Racer at Kennywood

I did an accurate recreation of racer awhile ago for RCT2. Heres the link for anyone who would like to check it out:
http://games.coasterbuzz.com/filedetail.aspx?GameFileID=4355

No, there is no crossover (at least, no crossover where one side crosses the other). After the opposite 180 out of the station, they stay parallel throughout the entire ride. Using Lord Gonchar's starting point, I made a much more simplified (but complete) Mobius racer to demonstrate: http://www.geocities.com/crossroads2000online/racer.html

Notice that the black track leaves on the left and returns on the right. We'll see how long it is before Geocities shuts this down.

-Nate

Edit: I see now you guys are arguing terminology, but hopefully what I wrote above will make sense to anyone who hasn't got it yet. *** Edited 12/5/2003 7:51:27 PM UTC by coasterdude318*** *** Edited 12/5/2003 9:56:44 PM UTC by coasterdude318***

As long as I can remember, (and without revealing my age ;) ) there have always been three trains.

It has been that way at least since the new PTC's were bought in the 80's.

When they were bought, for some reason, there were two red and one blue train. The second red train was painted green about five years ago so there wouldn't be two trains of the same color on the track.

I think people are confusing each other with wording... the ride crosses over itself a few time. The individual tracks, however, do not.

Makes you wonder why they wouldn't just put one extra crossover on Hershey's Lightning Racer and make it Moebius... it's a great ride anyway, though.

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kpjb said:

I think people are confusing each other with wording... the ride crosses over itself a few time. The individual tracks, however, do not.

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YES!

Why can I never find the way to put things into simple words like that?

I end up writing novels that end up causing more confusion rather then being able to break it down to a simple line like that. I guess my last post had the key elements:

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The layout crosses over or under itself a couple times...There are no crossovers between the trains thoughout the layout...

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I need a friggin' translator :)

Thank you for clearing up the issue on both counts.

Yah, it's a lot easier to understand if you use to a couple of pens and trace the basic path out of the station, back to the lift, and back to the station (keeping them together from the lift onwards).

Fun stuff using words to explain abstract schtuff. :)

But now wait. I've been sitting here looking for Racer pics and I found one that makes me see what the "crossover" side is saying.

Take a look at this pic.

There is a point where the layout does the turnaround over the station (kind of the focus of this pic) - both trains cross both sets of tracks in the station below coming up into the turn and they do it again coming out of the turn - this negates itself on both counts because both are crossing over (kind of like a double negative).

BUT...

Look at the bottom of the pic near the middle/right at the covered area where the trains come back into the station. Both tracks cross under the right side of the lift, but not the left. So technically this would be a crossover, because the left side has now gone under the right at one point, but the right did not go under the left to cancel that one out. Correct?

*** Edited 12/5/2003 8:26:28 PM UTC by Lord Gonchar***

Huh? Gonch, I was just about to post that your first explanation of how the Moebius aspect of Racer works was crystal clear to me. But you lost me on this... ;) Are you saying because the two tracks return to the station between the two separate lift tracks, that could be considered the crossover that allows the track to be continuous? Holy hell, now I'm not making any sense...

*** Edited 12/5/2003 8:55:38 PM UTC by Vater***

Here, look at this. Hopefully this diagram will clear things up.
http://groups.msn.com/amusementparkphotography/otherphotos.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=89

This is in no way meant to be an accurate representation of the Racer's layout. So don't give me a hard time.

It is a perfect conceptualization of what's going on, though.

It is a perfect conceptualization, that's why I'm stealing it.

Check this recolored version out.

The big arrow gives away the crossover.

To make it as simple as possible - there's only one place where the two colors intersect.

This is your crossover.

Whichever way you look at it (either red crosses over blue or blue crosses under red) - the other side doesn't at any point.

Oh man, how did I get flipped into arguing the other side?

I'm going to try to spell it out what I'm trying to say without getting too stupidly long winded or talking in circles.

Lets (for the sake of the arguement) say that red crosses over blue in that pic.

Now trace the blue path and you'll see blue never crosses red - the blue under red doesn't count because we already counted it as red's crossover.

The opposite is true.

I think this is what the "crossover side" is seeing and to be honest, last night when I first posted in this thread I'd have fought to the death that that was wrong, but now I'm thinking it's right - it technically does crossover.

I'm trying to sketch a layout that is still a mobius racer (meaning both trains race side by side through the course on one continuous track) - but cannot come up with a design where one side will not have one more crossover than the other. That extra one is THE crossover point in every case.

So here's what I'm basically seeing at this point:

My initial explanation was correct in that the station to lift section is where the switcheroo takes place, but in order to connect mobius style, the tracks still have to cross over at some point.