Intimidator 305 Media Day

Nope, with only 2 trains the one is on the brake run before the other leaves the station.

But it would need to clear that break run before the next train leaves the lift.

Assuming the train is traveling at about 4 m/s at the top of the lift, cutting the speed in half would result in a slow down of about 0.4% (0.004) at the bottom; wind probably has a greater effect.

The momentary slow down near the top happens with one train as well (and by the way, the lift I believe runs even faster with one train). It almost feels like a slack point in the cable is hit or something. (Sidebar: I wonder why they don't have the huge counterweights that Millennium Force has.)

^Wait so this is really the only pulley at the bottom of the lift? There is no system set up like Millennium?

The one inside the steel truss is tensioned. The return cable actually returns to the drum in a trench in the ground.

Now that you mention it, I see the tension pulley.

Interesting that it runs through a trench but I guess that might have something to do with the station being much lower to the ground unlike Millennium. I also noticed that the catch-car does not seem to have a run-out but rather a dead stop in the station. It would be interesting (to me at least) to know why they did things a little different from what they did with Millennium Force.

I was scratching my head about not having a run-out for the catch car, but then again, when it has failed on Millennium Force, it just got jammed up in the channel at the bottom of the hill. It still seems like bad things could happen if it did release.

True about it getting jammed up but I don't see why a stopper of some sort couldn't be added. I know on Millennium that when they want to inspect, replace a part, or just remove the catch-car, they just slide it out the bottom. Maybe I305 has a place on the lift towards the bottom to remove the car one piece at a time but it seems the easier method would be to just slide it out.

I dunno. As you can see by the pics, the end of the channel is wedged.

I wonder why they made ties on the connecting portion of the transfer track all run parallel to each other rather than perpendicular to the direction of the track.

Photo

I <3 Intimidator. I have ridden it 11 times, greyed out 8 times.

I heard this conversation in the halls at school yesterday:
Kid #1: "I heard you blacked out on the Intimidator!"
Kid#2: "NUH-UHHHH!"

Love it.

Oh. It doesn't need the counterweights for the same reason that Dragster doesn't...they've gone with a hydraulic (or perhaps pneumatic) tensioner instead. Probably because it takes up less space...it also makes it possible to remove the tension without having to drag in a crane to lift the counterweight.

(analysis based entirely on photo linked a few messages up)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Works for me!:)

Thanks, Dave.