OSTRs on SFMM Revolution
I think it absolutely WAS the inspiration for FD3. At least the accident carries a lot of similarities.
Now, thinking about what happened to me on Thriller at the time, I remember that my head was torn forward also very much in the two small loops - which I guessed was causing the problem.
I wonder if it's not possible to find a way to secure riders in these rides that doesn't hurt or destroy the ride experience.
There has to be a way.
*** Edited 6/3/2006 6:24:59 AM UTC by superman***
The OTSR did not help at all in that crash in FD3.
*** Edited 6/3/2006 6:36:00 AM UTC by Hamster Boy***
The OTSRs didn't take effect because in the hypothetical accident of FD3, they opened mid-course.
As long as they would have stayed closed they would probalby have prevented a lot of "fatalities" (Which in turn would have made the film far too long, I suppose).
In Edmonton, the people may not have been thrown out of the vehicles had OTSRs been installed.
But as we all know the first generation of OTSRs they installed on the Schwarzkopfs were the accordeon-type that ratcheted down on the riders shoulders in high-G sections, locking their bodies in a sometimes painful position.
But now, there is the X-car, so all these problems could be solved!
So - will they put new trains on Revolution?
They could still offer rides in the Classic Coke "historic trains of 1976"
Oh... I just realised the thing just had it's 30ieth anniversary!
As long as they would have stayed closed they would probalby have prevented a lot of "fatalities" (Which in turn would have made the film far too long, I suppose).
Yeah but it was a pretty cool movie, and who cares how long it is if it keeps to in suspense. It was better then FD1 but not as good as FD2.
J7G3 said:
If your head wasn't against the headrest when the train hit the loop, you would be lurched forward when the train hit the loop. Same upon exit from the loop.This was especially true for little kids and anyone just not ready for the acceleration. And since the hand bar is mounted to the rear of the seat in front of you, it was quite common for kids to get pulled forward.
There are pictures somewhere of this happening on the Tidal Wave at Great America. And the G's at the start of the shuttle loops' loop was even less than that of the Revolutions'.
Funny you should mention precisely that problem. I didn't find my original comments on the subject, but I did address this very issue in 1996 when I suggested that the problem could be avoided by designing the lap bar to provide some vertical support.
We have some evidence now that I might have been on to something. In 2000, a manufacturer actually constructed a lap bar much like the one I described and installed it on a looping coaster. Then in 2001, they retrofitted most of their older rides, removing the shoulder bars and installing the new lap bars.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
J7G3 said:
There is a picture somewhere
This page has a photo of what you're referring to (about Mindbender).
In the days of the old regime, SFMM was the poster-child for complaints about SFI's lack of *cleanliness*....anyone notice Pat Koch's nametag? "Queen of Clean". ;)
Really *fixing* Colossus would be costly, no doubt...but bringing back families has GOT to prove more profitable than building $20-25M monsters every year to draw the same teenager crowds they've BEEN drawing...
SFI is making LOADS of progress, and SFMM, as the park with the greatest gap between performance and potential, has the most to gain. Restoring their "classics" would be the icing on the cake....
gator, proud advocate of Premier lapbars since my first retrofitted FOF ride.... :) *** Edited 6/5/2006 4:04:57 PM UTC by rollergator***
As for Colossus, I'm not sure it can be *fixed*. The ride experience could certainly be improved with new trains and some reprofiling, but could Colossus truly become a great wooden coaster again? I just don't see it. They'd be MUCH better off giving Colossus yearly TLC, removing that *other* wooden coaster that's in MUCH worse shape, and replacing it with midsize GCI. Much cheaper than trying to basically rebuild a giant, racing woody who's time I'm afraid, has come and gone.
AV Matt
Long live the Big Bad Wolf
Revolution, I'm not sure. It doesn't "need" them, and I wish I could enjoy the ride without them. I'm going there for the first time next Tuesday (I'm an east coast person, and this will be my first trip to the west coast).
Does anyone know who actually did the retrofit of Revolution with the OSTRs? Was this all in-house, or was somebody contracted?
And yes, the park knows the ride sucks in it's current condition. Not much they could do though, when most of your budget is being spent on new expensive rides. Enter Shapiro...
Revolution I think we totally agree on....but Colossus, sure, it would take a LOT of time, effort, and money to get it running properly again....but there's been a lot of years since the incident, and restoring it to its proud heritage would cost less than half of what the park spent on even Scream (MUCH less Tatsu). I'd *guesstimate* that Colossus could be brought back to "resembling" the original Colossus for $5-7M....can't build new for THAT money.
Even with all-new trains (two per side is more than sufficient), they could bring in the project under 10M....and THAT would bring back alot of the goodwill on the part of the old-timers (who have more cash to spend than do the kids Tatsu is bringing in)...
Oh, and even though KieranCo gets a LOT of the blame for SFMM and for the new rides expenditures....I can't alleviate Del Holland of ALL responsibility for what went down there...
*** Edited 6/5/2006 8:34:30 PM UTC by rollergator***
I don't really alleviate Del Holland at all, just SFMM's maintanance team who seem to get alot of blame for working with two tempermental woodies with very little money (there's no way SFMM's maintanance budget should be the same as SFEG's, but it is!)
And I will give you this: If they did it *right* and contracted Intamin, GG or GCI to recreate Colossus basically from the ground up or something at least akin to Steel Phantom's makeup job, then we'd be talking. I'm just not encouraged that's going to ever happen. That, and the fact that's it's a racer with 3 times the track and wood of Psyclone, in a state where Ghostrider costs twice the maintanance costs of a normal woody because of strict earthquake codes.
It's something I would *die* to see happen, but in an age where Cedar Fair removes a big woody in favor of a midsized steel coaster instead of another woody, and PKI does *patchwork* to Beast and SOB rather than extensive re-building, I just think it's more realistic to think a Psyclone remake will crack the top 20 before a Colossus one will.
Revolution I think we totally agree on....but Colossus, sure, it would take a LOT of time, effort, and money to get it running properly again....but there's been a lot of years since the incident, and restoring it to its proud heritage would cost less than half of what the park spent on even Scream (MUCH less Tatsu). I'd *guesstimate* that Colossus could be brought back to "resembling" the original Colossus for $5-7M....can't build new for THAT money.
From a good business standpoint, it would never happen. With that money going into "rebuilding" a ride like Colossus, would be more likely used to build a Thunderhead or El Toro. Because if you're dispensing about $5-$7 million, what, as a business minded person are you going to choose? Rebuilt a 1978 racing woodie with a bunch of high rise flat turns or spend that money on a state-of-the-art Plug 'n Play with steep drops and highly a highly marketable profile?
I know this is the kind of mindset that makes some parks the way they are, but Six Flags if given the allotted $7 million will 100% most likely build a brand new wood coaster than to completely rebuild an old 30 year old one.
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