Lift Hill Roof Tops - CoasterBuzz

Is it just for looks, or is there a real signifcant reason why some roller coasters have a roofed structure at the top of their lift hills?

http://www.coastergallery.com/CP/01.html

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There is also one on Predator at SFDL. I'm not sure what their purpose is, either.

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I think it is for astetics more then anything else. It just seems to make them look more complete for some reason.

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"If you make it too smooth, it'll be like sitting in your living room."
-Bill Cobb - Designer, Texas Cyclone

I believe the term is cupola.

If my memory serves me correct, The Eagle at SFGAm has one on the helix and was used a long time ago (when Marriott owned the park). A ride-op would stand there and watch that part of the ride (or something like that). Could this maybe be what that structure at the top of lift-hills is for aw well?

http://www.coastergallery.com/1999/SFGA02.html

Doesnt Ghostrider have it and have a roof over part of it's drop?

Yes, but in the case of Ghostrider its supposed to reduce the noise heard in the surrounding neighborhoods. The community saw what Disney did with Cali Screamin and asked Knotts to do the same. Frankly what I would have preferred was for the park to completely enclose the first drop in darkness. I really don't think it buffers the sound all that much but what it does do is add a cool headchopper effect as the rear end of the train is pulled over the crest of the lift.

Moosh

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Before the days of sealed bearings, the houses may have served a purpose to keep the bearings on the idler out of the weather. Does anyone know if this was actually the case?

Seems as logical anything but I suspect it was just done for looks. There was a point in our history when the bottom line was not the bottom line.

I think during the days when good cameras werent available they were used so that when accidents happened then they could see it from the top of the lift which is the highest point of the ride. Just an idea nothing to back it up.

(during the days when ride safety wasn't a major issue)

*** This post was edited by Colonel Sanders on 1/14/2003. ***

Mamoosh- I could be wrong, but I bet that Knott's decided to cover Ghostrider's drop because the drop is aimed directly at their hotel. :)

The neighbors are far enough away that screams from Ghostrider shouldn't be a big deal. Its those paying hotel guests that KBF is concerned about.

Yeah, I heard about that too. They should have added Sound Insulation to the hotel on the park side when they remodled if they didn't want the shed. And both were built/bought out (the old buena park hotel) at roughly the same time, and the hotel got remodled when it was branded Raddison Resort KBF, so insulation would have been a good thing to do then. But I don't hear many complaints, and theres a cool airbrush logo on the shed. BTW, the shed was recently extended. 2 rehabs ago i think.

why cover that hill though. The 5th hill off the MCBR is far scarier (because its harder to see). A completely tunneled 1st drop would have been great.

Maybe its to keep ridrs from standing. Many rides have clearence boards that say stay seated so peopel cant stand up. Who is going to stand up, on the way up the lift just to get hit by the roof? but then again who is giong to stand up while they are on a roller coaster? May not be the reason, but I dont think it will completly prevent true fools, if it was the reason..

I think Nothingnew2002 has a good point. Back when most wooden coasters had fixed lap bars, people would raise there butt as far as they can off the seat to an allmost standing pos. I have seen kids do this on Big Dipper @ GL/SFWoA many times, they do for that little extra thrill/airtime coming off the first drop.

Those roofs could also be used to keep the top chain gear out of the elements.

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onceler said:

If my memory serves me correct, The Eagle at SFGAm has one on the helix and was used a long time ago (when Marriott owned the park). A ride-op would stand there and watch that part of the ride (or something like that). Could this maybe be what that structure at the top of lift-hills is for aw well?
http://www.coastergallery.com/1999/SFGA02.html

I believe that that "Crow's nest" needs to be staffed in order to operate with three trains. I'm guessing that it must be staffed to control the E-stop.

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shaggszgn said:
Those roofs could also be used to keep the top chain gear out of the elements.

I don't think so, because if you look at most coasters the gears for the lift are actually a little bit down the first drop, thus not protected. That is, however, the reasone for sheds on the break runs of older coasters, to keep the skids dry in rain.

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"If you make it too smooth, it'll be like sitting in your living room."
-Bill Cobb - Designer, Texas Cyclone

Maybe it was to house the guy that was positioned at the top of the lift that operated the lift hill chain by turning a crank ;-)

Before coasters were 200 feet tall that cupola probably drew attention to the ride from all around the park. I really think that its sole purpose is asthetics.

Some of the world's fromer oldest and greatest roller coasters had them. Ex: The Jack Rabbit at Idora Park.

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CP also has one on the Wildcat.

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