Hades @ Big Chiefs

Sorry if this was posted already:

Testing photos:

http://thegravitygroup.com/hades/index06.htm

YAY! Another short train. It worked great for Avalanche and I'm sure it will work great for this ride too. I guess I knew the number of cars before, but it did not dawn on me till I saw how short it looked. That thing should FLY the entire run.

Short train = longer lines....that is the only downfall I see. But it is still a longer train than Avalanche. Should be interesting.

It makes me very nervous that someone was standing in the tunnel while the train was cycling the course.

-Nate

I will not say which park or what coaster, Only that it is well loved by all.

While riding, the parks owner and a photographer were crouched on the catwalk next to the tracks as we came flying by.

My thoughts were, I can't believe I just saw that!

Chuck, who also remembers a clown giving high fives on LeSourdsville Lakes Screechin Eagle in the turn around. But thats way different.

It also makes me extremely nervous that, as of a couple weeks ago, Mt. Olympus had not constructed a fence around Hades. Somebody desperately needs to teach this park lock-out procedures.

-Nate

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CoastaPlaya said:
Ooh! Ooh! Guess who I am, LB!

Honey, we can't afford that...no...NO...AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

*headless body hits floor with thud*

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I don't think he realizes exactly how threatening to his life it would be to deny me my coaster buzzes. ;)

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coasterdude318 said:
It also makes me extremely nervous that, as of a couple weeks ago, Mt. Olympus had not constructed a fence around Hades. Somebody desperately needs to teach this park lock-out procedures.

-Nate

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No kidding. I can't count the number of times I have seen people jumping the fence and running out to the "'clops-drop" to pick up their personal effects as trains are running through the ride...

What is so scary about a person [I'd bet money they work for Gravity Group] standing in the tunnel while the coaster is operating? Hades has one train. It would not be difficult for the photographer to stand on the "back" portion of the track as the train passed and have plenty of time to move to the "out" portion as it returned thru the tunnel.

I don't care who you are, nobody belongs in the ride area while a coaster is cycling. Nobody.

-Nate

I can stop the speeding train to a halt. Click Click goes my camera.

-Mr. Incredible

*** Edited 5/5/2005 1:20:58 AM UTC by CoastaPlaya***

I'm willing to bet that camera was mounted.

I'd be willing to bet that the picture was taken manually Matt.

Nate, While I would normally agree with your comment, there are plenty of reasons that when a ride is new the engineers, workers and maintenance crews would be standing around, under and on certain areas of a ride during initial testing making sure everything is functioning fine. Go ride the Giant Dipper in Santa Cruz. That ride isn't new and the maintenance crew regularly walk the tracks during normal operation checking for problems. They were doing it when I was there a few years ago. Yes it is dangerous if your not careful and don't know where or how to stand when a train goes by, but it is sometimes necessary.

Never say never. ;)

Wood Coaster Fan Club - "Sharing a Passion for the Classics"

edited for spelling :( *** Edited 5/5/2005 2:59:36 AM UTC by Thrillerman***

That's almost certainly a manually-taken photograph.

I can't think of a single situation where it would be "necessary" for someone to be in a ride area when a train is cycling.

I've ridden the Giant Dipper. I've seen their maintenance practices on television shows. I don't approve of it because I think it's needlessly unsafe. It's easy to think that maintenance people know what is safe and what isn't, but it's that exact mindset that gets maintenance people killed every once in awhile.

This particular instance seems even more unsafe because there's no place to stand that isn't either on the track, or frighteningly close to the track. I can't even express how dangerous actually standing on the track is, even with one train.

-Nate
*** Edited 5/5/2005 2:57:30 AM UTC by coasterdude318***

Well, the only person to die would be a GG or Mt.O photographer.... and is that really such a bad thing? ;)

Geez....

Nate - If you've never stood in the tunnel how do you know there wasn't a safe place for the photographer to stand?

Okay, story time. When I was a kid, a long long (but not that long) time ago, in a state far far away, I was at Kings Dominion (before the P) and we were riding Rebel Yell (before that backwards crap). Anyway, there were two guys on one of the hills in the middle of the out run looking at the track, and when the train would come by they just stood up against the hand rail. You could have hit them with your hand. I think I got 2 or 3 runs with them there. After the train would pass, they would crouch again and look at the track.

The point is, it can be done if you are careful and don't let yourself get caught up in the "reality" created by a "0 possible risk" frame of mind that seems to be so popular these days. *** Edited 5/5/2005 3:15:10 AM UTC by RavenTTD***

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Mamoosh said:
Nate - If you've never stood in the tunnel how do you know there wasn't a safe place for the photographer to stand?

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Pictures of the tunnel? Plus, I saw the tunnel before it was covered. I think it's pretty clear from that picture that the photographer is standing on the catwalk that runs alongside the return track.

RavenTTD: Just because something can be done doesn't mean it should (or that there isn't a safer alternative). If a ride needs to be inspected, it shouldn't be running.

-Nate
*** Edited 5/5/2005 3:41:43 AM UTC by coasterdude318***

Are the car fronts transparent or is that just a photographic illusion? seems to be on multiple rows.

Nate, Of course it is dangerous to a point, However your overlooking that if everyone involved knows it's in operation, They also know to keep extremely aware of whats going on.

This isn't a case of a guy weed eating who has no idea the ride is started.

Concern, I can see that, over reacting is just a BeastTamer type thing, Eventually no one listens.