One train running on SROSat SFNE

I went to opening day at SFNE today and the blue train was the only one running. The red train is not even on the transfer track. I asked one of the workers why? They told me they should have the red one on by Memorial weekend.It was running very smooth and fast today. Igot 2 rides before the line got to big.Ajrides!

I went today to SFNE as well...to activate my season pass, etc. Great opening day! SROS- line was over an hour the entire time due to only one train running. Some new wood on Thunderbolt and Cyclone. Cyclone needs some more work though...running quite rough. Blizzard River is open. I noticed more security this year and more staff sweeping up trash. I hope this is a sign that 6 Flags as a whole is improving park conditions!!!

They probably wanted to start out with single train op after the braking problem that occurred on SFA's superman at the end of last season.

I suspect SFDL's will also start out on single train op as well for a little while...better safe than sorry if you ask me & running one train is better than not running the coaster at all.

Actually, it's cheeper to open with just one train. I mean, the mechanics arn't at the park over the winter, and you need the mechanics to to the annual maintenence on the rides. The coaster trains are obviously going to take the longest because they essentially have to be completly taken appart then reassembled. Say one coaster train takes two weeks to refurbish. Well, if you do both trains before the park opens, that means you have to have your mechanics at the park almost a month before the park openes to the public. However, if you do one before the park opens and the rest after the park opens, the mechanics can be working on it on days that they would have needed to be at the park anyways. Understand what I'm saying? It just makes sense for a company who's hurting for cash as it is to do any sort of cost cutting measures possible, especially when most of the coasters are still walk ons even with only one train opperation for the first couple weekends.

Honestly, what's new? When does SFNE ever run two trains on S:ROS?

FYI, most mechanics have full-time, year-round positions.

-Nate *** Edited 4/18/2004 9:54:06 AM UTC by coasterdude318***

I dunno about SFDL opening with only one train on S:RoS. They do open a month later than SFNE and SFA, after all, so it will be warmer. Isn't the brake problems caused by the cold, the hydraulic fluid gets sluggish or something like that? I thought I read that somewhere but I'm not sure. Anyway, if its the theory about maintenance, the extra month should take care of that.

I'm almost certain the brake failure was a control systems error. I've ridden all kinds of Intamin hypers with the retractable brake calipers in all kinds of weather and never seen any problems.

Coaster Lover: It's only cheaper if you're not racking up hr. long lines. I guess it may not be the case for every guest that goes into the park, but the general consensus is the only thing worth really re-riding in that park is S:RoS and I know I waited for two train op a few seasons ago before I started really going to the park frequently.

"Honestly, what's new? When does SFNE ever run two trains on S:ROS?"

Funny...Superman has been a two-train operation every time I've visited the park, which has been at least once a year since 2000.

Wow, you must just be really lucky. Every coaster in the park has been running just one train every time I've visited except once, when S:ROS did have two trains running but the line was still 2+ hours due to the screwy Q-Bot system.

I love SFNE, I think it's a gorgeous park, and the rides are wonderful, but the operations are among the worst I have ever seen.

-Nate

Nate - you didn't ask about every coaster, you asked about Superman. On those visits Superman was the only coaster running two trains. All others were a one-train op.

The SFNE Superman Accident Investigation determined it was *NOT* a control systems error. Notice the new Intamin hypers do not use retractable brakes (see Goliath in Holland). The new system is fail-safe unless all the brake fins and/or all the brake units fall off (or are removed by someone).

Well I also went opening day and i thought the park was wonderful, much better then last year, friendly employees, I saw more sweepers yesterday then i've seen all together last year...I'm going to be writing a trip report later today, so look out for it.

SFNE always seems to run one train towards the beginning. I'm not worried about it. Should be a fun season at SFNE.

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ShaneDenmark said:
I dunno about SFDL opening with only one train on S:RoS. They do open a month later than SFNE and SFA, after all, so it will be warmer. Isn't the brake problems caused by the cold, the hydraulic fluid gets sluggish or something like that? I thought I read that somewhere but I'm not sure. Anyway, if its the theory about maintenance, the extra month should take care of that.

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They're not hydraulic, They're pneumatic (sp). Air is supplied to the brakes through PVC pipes. When there is a crack or a leak there is a loss of air pressure which causes the brakes to lose engery and not have sufficient energy to bring the brakes back up from the collapsed position.

Anyway, I dont get the "better safe then sorry" thing, Being better safe then sorry would be if they would replace all the pipes or the brakes alltogether so this problem would never happen again. I think this is carelessness on the part of SF. If they allowed it to happen twice already, There is somthing wrong.

I don't think what happened on the SFA ride is common knowledge. It could have been a systems failure for all we know.

-Nate

That could very well be true but then again it could've been the exact same thing that caused SFNE's ride to crash in 01.

The differences between the two were that on SFA's ride a train had already been dispatched(unloaded)& stopped near the top of the lift while the other train(loaded) returned to the station & failed to stop all together.

The only difference between the SFNE brake failure of 01 & the SFA brake failure of 03 is that there was no train in the station being loaded for the returning train to crash into...thus averting what would've been a serious accident causing injury to those on the ride at the time.

No, you don't know that was the "only difference" because you don't know what the problem with SFA's ride was. It could be a completely different case for all you know.

I'm also pretty sure the second train on SFA's ride wasn't stopped on the lift when the incident occurred, but stopped because of the incident (that is, either somone e-stopped the ride or the computer shut itself down when the train blew the brakes).

-Nate

At least at SFA, air is not supplied to the brakes through PVC pipes. The pipes are galvanized steel. The hoses that make the final connections to the cylinders have varied in their construction.

Coasterdude318:I was in the park when it happened...in fact I was almost on Batwing at the time when the operator said that the ride would be closing due to the superman incident.

A few minutes before Batwing closed I was looking out of the queue in that general direction & thought I saw two trains on superman's lift,now at first I thought that my eyes were just fooling me but after leaving Batwing & walking back towards superman I could see that both trains were on the lift at the same time indicating that the brakes had indeed failed on the ride.

That night I came close to getting in line for superman but decided not to because of the extremely long lines & went to Batwing instead,at the time that I passed by superman enroute to Batwing it was working just fine & of course the park never issued any statements on just why or how the brakes failed,my guess is simply because no one was hurt in the incident.

Immediately after the incident happened SFA sent word out to both SFDL & SFNE to shut their superman rides down & run them using single train operation until further notice,which may explain why both SFA & SFNE are currently running only one train on their superman coasters at this time.

Jim weren't the PVC brake lines on all three superman coasters changed after the SFNE crash?if I'm not mistaken I heard that they were.

Just because you were there doesn't mean you have the slightest idea *why* there were two trains on the lift at once. Something obviously happened, but you, nor I, nor most people on this site have any idea *why* it happened. Simple as that.

Joe

*EDIT* the "why" is referring to why the brakes apparantly didn't work to allow two trains on the lift at the same time. *** Edited 4/20/2004 1:33:36 AM UTC by Legendary***