In 1994 I watched a feature on 'Beyond 2000', a science show. It was about 'Dr. Rollercoaster' and how he tests all the coasters for rider safety. The segment showed him riding Raptor which blew me away!
In 1972, CP had a coaster called 'Jumbo Jet.' Several people broke their right collarbones riding it - ouch! The doc found the ride placed stress on riders of a certain height and had the offending bend ironed out. No more problems afterwards!
Does anyone have more info on this?
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Coasters - Man's finest creation or is it God's?
Brought to you by Australia's No. 1 Coaster Fan.
I don't recall ever hearing that, but suppose it could be possible. I do know that the Jumbo Jet was sold to La Feria Chapultepec Magico Park in Mexico, and renamed Tornado.
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Neil
Pittsburgh, PA
There is a Jumbo Jet at NY's Coney Island. I think it operates.
I worked for CP during the era of the Jumbo Jet. The only problems they had with it that I recall were with the braking system. Banged some trains together at the unloading platform. Yes people got hurt. Supposedly the brakes were automatic, but like all Schwartzkopf rides all the manuals were in technical German. Made troubleshooting them a real joy. We eventually figured out what the problems were, but operations decided to post an operator in the control room to watch things.
THAT ripcracking problem on Jumbo Jet led to the invention of the heartline!!!
The transitions from straight to circular track was always a problem for the human body, cause at high speeds the body would be slammed violently to one side. Its here were Werner Stengel comes to the scene. He thought about a way of bending the track, so that the transition would be performed smoothly and the human body had a chance to follow the motion. The "heartline" was the imaginary spot that was used to twist the track around that spot and not around the track itself. Its one of the biggest revulotions the modern coaster underwent. Without that innivation we would never have coasters with extreme heights or inverting elements.
Thanks! That explains people breaking their collarbones on Jumbo Jet. I thought it was a woodie.
I guess the invention of the heartline is the most influential design of the 70's and all-time, along with the invention of side and upstop wheels etc.
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Coasters - Man's finest creation or is it God's?
Brought to you by Australia's No. 1 Coaster Fan.
*** This post was edited by CoasterGod on 12/9/2000. ***
