MF -- Blue train CLANK?

Congrats to everyone who survived Coastermania 2005, this was my first and had a great time (they really outdid themselves!), however I couldn't make it through the night ERT due to being up for 41 hours and the cold weather..

Anyways, something I noticed on Millennium Force was the blue train and a REALLY loud "CLANK" going on every time the ride went up the lift. I was waiting for the front seat so I was able to take notice that it happened every time on the lift (about 5-7 seconds up) and did NOT sound very safe to say the least. Looked for the sound on each of the other trains, and it never happened, but it did for about 6 blue trains in a row, it also seemed to get progressivly louder (although it may have been my imagination). It was not something you had to "listen" for... it was just plain LOUD. This was during the morning ERT time I believe (it was a long day, lol) that I noticed it, since we didn't come back until evening.

It sounded like giant metal pieces scrubbing/scratching/being koncked together REALLY hard, can't really describe it.

Anybody else notice it or might know what was causing it? Just curious, I guess... I think it may have stopped my nightfall, but I wasn't taking careful notice but I did remember one time listening for it around 9:15PM, I did not hear it.

-- Alan Jacysyzn *** Edited 6/5/2005 1:18:59 AM UTC by SFDL_Dude***

The anti rollbacks have magnets which hold them up when the train is moving forward, and drop down if the train were to slide back. One of them must not be getting 'held up'.

If it was that loud it could have been something wrong with all the chain dogs. I'm surprised they didn't take the train off. Oh yea, it's Cedar Point, never mind. 2 train operation is against their religion. Gotta go with 3 regardless of how it sounds!

For God's sake, do you honestly think that Cedar Point would keep a train on if it was not operating in a safe way? Every other ride in the park has trains that clank up the lifts 7 days a week 12 hours a day without breaking down; I highly doubt that any damage would result from the train's anti-rollback dogs releasing a second too early.

Wow. We complain about poor operations AND good operations.

I honestly think some people prefer to be unhappy with the hobby.

LOL!

Something could be wrong, or the roller coaster might just be making noise in my opinion. Afterall, rides do age, maybe something just needed to be oiled.:)

If anyone rode MF two years ago they would have noticed that all three trains were making a very, very loud "rooop, rooop, rooop, rooop" anti-rollback clicking noise at the top of the lift for a good portion of the season.

This isn't anything new.

No, that was Arsenio Hall, he frequented the park a lot that year.

No, that was "Whoop Whoop Whoop", Vater. You should know this stuff, you were young and memorable then like me...

;)

ok, first of all, i didn't want to turn this into a safe/unsafe debate, I just wondered what could possibly make this noise, that is all. Just curious what could possibly even cause the sound from a mechanical standpoint as it seemed very odd and I have never heard it the other times I have ever been to the park...

And for the record, it was only at ONE spot in which the train always passed, and ONE loud clank (take two giant metal pipes and hit them together at 90 miles an hour) and only the 1 color train. It was VERY loud and I thought it was odd that the employees didn't even react to it in any way as it happened, so obviouslly it couldn't have been too bad, but it was odd that it was only one train, and that it was as loud as it was...

-- alan jacyszyn *** Edited 6/5/2005 5:54:42 AM UTC by SFDL_Dude***

Magnum has a loud -clank- in the 1st tunnel when the first car passes over a section of track about halfway through it. It's been happening for at least 3 seasons.

Nobody's died yet on Magnum because of it.

Raptor has had a -thrump- kind of sound at the bottom of the first hill on the left side for at least 4 seasons now.

Nobody's died yet on Raptor because of it.

Yeah, coasters make noise ;)

If you think that's bad, go to PKI. A LOT of their coasters make odd noises. Son of Beast makes an odd shuffling noise entering the midcourse brake (Oh wait... the whole ride shuffles... ;)) Beastie hits a redicoulous anti rollback strip entering the BRAKE RUN. Racer makes a racket entering the secone large hill because of a LONG rollback strip and in the sprint, a booster chain.

Face/Off... Well thats a Vekoma, it makesa Bad Noises ;)

FOF.. occasionally vibrates when entering the station, due to the LIMs not being exactly synced.

Why would you hit the pipes together at 90mph if you heard it when the coaster is going up the lift. Unless they sped up the lift from last year, the coaster didn't travel 90mph up the lift.

I was at the park on Friday, the day of CoasterMania.

About 2pm (I know because we had a freeway stamp for a 2-3 ride). The blue train was taken off, and put on the transfer track. Mechanics arrived, carrying a wheel and a metal part of some kind. MF continued to run with the red and yellow trains for a few more cycles, until the work was done, and then just as we were approaching the turnstyles, the blue train was brought back into operation.

The ride ops simply told us that a wheel needed to be replaced. However, the wheel they were carrying when the mechanics approached, was certainly not one of the load wheels, guide wheels or upstop wheels. It was much smaller. They were working at the very back of the train under the last car.

Just thought I'd share what I saw. The blue train was off for about 15-20 mins. It slowed things down a ton. With our free way stamps it still took almost 45 mins to get on.

It was one of the dog wheels which creates the magnetism to keep the dog up from touching the track.

Question answered.

That's what I thought it was.

Sounds are usually nothing to worry about, but it is sorta scary when on cold days mechanics have to push TTD's train to get it off the immovable magnetic brakes, or like someone said in a trip report, they had to literraly push the train over the top when it stalled.

Coasters aren't designed perfectly, but luckily as long as they stay on the track, and have a well designed car with fail proof restraints than it is safe for the most part.

It's the coasters like Big Thunder Mountian railroad that have safety issues, it's not acceptable for cars to derail from the track every few months.

Thanks... interesting they finally took off the blue train for a little bit and put it back on, as I kept telling myself it was only a matter of time until it would come off...

-- alan jacyszyn

I hear d that noise too, it was horribly loud (i was at coastermania too-first ACE event). We were in the blue car when that noise happened, but I heard that noise for everyother car too-morning ERT and at 9:30 at night.