Hades one train operation and Opa's lack of spinning.

Just got back from a trip up to the Dells. Last time I was there , the area didn't have Hades, Opa, or Avalanche yet.

What is the deal with Mt. Olympus only purchasing one train for this coaster? It's freakin over 4500 ft in length. While the coaster is great and comes close to Voyage IMO, just having to wait to get on it is ridiculous.

What is the deal with a spinning mouse coaster that doesn't spin? Opa is the exact same coaster as Ragin Cajun at SFGAm. As soon as you enter the lower track where the spinning is supposed to occur, you enter a turn and instead of spinning, the car faces the same direction and you now are going backwards. You repeat this until the ride is over.

S&S did good with Avalanche. Non-stop airtime and laterals.

While I am only 2.5 hours away from the Dells, I don't think I will be visiting for a long while.

This probably should have been a TR, but since I had some questions, I figured I would post it here.

I agree that the lack of two trains for Hades is a bit puzzling.

I'm trying to remember from my visit last summer. Is it possible to add a transfer track off to the side of the brake run? I guess anything is possible, but that would be the only place they could put one IMO. Seems like it would be cheaper in the long run to build it for two trains and then purchase the second train once crowds justify it.

No clue on Opa though. In fact this is the first I've heard of it.

I got wicked spins on Opa. I found the Beech Bend mouse to be the worst spinner ever, but others got the sickest spins ever. I think it's all random. You can try and off-balance the car, but it still comes down to luck in catching that perfect combination of weight distribution and velocty.

Hades definitely needs additional capacity. I too was wondering about where they could put a transfer track though. Perhaps the storage track could sit directly under the brake run, and then the dip into the station could slide over to allow access. That would be a pretty cool transfer, but you gotta deal with sliding under the lift hill supports.

I was just there this past weekend. I can't believe they didn't add a second train for Hades. The other 3 coasters were basicly between walk on and maybe a 15 minute wait while Hades had a wait of close to an hour.

Looking at Hades I'm not sure where they could add the transfer table.

I was actually expecting more from Hades. It's a good ride and all but I was expecting more after hearing all the TR's from last year.

Opa I think is hit and miss with the spining like most crazy mice coasters. While we were in line we saw some people spin like crazy while others just basicly went around the track.

I think Mt. Olympus could be a really cool park it they add several flats to their line up.

Why does Dive To Atlantis only run like 4 or 5 boats? I would have ridden that but the line was at least an hour wait. I'd think that a log flume should be able to handle more then that!

I remember hearing when Hades opened that Mt. Olypmus and/or the Gravity Group anticipated a need for two trains, and as such left room in the design for the necessary transfer track, though I agree that I'm not really sure where it would go after seeing the thing in person.

As for Dive to Atlantis... why does it only run 4 or 5 boats? It's a minor miracle that the thing runs at all! It's one of the most hilariously poorly designed rides I've ever seen. The boats float (...sometimes) through the trough at a very slow speed and frequently stack. When I went there last year, everytime I looked over there was a consistant line of boats at the base of the lift, which was where they had run into each other and stopped.

Mt. Olympus on the whole is a very good park, that with a few improvements (2 train op for Hades, some quality flats in place of some of the more boring go-karts, an indoor section that looks finished/more resembles its namesake Parthenon than a Costco...) would be a great park in my opinion.

There are/were plans to add a second train to Hades.

Well I must have hit Opa on a bad day. We sat and watched this coaster for awhile and not once did any of the cars spin.

It felt like they rigged the cars to not spin at all. At least on Ragin Cajun, you spin somewhat even if you have weight of people evenly distributed.

They could easily have a transfer track on Hades. That straight section of track just before the drop down in the station has room for one.

I can get you spinning on the spinning coasters - assuming they release the control mechanism (which is doubtful based on your report for when you rode it)....you need to get the load off-balanced. At first, it was tricky getting maximum spinnage (spinach?), but now I'm pretty sure I got the hang of it...repetition of trials... ;)

How this is best done varies by the manufacturer and car style... if you're all facing the same direction like on Opa, then put as much weight onto *one side* as possible (use children if needed, LOL)...:)

There certainly is some *randomness* thrown in, because sometimes you'll actually deaden spin by hitting the turns at the wrong point vs. your off-balanced car...

*** Edited 8/4/2006 7:00:19 AM UTC by rollergator***

While we were at Beech Bend for Rumblefest, we had our Mouse car loaded in such a way that got us spinning like never before. It was positively insane!

I was under the impression that Hades was designed so that a second train AND a sixth car could be added. Sounds like the park should be considering those plans.

Dive to Atlantis has to be the most half-assed ride I've ever see lol. The lift and drop are just un-painted steel, theres random boring looking twists and turns leading through/to nowhere, and theres not even a real station. I never understood the point of that ride. Just put a building over the lift and/or drop, plant a few bushes or something, anything lol. Also the "recycled" park entrance is pretty funny too.
http://rcdb.com/ig2397.htm?picture=7 *** Edited 8/4/2006 2:06:37 PM UTC by P18***

One of the things I really liked about BB was the ride op on the Mouse who asked how much you wanted to spin. For maximum "spinnage" you put the most weight on the left (as seated) side of the car.

Mike

Since the nice folks at BB allowed us to take on-ride footage... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKyTNNHBT0U

Dive to Atlantis is a joke. I'm glad my friend Steve and I rode it because we will laugh about that experience for the next 30 years. Gotta love a water ride where the water effects are limited to a garden faucet pouring water into the boats... what few boats there are.

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Acoustic Viscosity said:
I found the Beech Bend mouse to be the worst spinner ever, but others got the sickest spins ever. I think it's all random. You can try and off-balance the car, but it still comes down to luck in catching that perfect combination of weight distribution and velocty.

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When the wife and I went in June, we had it going so fast that when we stopped, my head and eyeballs were still spinning, it was the most intense mouse I have been on.

It was probably as intense as Gator's video (nice one btw) *** Edited 8/4/2006 3:46:12 PM UTC by crazyforcoasters***

Yeah, we also got a ride similar to the one in gator's video. Insane.

On my first of two rides on BB's mouse, the car came to a complete stop on two different block brakes. On my second ride, the car came to a complete stop once. Any chance of spinning was killed by the brakes. I'm sure it was just BAD luck. :)

Dive to Atlantis is the absolute worst water ride ever. My first attempt at riding it, resulted in me fainting while standing in line, due to heat exhaustion. We had been standing in line nearly 1 1/2 hours when I started to feel ill and fainted. Thanks to the brilliance of the park owners, there is absolutely no shade whatsoever while in line, and has the slowest queue wait known to man.

As mentioned, there is only 4 or 5 boats ever at a time, and the ride ops are never in a hurry to keep the line moving. Puts most other low capacity rides to shame.

I made another attempt the next day, and managed to be like the 30th in line. Even still, took almost 30 minutes to get on the ride. And yes, it was definitely not worth the wait. Stupidest water ride ever. I could have had much more fun with a garden hose then this ride.

How heavily trafficked is the Dells currently? I'm going to be there next weekend for the ACE coaster events that Scott Heck is sponsoring and I'm really looking forward to it.

But, when I was there last year in June, the Dells were practically empty! I guess this time I'll be in the midst of the "crush," won't I? Certainly the room rentals were off the hook. Everything seems to start at $100.00 or more. Any good recommendations for hotels that are LESS than that?

Anybody ever stay at the Carousel? I have a tentative booking there for my buddies and myself.

Happy Dog Days of August. . .

I have talked to Tom Rebbie from PTC about selling Nick another train and he said he wont budge.He cant even get him to buy one more car to add to the train they already own even though the coaster and loading platform was designed to add another car if they wanted. *** Edited 8/5/2006 9:40:22 PM UTC by BG Nut***

There isn't any incentive for Nick to fork over the money, is there? Anyone who has been to MtO knows they aren't concerned about customer service.