Millennium Force cable breaks, shutting down ride

Well... Word is from Blue tags here at CP that the ride might not be open for rest the season. Nobody knows for sure but thats the word here...

Seasonals don't know jack... People Who Know(TM) have already said it should be up for Millennium Mania.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"From the global village... in the age of communication!"
Watch the grass grow!

More news, or a correction, actually, it was the main cable that broke.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"From the global village... in the age of communication!"
Watch the grass grow!

*** This post was edited by Jeff on 9/3/2001. ***

Thanks Jeff for clearing that up... I wonder(I didn't look) what happened to the sled...

This is the only day Millennium Force has been down all day. The day it got hit by lighting and fired the computer it was running earlier that day and it opened late afternoon the next day. May 22 was the day it roll back(I belive) and it was up around 7 PM.

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Andrew Hyde(Who Thinks that even though the cable breaking isn't a big deal.. it will start a whole trend of rumors)
http://www.experiencethepoint.com
Author- Experience The Point: The Unofficial Guidebook To Cedar Point

*** This post was edited by Andrew on 9/3/2001. ***

I don't think that the cable would have flown back down the lift and coiled up on the ground.  Without knowing the specifics of the system, I would guess that with all of the engineering and design (and $$$) put in to this ride, that an anti-rollback device would have been installed.

I do have to make exception with one comment made in this thread... Jeff, you stated that traditional lift chains are expected to last two years.  Is this simply a CP procedure?  Phantom's Revenge is still using the original Steel Phantom lift chain from 11 years ago.   Actually, I don't recall any of our lift chains being replaced.  Sometimes they stretch after some use, we take out a couple of links and go on. 

I do recall an Arrow engineer telling us that he was surprised of the great condition the chain was still in, and was impressed by our maintenance on it; that was two seasons ago.

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"Let's go out and have some fun!" (New Order) *** This post was edited by kpjb on 9/3/2001. ***

My God a lot of people respond to these topics! Hehe, well, anyway. I've seen a lot of things about this coaster (videos, pictures and the like), or "giga - coaster," if you will, and I have to marvel at something such as this, but I know, as I hope anyone else knows, that things don't last, including cables, in this case. Things have to be fixed at some point during their operating life, and it is a very good thing to know that this coaster was built good enough to withstand all that treatment for 2 years (or more, I don't know). Let's just put it this way. It's good that this happened.

THe main cable broke about 40 feet above the sled.. Same place that was being inspected all last week.

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"Sorry but Millennium Force is currently DFD."
MF total - 393 laps
VertiGo Launches - 28
June 11th, 2001 - Gemini 100

This is what I posted on GTTP earlier

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There may be more to it than just the cable. I had my super duper zoom camera with me and the mechanics appeared to still be doing extensive work with the I-beam which is the track for the catchcar and houses the rollbacks. This is with the cable off, after 6. Remember, this is not just the cable we are talking about here, there is much more. What I don't think anybody has mention yet is the wreck the catchcar was in. It slid backwards all the way off its track underneath the station. It looked like it was in really bad shape. It's not meant to travel backward that fast after the lifting cable snapped. Cedar Point is Damn lucky it happened when it did. Only a few more train later there when have been guest on the train and on the platform. It would be really bad if the had to evacuate people. Not only that, but the catchcar coming down into the station at 70 MPH with a train in there could have really hurt some people. Who know what kind of debris would have come flying into the station.

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Since it snapped 40 feet above the sled as Rob said, the end of the cable, as well as other parts could have come flying into the station.

I was there May 22nd, 2000 and did not see it run either. The park closed at 8 and there was a mob outside GR as we were leaving. They handed out ride agains. Several people in my school got them and actually copied them and handed them out (bad people!). Keep in mind we left just before close at 8 so who knows, it could have ran.

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Save Cheese on a stick!

BTW, the 22nd was the part's problem, not the rollback. Of course I was there both days! :(
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Save Cheese on a stick!

This (cable snapping) would most likely explain why the web cam was down all day. The one focused on Raptor was fine, as well as the beach cam...

I just couldn't see MF all day!

You have no Idea How not cool this was, I was At Cedar Point Yesterday, And I had 3 Friends From Minnesota, who came all the way out here to Ride the Force, It was not Cool at all, Cedar Point Didnt Seem as Fun Without the Fore Running, and Lines were Incredibly long Compared to where they usually are when it is Open. I Knew That the Cable had Broke as soon as I Saw where the Train was on the Hill.. The First Car on the Train was Right Past the Staircase at the top of the Lift. And there were Mechanics Inspecting the Part that Grabs Onto the Train on the Front.. And I hated having to watch the mechanical bucket go up and down the lift all day long, while I was Standing in 2 1/4 hr lines for The Head Banger Mantis. And Another Thing I Found Odd was that, on Saturday, Superman : Ultimate Escape @ SFWOA was Closed... Due to Stress Cracks in the Track in the Station. They Had 3-4 Cars Off of the Track, and the Train Was MKept Moving Alont the Horizontal Part Of the Track for the Duration of the Day. Just An Odd Coincidence that 2 parks, best Rides, with Steel Box Spined Track Were Closed.
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"Past this point of no return your only choice is freeze or burn." -Merlin

Here is a minor news blurb on subject.

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/wews/20010902/lo/898405_1.html

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Army rangers lead the way *** This post was edited by supermandl on 9/3/2001. ***

The main thing here is safety. Thank God this didn't happen during normal operating hours (or so I'm told), because if it did, it would cause a great media spasm on how these type of rides are "unsafe." Even though this is a little off, I remeber when the media made a big deal about the Boomerang at KBF stopping mid roll, that makes this ride "famous," if you will. Luckily the people were able to get off on the ladders they had installed on the roll, but their concern was safety in that situation, giving them a reason to install those ladders. All in all, I think that whenever this ride does reopen, if it hasn't already, it won't really make a difference. It will be forgotten, probably just like the day it opened. Hehe, I just have to add something, but if the Stratosphere in Las Vegas goes ahead and builds their ride by 2003, it will kick the pants off MF. It will also be twice the size of it, which will completely kick butt. We're talking about a 740 foot talll rollercoaster here.

I was wondering what happened with MF, because I was at marblehead, a resort right next to Cedar Point, and I could see the MF train stuck near the very top of the hill. I feel bad for the out-of-towners that were visiting CP for the first time since this is one of the most crowded days of the year, but things happen. *** This post was edited by CP Guy on 9/3/2001. ***

I was at CP on August 25th and MF brokedown about 1 pm for the rest of the day...anyone know what happened then?

Joe E...stay away from Millennium Force! How many times have you been at the park when something bad happened to this ride?

Do you know how much pain and anguish you've caused park partrons everytime you go to the park?

You were there when the computer was fried, you've been in the station several times when it breaks down, now you make the cable snap! Were you there the day of the rollback?

If the park knew who you were, I think they'd try banning you! :) You the anti-MF...either that, or you are a very unluck/lucky person. I guess it depends on how you look at it. ;)

Thanks a lot Joe!  You ruined my day at CP yesterday! 

Just kidding Joe, but if I were at the park during all of these MF breakdowns, I would be one upset MF'er!

I worked at Cedar Point this summer and we were not allowed to test ride before maitenence cleared us to test ride. We usually did about 8 test runs in the morning before any guests could get on the ride. Considering that the whole cost was alomst 26 million and the comp system is 12 million of that 26 they have done a good job and gotten lots of good usage out of the cable. As an employee who knows the coaster inside out, that cable travels an average of close to 1500 times a day times that by two years of continious usage and it is no wonder that the cable snapped. Cedar Point is very high on it's safety. We always had maitinence men around at various times during the day so we could report problems. MF is actually designed to never allow a car to roll back on the lift hill or let 2 trains collide. Each train has GPS which links up to a satellite that give the computer the exact location of each train on the track. If something does not match up the brakes on the trains engage and the next viable unloading point for guests and the ride is put into rapid shut down. So as a rider you really have nothing to worry about on MF or Cedar Poin. Millennium Crew KICKS ASS!! Hopefully I'll get to work on MF again next summer.

That Yahoo/News5 article really needs to correct that headline. The headline reads 'Riders Stranded...' Now with most regular people, they hear that and they assume just everyday people, visitors of the park were stranded. Then of course you get into the short article and you get the facts, but still, the point.

Um, yeah. Just pointing out...

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http://coolforce.cjb.net - The Most Important Internet Web Site... EVER.
"I have no legs. I HAVE NO LEGS!! YEAH!!"

CNN Headline News is now reporting in their half-hour segments.

In a nutshell they said that the safety check (having employees ride before guests) was working (or being followed). Not sure I understand where they were going with it, but what can you expect from a 15 second blurb -

*** This post was edited by Mango Madness on 9/3/2001. ***