SOB's missing train

No, it had to do with the positioning of the station if I recall correctly, and essentially denying them of enough room to have a longer brake run with an extra block. As I mentioned and as Chuck repeated, if train one is in the station, two on the transfer, then three will get stopped on the mid-course, something they obviously wouldn't want.

Like I said, I don't know why they didn't build a stand-by block in all that space between the transfer and station.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
DELETED! What time does the water show start?

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Jeff said:
No, it had to do with the positioning of the station if I recall correctly, and essentially denying them of enough room to have a longer brake run with an extra block. As I mentioned and as Chuck repeated, if train one is in the station, two on the transfer, then three will get stopped on the mid-course, something they obviously wouldn't want.

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Perhaps it's obvious to you, but maybe you can explain it to the rest of us. Lot's of three train coasters have unattended mid-course block brakes, I've been stopped on one in the past, and it took about 5 minutes before an employee reached the train. No one panicked.

I just rode SOB for the first time this week. It was hell and I hope to never get on it again. That is the worst coaster I have ever been on. Is there any hope for that ride?

Well , I rode this thing and I thought it was better than anything else I've ever been on. I think I went on "Best day ever for riding SOB, and worst day ever for riding Papa Beast". It is now my number one , but I admit that those trains REALLY SUCK.

How's that for two completely contrasting posts? :)

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Ramming your face into the bottom of a swimming pool is not very fun.

I have a question, if three train operation is a problematic with the mid-course brake, why can't the section of track just outside of the station be a seperate block?

Then you could have, a train on the transfer block brake, the station brake, and then the post-station brake.

Isn't that the proper lesson from Dave Althoff, 3 trains-4 blocks? (5 with the lift in this case)

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Fever

I really enjoy the Simpsons. It's just a shame that I am starting to LOOK like Homer.
*** This post was edited by SVLFever 8/8/2003 7:24:31 PM ***

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SVLFever said:
I have a question, if three train operation is a problematic with the mid-course brake, why can't the section of track just outside of the station be a seperate block?

Then you could have, a train on the transfer block brake, the station brake, and then the post-station brake.

Isn't that the proper lesson from Dave Althoff, 3 trains-4 blocks? (5 with the lift in this case)

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Fever

I really enjoy the Simpsons. It's just a shame that I am starting to LOOK like Homer.
*** This post was edited by SVLFever 8/8/2003 7:24:31 PM ***

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Yeah but PKI has a possition of trying to keep at least one clear block between trains.
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Charles Nungester.
It's official Lesourdsville Lake is closed for 2003

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Jeffrey Seifert said
Perhaps it's obvious to you, but maybe you can explain it to the rest of us. Lot's of three train coasters have unattended mid-course block brakes, I've been stopped on one in the past, and it took about 5 minutes before an employee reached the train.

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Well, I think we've all been on stopped trains like that, but it's usually because there's something else wrong, not because the block isn't actually clear. If the crew doesn't get the trains dispatched on interval, the ride sets up and the train is stopped on the mid-course. With the current crew, that would happen at least every other cycle by my estimation.

It has been pretty common practice for awhile now (in my opinion) to design rides in such a way that you can stack all of your trains at the station with a block to spare. B&M rides are especially notorious for this.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
DELETED! What time does the water show start?

I agree with you Jeff, the SOB crew has never been very good. I think they should take some lessons from the papa crew. They are always fast and very crowd interactive. I dont see why on almost every coaster at PKI that the ride ops that check the restraints have to move in pairs. If the ride op on the right side of the train gets held up the left side must wait. I dont see why the left side couldnt just keep checking its own side so its ready.

Also on SOB, the ride op on the entering side of the station has to walk all the way back to the front of the train to dispatch. This always holds up the train because the ride op is never in a hurry.

To be fair, SOB's restraints restrict taller or long legged riders from getting in and this causes a added delay on at least every other train. FOF's restraints are also less forgiving for larger riders and takes extra time.

This however doesn't excuse the constant BSing on the phone by the ride operator.

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Charles Nungester.
It's official Lesourdsville Lake is closed for 2003

Charles,

Is that an 'unwritten' PKI policy (in reference to the clear block)?

If so, why didn't they design the ride with that in consideration?

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Fever

I really enjoy the Simpsons. It's just a shame that I am starting to LOOK like Homer.

The interesting thing is that according to RCCA's propaganda about the ride, they designed it so that it could accommodate FOUR trains, though I'd mention that as pointed out here, Kings Island has adopted a pretty paranoid blocking rule, wanting to have a closed brake between trains. Most parks make the assumption that once the train leaves a block, it isn't coming back. Kings Island does not make that assumption. Except on Vortex. It's also worth noting that Sonny couldn't accommodate four trains not because it doesn't have enough blocks (it actually has five...or is it six?) but because the interval would have to be way too short, and I don't think the blocks are spaced right.

As for preventing the train from stopping on the mid-course brake...remember that no train may leave the lift until the midcourse brake is clear anyway, and no train may leave the midcourse until the transfer table is clear. If they could get the interval under control, and if they varied the lift speed the way the do on Papa, they could make it work. They might need a bigger crew, though...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

SOB's crews move in pairs because of people not having both legs in under the restraint and they don't catch it. They have to stop it on the lift have a manager come out and fix it if the leg is out. Thats why they do it. I did it a few times myself when I worked on the ride. It happens when your in a hurry to get the train out. It was a move made by managers to stop it. In reality all it does is slow operation down.

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Hi.....whats your name again?

Freedom that time off when the kids go back to school!

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Beast_rocks said:
I agree with you Jeff, the SOB crew has never been very good. I think they should take some lessons from the papa crew. They are always fast and very crowd interactive. I dont see why on almost every coaster at PKI that the ride ops that check the restraints have to move in pairs. If the ride op on the right side of the train gets held up the left side must wait. I dont see why the left side couldnt just keep checking its own side so its ready.

Also on SOB, the ride op on the entering side of the station has to walk all the way back to the front of the train to dispatch. This always holds up the train because the ride op is never in a hurry.

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That hurts. That crew just doesnt walk back, they are checking for certain things, and to make sure everythings fine. Sometimes it takes longer.

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SOB crew in 2002
TRTR crew in 2003
.....Yeah, I think that smoke is supposed to be there.....

A lot of the time, I don't know how the crew can go any faster with all the guest problems...

Where's the nearest restroom? Where's the nearest Advil? That was better than the Millennium. Can I talk to my lawyer? That's the worst coaster I've ever been on. Can I make a funny joke about this ride being bumpy? Why is there a "No Parking" sign at the bottom of the lift hill? Is that loop reallly made of wood? I lost my keys under the loop. This goes upside down? Where do I put my basketball and 7 giant stuffed animals? I accidentally left my sunglasses in my back pocket. Can you release the lap bar so I can get them out? I decided I didn't want to ride. Oh, my 5 year old isn't tall enough to ride? Wait, I don't think I fit... And so on.

Yeah, it takes a little time off what the ride ops need to be doing, but you can't make everyone happy.

-Danny
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Coaster Insomniacs- Coastin' the Night Away

Danny the sad thing is I encounted most if not all of those questions.

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Hi.....whats your name again?

Freedom that time off when the kids go back to school!

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RideMan said:
It's also worth noting that Sonny couldn't accommodate four trains not because it doesn't have enough blocks (it actually has five...or is it six?)

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It has 4 blocks.

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So you believe that you are studying us, then kindly explain why you are the ones trapped in your seats.

...station, lift, mid-course, and transfer table. There is also a block brake between the station and the first drop which is a useless position for a block brake, but Kings Island treats it as one, not permitting a train into the station until that brake downtrack of the station is clear. I can't remember if there is another one at the base of the lift or not; I don't think there is.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Isn't there an extra block after the station, because the station was originally planned to be where the transfer table block is (or something of that nature... maybe at that post-station block, which would make much more sense)? I remember hearing a story about this, but I can't remember exactly how it went.

-Danny
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Coaster Insomniacs- Coastin' the Night Away