Gravity Group Announcement at IAAPA
I was not able to get online this morning and saw nothing else on their website. What was The Gravity Group announcement?
From thegravitygroup.comGravity Group Engineers Unveil Next-Generation Wood Coaster Train November 18, 2008 – The engineers at The Gravity Group started with a blank sheet of paper and ended up with the next generation of trains for wooden roller coasters. "Timberliners incorporate new technology - such as magnetic braking and restraint monitoring - that wasn't even imagined when wooden coaster cars were first developed," says Michael Graham, lead engineer for the project. "When it comes to wooden coasters, The Gravity Group has more experience designing rides than anyone. We've applied that expertise in designing trains that addresses every facet of roller coaster performance and function - from maintenance and safety to rider enjoyment and capacity." Timberliners are designed to be compatible with existing wooden coasters, allowing a park to upgrade their roller coasters with Timberliner trains. Key features of the trains include: Single-bench design Shock absorption and ergonomic styling Unparalleled ability to smoothly navigate the track for decreased train & track maintenance Innovative restraint system for unsurpassed safety and security Restraints designed for higher throughput ASTM F2291 Class 5 restraint with integrated monitoring On-board sound system capable Magnetic braking capable Launch system capable Timberliners are available for purchase in time for the 2009 operating season through The Gravity Group's sister company, Gravitykraft. Additional information about The Gravity Group, LLC and the Timberliner coaster trains is available at their website: www.thegravitygroup.com. ABOUT THE GRAVITY GROUP The Gravity Group, LLC is the wooden coaster design firm that amusement parks look to for top ten coaster designs - including the #1 rated Voyage wooden coaster at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana. The Gravity Group is currently designing China's first wooden roller coaster. Press Release PDFTimberliner Postcard
Sweet now I hope that a park near me (pretty much Cedar Point or Kings Island) gets one so I can actually see it and see how it works on an actual coaster.
Morté aka Matt, Ego sum nex
Dragon's Fire Design: http://www.dragonsfiredesign.com
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This is excellent news, I know they were hopefull with PTC's single bench trains but the advantages were well. next to nothing and actually weighed more.Interesting fact on these trains is they are designed to be able to launch.A birdy told me that PTC while reliable were the main cause of restraint in design and maintenence issues.Conversely, I don't think GCII uses what their trains are capable of to their full advantage.This should prove interesting and a huge reduction in maintainence cost for their coasters.Chuck
I don't know how much cost deterent there is to replacing trains. I know coasters like THE BEAST have several total replacement jobs in some areas a year on the track, However you add that up, maybe 40-50 grand a year in track work then go into a train replacement scenario of 400,000 a train times three. It would take a long time to recover that kind of cost.However, You could scrap the brakes :)Chuck
Closed topic.
