IB: Steel Hawg stuck!!!

I made the trip yesterday to IB to get my first ride on steel hawg. When I got to the park, workers were trying to figure out how to get the car around the 90 degree turn at the end. I'm not sure if this happened yesterday morning or not. I asked many spectators about the issue and IB staff. No one had a clue.

Rollbacks: They're not just at Wal-Mart.

My guess: the car didn't have enough speed to make it. But that's only a hunch, lol.

Must have happened during testing, if nobody on shift knew anything. Or you did not ask the right people.
It is interesting that its on the element they changed from the original design. It was originally suppose to be a 90* wall turn but it is clearly not. If you look at the 14th pic on rcdb you can see that the turn looks like it goes almost as high as the previous drop, yet your twisting through the previous drop. The turn looks nearly impossible from a physics standpoint. I have seen it happen but just from looking at it you can tell that there would be eventual problems.
http://rcdb.com/ig2722.htm?picture=14 *** Edited 8/25/2008 4:46:20 AM UTC by woohooboy***

^ Then, when you get a straight edge and line it up with the edge of the photo, and the top of the drop before the twist, you realize that it's a solid chunk lower than the turn around. :-D

You're right, though - it does *appear* almost as high.

I know I left that oil can somewhere....
;)

I talked to a couple of locals from monticello; they informed me this isn't the first incident of this happening. It has happened before the ride opened or july 4th during testing. It needed almost another 5 feet to make the top of the turn. As of yesterday morning, the car was still stuck on the turn held by a cable on a pulley system.

I do agree with you about the photo. I would do some more investigating this weekend but I'm heading to st.louis for some evil rides.

I encountered this very thing when I got to IB on Wed Aug 6th- a car was sitting valleyed before the last turn. Imagine my dismay, I had driven from Columbus that morning just for Steel Hawg. Staff assured the growing crowd (two for one Wed) that the ride would open in the afternoon.

I went around IB and busted out the rides I wanted, but it was not a good day for the park with Cornball down as well and only 1 train left on Hurricane and Superstition Mt. I rolled some Fascination and ate some Tacos (yum) and watched the slooooow process of returning the car to the station. Using straps and a winch they inched the car along the last turn. They have a clamp that attaches to the track to keep it from rolling back again as they work, so it had to be removed and reattached every few minutes as well. When it was finally at the brink they used the cherry picker to push the car over the top. I noticed it made a dent on the beautiful stainless steel car back. (nice) Still no rides, and Cornball started operating so I went there for a long line. While on that ride everyone noticed SH was moving and a long line developed there too. I finally got my (only) ride around 4:30. The park courteously extended the daytime ride bands to 8:00 due to the various down time situations that day.

I have a feeling this happens more often than we know, and probably during testing of the brakes. My guess is that if the car is stopped on that last block it doesn't have enough energy once released to make it over the high banked turn. When running full speed it makes it just fine. I bet an improvement we see to the ride for 2009 is a permanent motorized cable and pully mounted to the ride somewhere so that a valleyed car can be winched over the top with ease.

Incidentally, I loved the ride.

Steel Hawg looks amazing. I thought 95/97 degrees was steep but WOW! 120. My question is why is there no POV video on youtube? I really would want to see it.

I know this is crazy talk, but maybe people are actually adhering to a "no on-ride photography" policy. I briefly looked on their site and couldn't find anything specifically mentioning it. Does anyone know what the parks policies are in regards to on-ride photography. *** Edited 8/27/2008 12:53:02 AM UTC by Jason Hammond***

I do not think they have any loose item policy. I have taken my camera with me. It stays in its case on my belt though. I do not see the point in taking personal pov's. I know that the parks do it for promotion and what not, but I get more out of seeing it offride and waiting to experience it in person.