Stealth Re-design

When Stealth was originally built, I heard that during the first few tests the train was not able to make it through the circuit. Apparently, Vekoma came in and modified the ride so that the train could complete the ride. If this is true, what did Vekoma do to change the ride?

Don't know about your question, but I thought when I read the title that you were asking about re-profiling the supports to match its location at Carowinds. I'm not familiar with either park, so will the supports have to be modified to deal with elevation differences or are both the past and future locations for the ride virtually flat?

Well i cant answer the first question but mantis man i can answer yours. Ya ever notice how some footers are taller than others.........well thats what happen at Paramount's Carowinds. The supports themselves didnt change, however the concrete footers are different sizes. Some smaller but most taller due to the coaster flying over the water. And both spaces were relatively flat but i think the terrain at PC is a little less flat than the plot at PGA.

If you look at this link http://www.carowinds.com/i/assets/PHOTO_2.JPG you can clearly see the difference in how the footers vary.....from being one foot high to even what looks to me about 10 feet.

Oh yeah this pic is kinda out dated being that half, if not more than half, of the coaster is already vertical!! *** Edited 1/8/2004 9:16:09 PM UTC by coasterbruh***

The same is true with Batwing.

If you look at the section of track just after you exit the horseshoe & begin the flip before the curve into the loop you'll notice that the supports sit close to a ravine...thus the footers on that side are much bigger than those just after the flip itself just before you actually hit the loop.

Most production models are designed for flat land; the footers compensate if the land can't. Look at any SLC, or at Batwing/X-Flight. Or any boomerang.

Look at the supports and footers on Intamin's SFDL and SFA's Superman rides too.

Not that any of that has to do with the original question. I'm clueless on that one. But supposedly they're making more train changes for Carowinds, which I'm kinda curious about...

I don't recall hearing of any problems related to trains not making the circuit when Stealth was testing. The majority of the problems were centered on the load/unload proceedure and their attempt to get the trains to recline while rising up the lift.

mOOSH

The variations in footer height have nothing to do with anything other than the varying terrain made to fit the same ride.

I'm with Mamoosh in that I don't recall hearing about problems with the trains not completing the circuit. Just that they couldn't get the trains to recline on the lift at the time. Which is why Stealth has a different mechanism raising/lowering the rows than X Flight and Batwing; both of which can recline on the lift but hardly or never does.

Actually here's a question, with Stealth moved, will it recline the same way as it did at PGA or will this be changed to the mechanism that X Flight and Batwing have?

Stealth continue to recline in the station at Carrowinds. If you take a look at construction pics of the station, you can see the device that is used to raise and lower the cars.

Yes, they will still recline in the station, this was confirmed at C3. However, we are supposed to be getting heavily refurbished trains with the new wheel assemblies. They also said at C3 that there will be a new loading procedure to speed up capacity. Anyone heard any more about this? Also.... PGA installed a roof over their brake run to prevent riders from sitting face up staring at the sun for 5-10 minutes after their ride. Is carowinds going to do the same?

They will probably use the loading system on XF which lowers the train in the station but automatically raises it as it is entering the station. I have ridden XF once in preseason of 2002 where it reclined on the lift, trully an awesome part of the ride. Too bad the circuit breakers blow almost everytime it does it. *** Edited 1/10/2004 6:57:19 PM UTC by XFlight***

New loading procedure to increase capacity you say? well I wonder just how they intend on doing that.

There's not too much to loading a dutchman...4 peeps to a row,they sit down & wiggle their way into the vest,buckle it & then wait for the attendant to close the lap bar.

That's one thing I hate about those trains,why is it you have to wait for an attendant to push the lap bar for you? all you gotta do is lift up on the leg support with your toes,grab the bar & then push down on it...it would speed things up dramaticaly if you didn't have to wait like that every time.

While it would definitely be an improvement if a new loading procedure was put in place to help capacity, I still wonder whether or not this will come to be. If you take a look at the picture in the link below, you can see the arms that were used to raise and lower the trains in the station.

http://www.carowinds.com/i/assets/PHOTO_4.JPG

Will Carowinds be using the unloading station/platform that the other two Vekoma flyers use? Also, I heard something about there being overweight sensors to determine whether someone is too heavy for the restraints. I wonder how that'll work.

On Batwing & XF's trains they have an entire array of sensors behind each seat(300 per train to be exact)that not only monitor the restraints on the train but most likely passenger weight as well.

Stealth's original trains never had this feature built into them,I found that out while looking at pics in Robert Coker's "Roller coaster" in the review page for the ride.