Knott's construction continues while Magic Mountain fires up Deja Vu

Thanx Jim, always giveing us great construction updates. I'll see all of you in line for DeJa Vu on the 25th!
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Your site is excellent as it is ever Jim. Keep up the great work mate.

The cleared land doesn't look big enough for a full-sized coaster, let alone a Hyper. As it is rumored to be an Intamin creation never seen before, this should be very interesting. Bring on the steel baby!

Before everyone reads Jim's note at the bottom of Page 12 regarding the brakes on X's first drop being trim brakes let me give my opinion on what I think they're there. 

Now I haven't seen the placement but I'd be willing to bet they're more for stopping a train that has valleyed than trimming speed.  I've seen brakes for this purpose on Batman Knight Flight, Talon, and others, all unused.  So until we actually see them being used let's not get in hysterics, ok??

I wouldn't worry about any trains valleying at that point on X. I have heard elsewhere that it appeared that the trains were entering the first raven turn at a pretty high speed, so I'm not surprised at all.  Better at the bottom of the drop than the top.

Well, I've noticed from the videos & what others have said, the train flies through the last Raven Turn possibly too fast. No surprise here as compare it to the first, the height different is huge & there is not much track connecting them. What with the extra wheel assemblies & the massive trains, the friction losses have increased a fair bit.

There is no simulator that will predict 100% accurately how a ride will behave before it's built. That is what prototypes are for. Arrow might have been worried that the train wouldn't make it back, so they made the RT smaller than it needed to be. Compare this to Mantis,  the first loop was being taken too fast & putting stress on rider's legs. A trim was added to the drop & the problem fixed with further Stand-Ups by increasing the loop height compared to that of the drop.

Conclusion; the trims on X doesn't bother me at all. It's still a prototype, don't forget.

Edit; Whoops, didn't notice Mamoosh meant the trims at the bottom of the drop. Funny thing is, the test video showed the train to be crawling through the top of the first Raven Turn. It's reasons for being in place is what the others said above. Plus X hasn't broken in yet & will be running faster than ever.

With Deja Vu, surely before it's commissioned & opened, it must be able to run 200 cycles non-stop with a full load & without breaking down or something like that? Then again the Flying Dutchmen & many other new/prototype (Hypersonic, V2 etc) coasters broke down countless times after they'd been opened.

*** This post was edited by Taipan on 8/23/2001. ***

Let me make sure I've cleared up any confusion:  there are brakets for brakes just before the second Raven turn.  I have not seen a report that brakes were actually installed there...can anyone verify that?  Regardless judging from the speed of the trains thru the second Raven turn those brakes might very well be for timming.

However I doubt the brakes at the bottom of the first drop [and before the FIRST Raven turn] are for trimming.  It doesn't look like the trains have all that much speed going thru the first Raven turn so I'm not sure they'd necessarily want to trim before it.  Also remember that as of the last video [shot by Sean Flaharty] the seats still have a wobble, meaning the assembly that turns the seats has not been "tighened up" to reduce the wobble.  They're testing the trains "loose" and once they adjust everything to reduce the wobble more momentum will be lost as trains run the course.

Again...the reason for brakes at the bottom of the first drop is just my speculation.  The only reason I mentioned it in the first place is that I didn't want people jumping to conclusions.  If we see the trains being trimmed at the bottom of the first drop *and* it affects the ride THEN we can complain!

Trims have been installed on the brackets before the 2nd RT. Twisted Rails has a small update showing this.

Thanks for clearing that up, Taipan. I must have missed that update.

*** This post was edited by Mamoosh on 8/23/2001. ***

Does anyone have any idea when SFGAm is going to open Deja Vu?

You are right Mammosh, the first break will be used to stop the train if it valleys, Deja Vu has one as well between the loop and the second tower. The second, which *IS* a trim, will be used to slow the train down if it's carrying too much speed heading into the final Raven turn. This coaster is no "Flying Dutchman", it is very fast.
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And then Jerry said, "Take care of yourselves, and each other".

I am going to six flags on tuesday and i cant wait o see all the progress on X,   but I really cant wait to go on Dejavu!!! I think its wierd out of no where how dejavu just all of a sudden was fixed and is opening.  I am just glad the wait is over!

Has anyone else noticed that in the very first video of X, (the CG one) the corkscrew flip before the 2nd raven turn is flipping to the right, but the real thing is flipping to the left?

 

Or is it just me?

Sorry, this question may be stupid but I am new to coasterbuzz, when I was at KBF earlier this month, I saw construction on a double tracked steel ride, what is it, it is over by Vertigo.

I am going to have to say that you are seeing things. No coaster track or anything at Knotts quite yet.
I haven't even see any parts for the actual Vertigo ride yet.

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RAPTOR-Kick the Sky!

Sorry guys, the "double tracked steel coaster" that I thought was in the process of being built was actually Windjammer being dismanteled. My mistake!

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Cedar Point- The Amazement Park!

What is disney planning on doing with that cleared land?

What is disney planning on doing with that cleared land?

It seems that there's a tent being built on that site, very temporary, no idea what for.

JD
http://www.westcoaster.net

what does it mean if the train valleys???

I hate trim brakes.  last week i made it out to CP from ca for my first time and was disapointed to find trim brakes on Mantis and Mean streak.  Now I will be mad if they start installing trim brakes on some of the rides at sfmm.