Greezed Lightnin's back spike

Is there a problem with Greezed Lightnin' at SFKK? Why does the front of the train only go about 2ft. up the back spike? I know when it first opened at the park it traveled MUCH farther up that portion of the ride. What is wrong?

Brakes in front of the station that grab the train on its way back, that's the problem.

A coaster at a Six Flags park that doesn't work right? Nothing new here.

I guess that was something they put in when they did the loop replacement over the off-season.

The real part of the ride is all before that it seems. SFKK's version never had much power in the back spike anyway.

It has nothing to do with the ride being at Six Flags as all of that particular model do the same. If memory serves me correctly:

The first-generation weight-drop launch Schwarzkopf shuttles [such as at SFKK] only utilized the back spike in the event of a brake failure. In normal operation the brakes slow the train on the return run.

The second-generation flywheel launch shuttles [such as at Knotts and formerly at Astroworld] used the back spike as part of the ride experience.

Why the difference, or why the first-gen can't be operated like the second gen I do not know.
Is Althoff around to explain?

*** Edited 7/2/2006 11:33:00 PM UTC by Mamoosh***

I do know that the flywheel rides have the option to slow the train on the return (backward) trip.

The Poopie coaster at Knott's is, apparently, running the way it is (no brakes on the backward run) because they "can't find the key" to switch modes. Take that with a grain of salt or four.

SFKK's has operated at times with a good shot up the back spike. Even the maintence people were saying they never could get it to operate correctly, The first season they got it running they were replacing brake pads three times a week.

Chuck

Montezuma at Knotts was my first looping coaster and my favorite part besides the loop was the back spike. The first time I rode it 4 times without getting off!

Moosh, King Kobra (the first weight-drop) was my first shuttle, and I remember that the rear spike was definitely a part of the ride. While the train doesn't utilize as much of the rear spike's track as it does the forward's, it does (or did, rather) manage to get completely vertical just before coming to rest in the station.

Mamoosh said:The first-generation weight-drop launch Schwarzkopf shuttles [such as at SFKK] only utilized the back spike in the event of a brake failure.

When this ride was in it's original location at Great America (as Tidal Wave), it most certainly went much further up the back spike.

I don't know how the ride ran in Georgia but since it's been at Kentucky Kingdom, it's been braked heavily while coming back through the station.

Kyle

The first year of operation, the MGA Tidal Wave (Santa Clara) did not use the back spike at all. If I remember correctly, it didn't even have a back spike the first year. In either case, it most definitely came to a full stop entering the station backwards.

The second year they added the back spike operation. The back spike on the Tidal Wave was much closer to the station than Montezuma's Revenge at KBF. I always assumed this had something to do with the reason the train was slowed on the PGA version. *** Edited 7/4/2006 4:31:30 PM UTC by DevilDucky***

At SFoG, Greezed Viperwave definately ran up the back spike like nobody's business.

For Knott's Montezuma the best seat is the back row to get the best view and thrill on the back spike and the whole coaster.