New Open-Sided Wooden Coaster Trains

Speaking of european wooden coasters and retracking, can someone send a memo to Parc Asterix, reminding them that retracking Tonnerre de Zeus is adviced every few years? Everyone from upper management down to the mechanics there seem to think that one lonely guy walking the structure during the morning is "correct maintenance" and that wooden coasters don't need retracking. Plus, on the basis of not making it go too fast, they do not grease the ride!

Maybe they're just trying to make Goudrix not look so bad in comparison.

If the accident happened in the late 90s and we're now in 2007 I don't think that will have too much bearing on the replacement.

It would have bearing on the decision to get new trains if it took the park this long to find a suitable replacement.

They're not going to go with PTC's since that is what was running when the accident occured.

GCI only supplies M-Flyers for the coasters it builds [for now anyway].

Gerstlauer, Vekoma, and Intamin make wood coaster trains but perhaps the park felt they had the same potential problems as the PTCs.

So maybe it took from "the late 90s until 2007" to find a suitable replacement. But even that statement is wrong as the first train was delivered last year...that means the contract had to have been signed in 2006, possibly earlier.

mOOSH - just offering the other side of the coin.

Vekoma woodie trains can't run on any coaster than there's. They're 3 bench, non articulated cars... So they'd totally destroy the track! Riding Loup-Garou at Walibi Belgium opening weekend, you already felt the train shuffle around the corners *** Edited 2/8/2007 7:04:28 AM UTC by Absimilliard***

Thanks, Abs...another reason the park couldn't use those on Stampida ;)

The trains showed up at the park last year because they are a prototype and would probably undergo testing and tweaking.

Now since Kumbak rolling stock has the dubious habit of stalling (see: Vliegende Hollander and Python at De Efteling) there was possibly a lot of tweaking.

I still wonder why anybody is willing to buy anything from Kumbak (ex-Vekoma) with their less than stellar portofolio.

According to Port Aventura, the park was looking for a solution to increase capacity and decrease the amount of maintenance on the trains.

After the accident (person being ejected) the park added safety belts to the trains which slows down the dispatch times. Alledgedly the new trains have a low floor and are easy to access. The ride will also be equipped with magnetic brakes.

I remain very, very sceptical about the new trains. They look ugly and uncomfortable. Having ridden the new Kumbak trains on Efteling´s Python I fear for the worst!

That coaster was one of the best Vekoma double loop/screws with absolutely no headbanging. Now with the new trains (http://www.rcdb.com/ig897.htm?picture=18) it has lost it completely. The seats are horrible and the OTSR are more restricting than before.

While Vekoma is now really adressing their problems, Kumbak just doesn´t seem to get it.

http://p2.rcdb.com/picmax/efteling/python25.jpg

Yah, those look a bit hairy.

Never having ridden on one, how similar are the Kumbak trains to the "new" style Arrow trains that were on BG Drachen Fire or the Tennessee Tornado? My understanding is that these Arrow trains were quite different and better riding than traditional Arrow Trains (though I have never been on either of these coasters).

^ I didnt notice any significant difference in the trains on TT. The track was VASTLY improved, the trains...seemed about the same to me as any other Arrow looper...

I'm always willing to try something new and give it a fair shot. But I'm also pretty particular about trains (obviously), and esp. wood-coaster trains.

Tennessee Tornado doesn't run the trains that are on Circus Circus' or Drachen Fire but the standard Arrow looper trains used for 20 years before. Personally I didn't like the Drachen Fire trains any more than say the ones on a loop screw.

Chuck

One would think that on a coaster that had an ejection fatality, minimalistic train design would not be used.

Most European rules aren't like most American rules. If your ejected for rider misconduct or injured for that reason. you might as well forget about a lawsuit!

Chuck, who says many states have a rider responsibility act but they still try to sue anyway.

P.S. Not saying this was the cause of that accident, but if the ride was deemed safe. I don't see it as a issue.

It's a reflection on our society. Americans are used to being able to sue for anything and everything, and if they don't win the lawsuit, they usually settle out of court for a huge amount of money. I love this country but one of the things I hate is society's desire to blame someone else for everything that goes wrong. I'm not saying there are times when someone isn't at fault, but more often than not people are to blame for the problems that are the result of their own stupidity.