Tall wooden roller coasters....when is another one

Dave is absolutely right. I think if SOB had articulated trains, the ride would be much smoother, hence more popular. I think it would be wise for PKI to invest into new trains, considering the other only option would be to dismantle the ride.

Does anyone know, was SOB ever intended to have three train operation? I noticed a brake at what would appear to be a holding position just outside of the station. Could that brake be it's own 'block'?

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Fever

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

What about that loooong stretch of track between the first double helix and the loop? Can that act as a midcourse (block) or no? I'm inclined to think that it could, but I don't have any way to say that positively. If that could be a block, though, there'd be no need for a block outside the station; the ride could run three trains as is.

As others have said, capacity depends on *nothing* other than dispatch intervals. It doesn't depend on the length of the course, and it doesn't depend on how many trains the ride runs (unless, of course, the length of course or lack of trains are causing the dispatch interval to increase - that is, the crew is waiting for a train to clear a block before they can dispatch a train, or they are waiting for a train to return to the station after the one before is dispatched). A 10,000' long ride with seventeen blocks and sixteen trains could very easily have worse capacity than a 3,000' ride with two. A high capacity ride is one where (a) the crew is dispatching completely full, high capacity trains ASAP and (b) as soon as one train leaves the station, another one is available for loading. Things get more complicated when you figure in the capacity of each train, having more than one station, etc but those are the basics. Length of the course has absolutely *nothing* to do with it.

-Nate

I would love to see an Intmin Plug N Play come to CP, the Intamin Era at CP would be really great then, as for location I was thinking along the parking lot on the lake side would be a great place for an Out and Back, only problem being its a little to close to Kinzel's house. Also I think a medium sized S&S/ Aroow around the the white water landing & thunder canyon area would be great use of space, or even sweeter put the station on millenium island and have it head towards the mine ride, that ride has a lot of space around it and a nice open middle.

The coaster at Alton (if it gets built), I think will prove this plug and play and height theory right.

SOB is no Drachen Fire and will not be that easy to pull down, so I hope desperately that they get better trains in the near future.
*** This post was edited by Sharpel007 4/12/2003 5:10:17 PM ***

Dear God,
Could you please give SOB PTC trains??

j/k
but that would suuuuree be nice.

Actually Nate, that long stretch of track looks lower in elevation than the loop. Unless theyt had boosters before entering the loop I don't think it can be used at a block break. (then again I've never rode it) I dunno why it was put there though...

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Krimson n' Kream, Spr 98

The long stretch of track before the loop is the mid-course brake, although it hasn't been on when I've ridden Son of Beast, so I don't know if PKI uses it as a mid-course or not. On RCCA's web site, it says that Son of Beast is capable of running four trains, but normal operation only requires three. I have yet to see Son of Beast run three trains, does anyone know if a third one even exists?

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Intelligence is a God given gift: Know how to use it.

Alton's woodie would only stand around 65 feet tall (thats the tree height). Even if the drop was over 200 feet, it wouldnt have that monster SOB or Colossos feel to it, but thats okay...

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--Dingo 65--
http://rct.ogresnet.com
Forgotten member of Thrillride forums.

There is a rumor that Son of Beast had three trains, but that one of them got rolled off the storage track and busted all to heck before the ride was even fully functional. Two thoughts on that:

Thought One: There is also a rumor that multiple people were seriously injured/killed by The Bat. Though absolutely not true and thoroughly debunked on the Internet and elsewhere, it still persists and if I have to wait in line for Top Gun I will probably hear about it within the next 24 hours.

Thought Two: <photo link>:)

According to RCCA, Son of Beast was built to operate three trains, with provisions for adding a fourth. There is a brake in the station, a brake immediately downtrack of the station, the lift, the mid-course block brake just before the loop, a safety brake just uptrack of the transfer table, and the transfer table itself...potentially six blocking points, though the one immediately downtrack of the station is really too close to the station to use for classic blocking. Still five blocking points is theoretically enough to run four trains. It's worth noting, though, that Kings Island uses a more conservative standard for train blocking which generally prohibits trains from occupying adjacent blocks (enforced with at least one brake between blocks), so the present blocking on Son of Beast is really only sufficient for three trains using Paramount blocking rules. Cedar Point blocking rules would allow the fourth train. :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Ahhh, that is illuminating, Dave. Didn't realize it was actually PKI rules that restricted the number of trains for ALL those blocks...;)

Anywho, this is about TALL wooden coasters. As I've stated before, go to a more traditional O-n-B layout, and the extra height won't pose NEARLY the problems it has created on Sonny. Twisters in general take more maintenace, and when the trains scream through the twisted layout at 80 mph...there's going to be a TON of wear-and-tear on track, train, and rider. I won't go through the ENTIRE argument here, I've covered it several times before....(I'm *wordy*, hehe)...

Shivering Timers or Phoenix at 200' tall, sure it would (will?) be an AWESOME ride, but I don't foresee it requiring the effort and expenditure to maintain that Sonny has....and I am one of those that *likes* Sonny....at least more recently I do...;).
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Guaranteed humorous or your money back...
Raising the level of discourse one fart joke at a time...

I know for a fact that I have seen the SoB running three trains. Recently they have not, in fact there is only one running (the other is getting new restraints installed), and that really slows down the line. As for how rough it is, I found that this past Friday SoB was running a heck of a lot smoother than it's dad. I have in fact changed my mind on which I like the best, because ole' pop's breaks are on full force halfway through the ride, practically ruining it.

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Beware, you may lose your glasses to THE BEAST!
Wooden-The Beast
Steel-Millenium Force
Inverted-Nemisis
Thrill Ride-Tomb Raider: The Ride

Um.. I rode it last August and SOB rain 3 trains.

I may be crazy, but, I was at PKI in early August and I only SAW two trains anywhere on the ride. Can anyone definitely say that they run three trains this past season?

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Fever

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

I'm still waiting for CP to make their move.

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YOUNGSTOWN 2010

THEY DID!!GOD SOB RAN 3 TRAINS.

Regarding the brakes before the loop: the train can be stopped there and make it through the loop, and yes, there are tire boosters before the loop, but the ride does *not* need them to make it through the loop.

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A day is a drop of water in the ocean of eternity. A week is seven drops.

O wow, talk about getting off topic. This has turned into a SOB post.

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"You know its a good ride when you come into the final break run wiping tears from your eyes"-me

That's understandable, as Son of Beast is the tallest wood coaster out there at the moment.

A correction...I had a couple of the blocks switched in my description above. Sonny's transfer table actually comes before the last possible block brake. In operation, the train stops on the transfer table, then cruises down to the station.

Considering I hadn't even seen the ride in about six months, I don't think I did too badly... :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

SOB block (midcourse) brake was on when I visited the park last August but it wasn't very noticeable. I think they barely turned it on.

The Intamin woodies I want are out & back focused on airtime. A 250 foot out & back airtime machine (Intamin) would run a lot better than SOB in any case. I hope Alton Towers gets that woodie approved and build it. The more giant Intamins that get built the better the chances of seeing one in the USA.

If I had $70-100 million in my pocket right now than the chances of seeing an Intamin hyperwoodie in the USA would be 100%!! The woodie would cost $35-50 million, land between $10 and 30 million, and I would pop $15 million or more into a very stable mutual fund account to pay my employees no less than $18 an hour with fully paid benifits (extremely generious fully paid medical, dental, vision and life insurace and 12 paid holidays, 2-6 weeks vacation, one week sick days, SEP and 401k plan with matching). Employees would pay nothing out of their pocket!! My giant woodie would be in FL, AZ or any place the climate would let me operated it year round. If I could win a Powerball cash option jackpot of $100 million or more this HUGE woodie would definately get built! It's my lifelone dream.

In the meantime I hope a USA megapark especially some of the rumored new parks in Phoenix, Butt, MT (yet Butt, MT is trying to become a Branson, MO with plans for 10 casinos, 40 theaters averaging 1500 seats ea. with a total of 60,000 seats, 3 golf course and a 1600 acre theme park!), Nashville, and the rumored SF FL near Titusville, FL. A new park is the best bet for the Intamin hyperwoodie because they are not landlocked or used up their resources (ie:land and better planning). If Titan Thrills gets their park up and running in Phoenix that would be the most likely place for my giant Intamin woodie. The president of that company agrees with me that for breaking records a woodie is the way to go! :-)
*** This post was edited by Pink Floyd Fanatic 4/14/2003 1:03:17 AM ***
*** This post was edited by Pink Floyd Fanatic 4/14/2003 1:15:46 AM ***