Smooth coasters: welded/bolted or just bolted?
Ahwile ago, someone posted a similiar topic about this and I noticed that some people said that coasters that are only bolted to the next piece of track are smoothest, yet on B&M's, I notice the track is welded together-so which makes a smooth coaster? Bolted and welded or just bolted?
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SROS at SFNE, the #1 steelie
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SROS at SFNE, the #1 steelie
I think it has more to do with how well the parts fit together...not how they are fit together. Basically how the parts are designed and built. I think that both welded and bolted joints can be rough depending on those factors.
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Decisions determine destiny; Destiny determines decisions.
The difference between welding and bolting is hardly more than a click as the wheels cross the joint. What we think of as smooth and rough is due to how trasitions are handled and the dynamics of the train.
Atually B&M track is bolted together, not welded, not even on the rails. They're so precise that there are no gaps at all. Plus they have two bolts on the ledgers next to thr rails.
Arrow & Vekoma weld their rails.
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The Buzzer formerly known as CoasterG-d
Arrow & Vekoma weld their rails.
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The Buzzer formerly known as CoasterG-d
If I remember correctly someone told me before that the smoothness/roughness come from the design of the train. So I don't think it matters about bolting and welding.
SFSL, you are right that the train is a big part of it, but quality of track assembly can be a factor too. But, most often, it's the quality of the transitions and the trains.
The two biggest factors of the trains are how articulated they are and what kind of wheel assembly is used. B&M trains and GCI Millennium flyers are examples of how articulated a train can get, as each car has one row of seats. Also, B&M and Intamin use a wheel system where all 3 sets of wheels are in contact with the rails, as opposed to companies like Vekoma and Arrow where there are Huge gaps between the side and under rails which greatly contributes to the roughness.
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- Peabody
The two biggest factors of the trains are how articulated they are and what kind of wheel assembly is used. B&M trains and GCI Millennium flyers are examples of how articulated a train can get, as each car has one row of seats. Also, B&M and Intamin use a wheel system where all 3 sets of wheels are in contact with the rails, as opposed to companies like Vekoma and Arrow where there are Huge gaps between the side and under rails which greatly contributes to the roughness.
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- Peabody
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