General Ride Construction Question

I was thinking about this on Nitro: Many of the supports for the lift hill are all bolted to the same footers, so they hold up the track while being at a fairly steep angle. My question is: How'd they get constructed?

I mean, you can't just bolt the thing down there at that angle without the track helping to hold it up, and you can't really put the track up there without the support.

-----------------
You must be this dumb to ride Viper. -SFGAdv.

I think that's why they lay track along with putting up supports, rather than doing the all of the supports before that track.

I see what you're saying--I think perhaps a crane could hold one segment in place upright while another crane moves the next segment in. Then they're bolted together. I couldn't tell you for sure though--haven't seen one built like that. Just a hypothesis.

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

Yea. At first glance, it might seem like they would be easier to construct. They probably have an easy way of doing it, because B&M's usually open on time.

-----------------
#1-MF #2-Apollo's Chariot #3-S:RoS

-Why a car if i could have a coaster train on wheels??

Welll I'm not certain of the engineering, but it very much appears that the track is as much a integral part of the structure of a B&M coaster as the supports are.

If I am correct in thinking what you said, then I guess they would first put up the vertical support's first segment, then hold up the "stabilizing" or "leaning" segment with a crane. Wish another crane, drop in the horizontal bracing/strut which connects the two. Then bolt the strut and the leaning support together and voila--you've got a small part of one support done. Then you build on top of it, starting with the vertical support again.

At least that's my guess. YMMV.

BTW ApolloAndy, love the sig!

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

With the right rigging you would be able to set and entire section of supports at once. For instance depending on how you would set up the slings to pick the piece you could either pick it up flat (like if it was laying on the ground), straight (how it sits when built) or pick it with one support in the air. As long as you have a big enough crane or even two crains you would be able to set them in one piece.

All it is is a balancing act. Hook it up the right way and you can pick it up any way you want.

-----------------
Visits to Knoebels in 2002: 10 and PPP!