixed to it.
If you look at the first two cars on Medusa East and Raptor, note how the seats are NOT tilted towards each other or away for Raptor as with the rest of the train. The floors are always in-line. This is the above principle in work.
http://www.joyrides.com/sfgad/full/medusa10.htm
http://www.joyrides.com/cedar_point/full/raptor1.htm
This pic of Kumba shows the nose car still in-line with the front car. The rest of the train isn't.
http://www.joyrides.com/bgt/full/kumba4.htm
Alpengeist has this nose car. It seems to be the only Inverted that has one. My guess is that nose cars are there to reduce the stress on the front cars of high speed coasters - Alpy, Raging Bull, Apollo etc.
BTW, Vekoma SLCs use the猀愀洀攀 瀀爀椀渀挀椀瀀氀攀㬀 椀渀 爀攀瘀攀爀猀攀℀ 吀栀攀 渀漀猀攀 挀愀爀 椀猀 愀琀 琀栀攀 戀愀挀欀 漀昀 琀栀攀 琀爀愀椀渀⸀ 㰀戀爀㸀 㰀戀爀㸀䤀 栀漀瀀攀 琀栀愀琀 愀渀猀眀攀爀猀 礀漀甀爀 焀甀攀猀琀椀漀渀⸀ 㰀戀爀㸀 㰀戀爀㸀ⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀ 㰀戀爀㸀圀漀渀搀攀爀氀愀渀搀 匀礀搀渀攀礀Ⰰ 䄀甀猀琀爀愀氀椀愀⸀
This is true with all B&M trains, whether they have a nose car or not. With Floorless and Inverted trains, the nose car is there, but with seats fixed to it.
If you look at the first two cars on Medusa East and Raptor, note how the seats are NOT tilted towards each other or away for Raptor as with the rest of the train. The floors are always in-line. This is the above principle in work.
http://www.joyrides.com/sfgad/full/medusa10.htm
http://www.joyrides.com/cedar_point/full/raptor1.htm
This pic of Kumba shows the nose car still in-line with the front car. The rest of the train isn't.
http://www.joyrides.com/bgt/full/kumba4.htm
Alpengeist has this nose car. It seems to be the only Inverted that has one. My guess is that nose cars are there to reduce the stress on the front cars of high speed coasters - Alpy, Raging Bull, Apollo etc.
BTW, Vekoma SLCs use the猀愀洀攀 瀀爀椀渀挀椀瀀氀攀㬀 椀渀 爀攀瘀攀爀猀攀℀ 吀栀攀 渀漀猀攀 挀愀爀 椀猀 愀琀 琀栀攀 戀愀挀欀 漀昀 琀栀攀 琀爀愀椀渀⸀ 㰀戀爀㸀 㰀戀爀㸀䤀 栀漀瀀攀 琀栀愀琀 愀渀猀眀攀爀猀 礀漀甀爀 焀甀攀猀琀椀漀渀⸀ 㰀戀爀㸀 㰀戀爀㸀ⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀ 㰀戀爀㸀圀漀渀搀攀爀氀愀渀搀 匀礀搀渀攀礀Ⰰ 䄀甀猀琀爀愀氀椀愀⸀
Personally, I think it' be good enough if these nose cars only served the purpose of making the trains look 15x cooler.
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Randy Hutchinson
You build it, I'll ride it...eventually
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Randy Hutchinson
You build it, I'll ride it...eventually
Yeah, Floorless trains look so weird without nose cars, a little bit ugly to boot as well. But then how else do you experience that sitting-on-the-bumper-of-a-65mph-car feeling? :-)
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Wonderland Sydney, Australia.
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Wonderland Sydney, Australia.
Wow, very enlightening! I didn't know they were so useful.
Thanks Aussie! ;)
And I definitely agree about them making the trains look better.
*** This post was edited by CPgenius on 1/31/2001. ***
Thanks Aussie! ;)
And I definitely agree about them making the trains look better.
*** This post was edited by CPgenius on 1/31/2001. ***
CoasterGod said:
"BTW, Vekoma SLCs use the same principle; in reverse! The nose car is at the back of the train."
As is the case with older Arrow loopers (CP Corkscrew, for instance)
The cars you are referring to are sometimes called "zero cars." While the explanation above is pretty much right on, no one seems to be able to explain why some trains use a zero car and other don't.
Case in point: Raptor and Alpengeist. Alpie has a zero car, Raptor does not.
Obviously floorless coasters don't have a zero car because that would defeat the purpose.
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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
Case in point: Raptor and Alpengeist. Alpie has a zero car, Raptor does not.
Obviously floorless coasters don't have a zero car because that would defeat the purpose.
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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
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