Station Clear! - CoasterBuzz

SFMM has pretty much the same handsignals as Disneyland. Open palm for clear, closed fist for hold.

One thing I did notice last time I was at Disneyland is that they use a lot of various handsignals on certain rides. Like on Indiana Jones, the load/unload ops carried ona whole conversation in handsignals.

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"ok everyone go ahead and pull down on your shoulder restraint so you feel nice and stuck!"

Kind of like the Rolling Rock commercial with the guys planning to play pool?? :)

Getting back on topic, a personal opinion...

It used to be that crossed arms was an unambiguous signal. When did parks start co-opting the old E-STOP signal and using it for "cross track"? It doesn't even make sense as a "cross track" signal!!

--Dave "thumb up, arm extended" Althoff, Jr.

At DLP, for track cross, we do the "Hold train" signal (closed fist), keep it, while we wait for Cast member at dispatch to answer, telling us he saw us and will not send or move the train or vehicle while we keep the signal. We then cross, keeping the closed fist. Safest way, IMO.

RideMan said:
"...It used to be that crossed arms was an unambiguous signal. When did parks start co-opting the old E-STOP signal and using it for "cross track"? It doesn't even make sense as a "cross track" signal!!"

First, I don't know about other parks, but as far as Cedar Point is concerned, we don't 'E-Stop' a coaster unless it is a life-or-death situation.

The crossed arms signal has 2 meanings at most Cedar Point coasters... If the train is stopped in the station, crossed arms would mean you want to cross through the train. If the train is being dispatched, crossed arms mean to immediately stop dispatching, if it is too late to stop it in the station, stop the train low on the lift...

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Dustin -Cedar Point ride host
2000 - Cedar Downs crew, WildCat crew
2001 - Cedar Downs crew, WildCat crew, Magnum crew, Gemini crew
2002 - Wave Swinger/Swan Boats Team Leader

I think the best "cross track" signal is to take your hand and point across the train in an animated fashion. That's what I see at most parks. The funniest thing is the controling ops response which is usually a "reach for the sky" 'hand check' type of deal; I suppose that's to demonstrate that they will not touch any buttons.
jeremy
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Besides, if we were really shutting down people we disagreed with, would Jeremy (2Hostyl) still be around? :) I think not. - Jeff 1/24/02

Like Matt and Dustin both stated, CP is a thumbs up for clear, which is pretty much standard. However a lot of the other signals differ from ride to ride. For instance, to indicate to stop a coaster on Raptor, you grab the wrist of one hand with the other hand with your hands over your head and yell HOLD..........the arms being crossed is only used to cross through the train. If you hold up some number of fingers, you want that row's harnesses released. Mantis has signals for releasing the seats to move up and down as well as locking harnesses........it really just depends on the coaster you're on.

As Dustin also stated, E-STOP is generally only used if something major is wrong. This is because there are much better ways to stop the train, i.e. stop dispatching, lift stop, and ride stop. E-stop has to be cleared by maintenance on most of the coasters, which usually means taking longer than necessary to restart. Circulars use the E-stop much more often.

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What are "circulars?"
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SFNE drops its "floor" for 2002! Visit www.geocities.com/sfneguy for info. and pics of SFNE, including the most unique constr. pics of SFNE on the web. Formerly known as srosatsfne.

2hostyl, thats freakin hilarious! I'm ROFLMAO over here!

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Live on the edge and remember the Twist of Fate.

What 2hostyl said is the set up at basically every SF park.

To cross the train the attendant will give the "First Down!" signal, then the operator will see that and give the "I didn't do it!" signal back.

Quite fun, those hand signals are. :)

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"Look for the big black sack of Mofuggin Nuts at your local grocery store". -- Radio ad in FL

What kills me at SFWoA is the pointlessness in what they say. "Front clear, back clear, all clear." OK, so if you aren't actually looking in both places when you say it, what's wrong with "all clear?" Even if you do look first, I don't see the point. If the ride op in front of you can be seen clear and the far op is pushing their enable button, I think it's safe to say that everything is clear.

Anyone want to take a bet that Wicked Twister will have six enable buttons?

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

i know what you mean jeff, but I see some logic in saying load clear, unload clear, and then all clear. (instead of front then back)

for instance on Ninja at SFMM, its kinda hard to see "through" the train to the other end. this way the controls op is letting other ops know what is going on.

but what do i know...maybe they are just overzealous ride ops obeying pointless policy =)

If you've got a set of enable buttons along with the ride, then in theory the ride is CLEAR when the START ENABLE lamp comes on at the control console. That's the theory. Verify with a "Clear!", push the button, and the train goes.

That's the theory. Personally, I think the buttons may cause as many problems as they solve, I know I have more than once seen a platform attendant leaning on an enable button when the ride was most assuredly not ready at that position. Everybody relies on everybody else to not push the button when the train isn't quite ready, so the train ends up going even though something is wrong.

Of course, that happens without buttons, too. I remember watching at a park once while an attendant gave a "Clear!" signal with one hand while assisting with a seat belt with the other. Had one hand inside the train, he did, signalling "clear" with the other.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I have a really funny story about SFNE and the ride-ops there. It was in 2000 and they were having problems w/ the train not even getting out of the station and stopping for no reason. So, after they reset the system they had to test it a couple of times. Apparently one guy wasn't all up on his ride-op lingo. Here's how it went down:

Ride-Op:"Clear"

Ride Attendent:"What???"

R.O.:"Clear!"

R.A.:"What???"

R.O.:"DAVE, PUSH THE BUTTON!!!"

It was hilarious.

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SFNE drops its "floor" for 2002! Visit www.geocities.com/sfneguy for info. and pics of SFNE, including the most unique constr. pics of SFNE on the web. Formerly known as srosatsfne.

Operator Training, The Riverside Way, eh? :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

At Kings Island, only one hand is used for signals. The other is busy holding the phone! :)
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Don't.....look.....back! The Headless Horseman awaits you in 2002!
Model coasters and rides

hand signals i know about...

power tower: open fist- unlock restraints; closed fist - lock restraints.

most rides: thumbs up - ready to be dispatched meaning restricted areas clear, restraints locked, gates locked, everyone behind yellow line...etc

and when the phones broke down and certain phones wouldn't dial out.... jump up and down wave hands around to get attention, then pretend to dial a rotary phone and flash numbers of the phone number needed to be dialed.

also eventually had hand signals for all the rides and all the positions too so that someone coming back from break would know where to go next.

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3rd yr vf!er