Michigan's Adventure Future Plans

What do you mean by the wheels not being completely round? This is something that I have never heard of before. Is this a common practice way of slowing the trains down? I do agree about the helix being faster. I was there on opening weekend and could not believe how much more intense the helix was compared to last year. The retracking made a world of difference.

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Blue People fly sideways when it rains...

Re: speed --

Couple of possibles:

1. Grease. Yup, you can knock 30sec off w/ grease. Jam the wheels w/ the thick [red?] stuff and it runs slow until the wheels heat up, which drops the viscosity of the lube. ST's slowest laps came w/ an empty train that was just lubed w/ the thick stuff on an inadequately warm day.

2. Bearings. Shot axle/wheel bearings can slow things down. It'll still run, but pokey.

3. Seized wheel. You'll know. It feels like riding Mean Streak. It bounces like crazy and squeals if a wheel seized. I've seen that knock 20seconds off lap times, w/ just 1 seizure.

4. Gauge issues. You'd probably feel this, too, as it fights the track.

5. No track lube. You can hear this, as it'll squeal around all the corners. Good for 20 seconds, tops.

It's probably not chain speed, as that shouldn't really affect much other than the first two hills.

As far as underestimating it's lap time, I've recorded laps of 2:17 before, which is about 92 seconds drop to stop. [~45sec for the lift, I believe]

Is it struggling out of the helix, or does it still hit the brakes at a good clip? I saw a 3:15 lap once, but it looked sick the whole way around.

Ill be so mad if they ever add a midcourse brake to timbers, even if to add a 3rd train. And I agree with the amount of grease in the wheels....when I worked on mean streak a few years ago, you could really tell the differance in speed when maintnance greased the wheels.

CrazyHorse - Why would the mere presence of a mid-course block brake make you angry? I can understand your disappointment if they used it as a trim, but the simple fact that it's there should be of no concern.

mOOSH

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Because most of/if not all midcourse brakes are used for trimming the speed of the train down. And that would take away from some of the greatest air ever made.

Well it's definitely not all. I'm not sure I'd even say most. Some, yes.

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Ghostrider comes to mind.

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-Parker
www.SFMWZone.com

Exactly. Ghostrider eliminates the "all" option.

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if they added a mc brake to a ride that didnt have one yet, there would be no reason to trim it since it never needed it before. am i wrong on this assumption?

/ --------------------------------------
http://www.eightdotthree.net

Nope. There is a fundamental difference between a trim and a mid-course block brake. Unfortunately some parks don't understand that difference.

mOOSH

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2004 Coaster Calendar now available. Order in advance and save. See S&D Greetings for details.

Out of the woodies that operate three trains (or are blocked to operate three trains), which ones besides GhostRider *don't* use the block brake as a trim?

Does:

-Beast
-SonofBeast
-The Boss
-Texas Giant
-Mean Streak
-Rattler

Doesn't:

-Ghostrider
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You suck big time.

But how many of those use them due to poor initial design?

where does beast use a midcourse brake? its been awhile since ive ridden it. doesnt the second lift kind of operate as a block as well?

mean streak always had that midcourse brake, and its always been on, and its always crawled through the second half. now, i dont know if it was meant to be off and only used in blocking situations or if it was turned on because of bad design...

/ --------------------------------------
http://www.eightdotthree.net

The beast is now using the magnetic Brakes now correct? When I rode it last it still had the skid brakes.....But the only mid-course thing I can think of is the 2nd lift hill Which IMO doesn't count as a brake.
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WARNING:
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For the Beast, I'm guessing the shed-covered stretch after the first right Papa makes. (After the inital left.)

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Missing the Fallen:
King Cobra 1984-2001
The Bat 1981-1983

The Beast uses the second lift as a block. There isn't a block brake area once the train leaves the first lift.

-Sean

Okay, technically yes, the Beast doesn't have a block brake where the train can be stopped, everyone is correct. I think in my head I was just saying the Beast since it's riddle with trims everywhere, and the shed was straght and flat...hence me thinking a block brake, even though I know the train can't be stopped there.

Anyhoot, point still stands!

And Playa brings up another point...which coasters of those listed above had the trim activated when it first opened? I know from experience that SonofBeast and The Boss did.

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You suck big time.

We seemed to have ventured off the path here. Does ANYONE know what Cedar Fair's plans are for this park with so much potential?

Rumors accepted from reliable sources...

MrScott

Don't expect anything new for next summer. At least nothing you will notice and/or care about. Attendance figures must be great for this summer and continue for next summer and then maybe we will get something.
*** This post was edited by MIAdvFan 9/9/2003 10:03:53 PM ***

All the mega Dinn's mid courses acted as trims upon opening. No where near the level what they ae today, but they did act as trims.

And I was always under the impression that originally Beasts mid course did acts as a block brake. Is this impression wrong?

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