Think before you ride...

Most of us will go to a park and ride, ride, ride coasters. It's almost funny, yet almost scary thinking about coasters and their properties that give you the ride you get. Confused? Well, take this (these) example. When you ride a coaster, try to think about ALL the things that must go right or work, in order for a train to complete the course. Every bolt, screw, nut, and last metal piece must be fastened. The wheels must be alligned perfectly. The track must have a constant gague (sp), it must be either sturdy and stiff (wood) or smooth and intact (steel). The chain dog and anti-rollback mechanisms must all work together on the lift. All the brakes must work in sync and safely slow the train. If youre on a launched coaster, the mechanism must be worked precisly (Full air on compressed air, full energy on LIM-LSM). On a LIM-LSM, the motors must fire at exactly the same time with the required amount of energy. On a standard, the lift motor must be working perfectly in order to get you to the top. All sensors must work and locate each train.I won't even go into the whole chapter about computers and wires working and being intact, but they're among the most important out there. So, I'm just telling you, think before you ride. Not as a matter of safety or condition, but more as a matter of Machinery. It's quite amazing at how it all works, and I'm sure you'll have a different perspective before, when and after you ride. 
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How much more floorless can they get?

*** This post was edited by GreatAdventureAddict on 2/10/2002. ***

That is why parks have mechanics, electricians, and carpenters.  I don't question my safety at SFOG.  ;)

Geez, Matt..I guess you're out of ideas for topics?  LOL!
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-Kyle Brylczyk
SAVE INVADER ZIM!

Kyle, I would'nt talk.
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How much more floorless can they get?

This is exactly the reason I think that it would be a great career to design and engineer rides and coasters.

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Sept. 11th 2001, Slayer released God Hates Us All. The song "Disciple" uncannily describes the events of that day, as well as the anthrax letters that followed.
--Slayer: Thrash band, or the next Nostradamus?

And just think......people like ME operate these heavy machineries! HAHAHAHAHAHA.  But seriously, you're right, there is SO much that goes into even the simplest of coasters that 99% of people will never pay attention to and not have an appreciation for.

The reason I go to parks is to have fun, not to think. Just to have fun. When I'm at home and I'm bored, I think about the mechanics of rides and stuff, but at a park, I don't analyze coasters, I just ride them.

On the other hand, we've seen more than once a coaster abandoned before 10-20 years require being burned before its lifthill could be knocked over by a bulldozer.

There's a reasonably large safety margin built into these things, as well. Usually a minimum or 2x-3x overbuilt, sometimes more than 10x in places. I could probably knock 50% of the supports off a coaster, at random, and it would still make it around, or fail safely.

I think about the same thing (even with airplanes and cars) One loose rivet, nutplate or screw could mean disaster.  I thought I was the only only who pondered about such things. 

You post all this below as a warning to the safety of coasters?   Just wondering and if that is the case dose your car get inspected everyday?  Do your home steps to the basement or second floor get inspected? ECT.

Chuck, saying driving two blocks to any store is probably 1000 more times more dangerous than most coasters out there.

GreatAdventureAddict said:
Most of us will go to a park and ride, ride, ride coasters. It's almost funny, yet almost scary thinking about coasters and their properties that give you the ride you get. Confused? Well, take this (these) example. When you ride a coaster, try to think about ALL the things that must go right or work, in order for a train to complete the course. Every bolt, screw, nut, and last metal piece must be fastened. The wheels must be alligned perfectly. The track must have a constant gague (sp), it must be either sturdy and stiff (wood) or smooth and intact (steel). The chain dog and anti-rollback mechanisms must all work together on the lift. All the brakes must work in sync and safely slow the train. If youre on a launched coaster, the mechanism must be worked precisly (Full air on compressed air, full energy on LIM-LSM). On a LIM-LSM, the motors must fire at exactly the same time with the required amount of energy. On a standard, the lift motor must be working perfectly in order to get you to the top. All sensors must work and locate each train.I won't even go into the whole chapter about computers and wires working and being intact, but they're among the most important out there. So, I'm just telling you, think before you ride. Not as a matter of safety or condition, but more as a matter of Machinery. It's quite amazing at how it all works, and I'm sure you'll have a different perspective before, when and after you ride. 
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How much more floorless can they get?

*** This post was edited by GreatAdventureAddict on 2/10/2002. ***

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Charles Nungester
Park Jockey :)

I always do that and scare myself a bit but im always fine. But try doing that and being 300ft up on a drop tower ride,not so fun. I was PowerTower at cedarpoint and thiking of what could happen and it kmade the ride seem alot scaryer. Also on a flyer coaster! when i first rode Batwing all i couldent stop thiking of was all of my weight going into the restarinets and me flying out the car!,but then again thiking those types of thoughts is part of the exspearance.

I try not to think it hurts my brain! Seriously I think about those things too, but if you think about it too much you are going to scare yourself. I am flying to Tulsa at the end of this month, to meet my girlfriend (soon to be fiance) dad. I am not worrying about hey there might be some radical terrorist on here. Because life is too short to worry about little things. I am more worried about her dad , but that is a different story.
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Of course that's just my opinion I could be wrong~Dennis Miller

I must be really weird! The fascination with the parts involved are what made me more interested in coasters and flats! I was terrified of coasters for years, and slowly got used to the fear (which I now enjoy as part of the anticipation and on-ride thrill), but as a self-confessed geek, I was actually stunned when I found out that the fist generation Intamin freefalls used over 156 different safety points to make sure that it's running smoothly. As strange as it may sound, I feel safer knowing that there is so much involved in the running of the ride (and why it shuts down as often as it does).

SFGAdv is my home park, so I had more opportunities to check out the vastly different ideas for rides. I remember being absolutely enamored by Batman:the Ride when it first opened up and looking at how the shock absorbers were hidden in the cars above during the chain lift up. Medusa's bizarre floor mechanism was interesting to see (and the exacting requirements of the ride's sensors and motors to get the car in the right spot).

In fact, here's a bit of trivia I noticed when I was waiting on line the first few times for Medusa: After the diving loop (going into the zero-g roll), did you know that the track never straightens out along the ground? It's a very gentle twist that straightens out as it goes up into the roll.

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MisterX said:
That is why parks have mechanics, electricians, and carpenters.  I don't question my safety at SFOG. 

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I agree there are so many back up's and redundcies and fail safe's. I think the only park I really do think about my safty while riding rides would be Cedar Point ;).

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- VertiCord Crew 2001
http://www.lagoonpark.com
http://www.jetstar2.8m.com --- A Must See!

thrillfan, just so you know, there is a delete post checkbox in the edit selection. And about the 1st-gen freefalls, even with those, there was an accident on one, a fairly serious one. On the Edge at SFGAm, a car fell down the shaft and trapped (but never killed) a few people. So, even with all of those saftey measures, accidents happen.

But really, if you worry about it, you better just stay home and never go anywhere, or you might get hurt. Then again, your house might colapse on top of you.

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I have no signature.

I find it interesting how everything works and keeps everything going at once to make it in and out of the station safetly each time. I also find it funny that i work at a park and send these trains in and out of the station knowing things about the ride that maintence tells us and things that we know have gone wrong before and also how we check things and send everything off and if people knew what the employees of the parks did or knew about the rides and actually took into consideration that they are putting there lives in the hands of mostly 16 17 18 and 19 years olds many people would think twice about riding. but most people don't bother to take the time out to think of those things and you shouldn't because most people think about fun and thats what a coaster is it is fun, it is an adventure, not knowing if you are going to be on the train that malfunctions and gets stuck is all part of the thrill of the ride. Thats why rides are scary because really never know what is going to happen when you get buckled into the restraints.  but enough of serious talk just go out ride and have fun

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TrBiggar said:
thrillfan, just so you know, there is a delete post checkbox in the edit selection. And about the 1st-gen freefalls, even with those, there was an accident on one, a fairly serious one. On the Edge at SFGAm, a car fell down the shaft and trapped (but never killed) a few people. So, even with all of those saftey measures, accidents happen.

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I was wondering how to delete posts. Thanks. :)
Accidents happen and failures happen all the time, so it doesn't surprise me that a serious accident happened, but I also realize that the sheer number of people who have ridden all of the different units safely makes me feel much better about these things.

Gonzo,

why think about safety at Cedar Point and nowhere else?

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** 42 **

I beleive that was a joke

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Anthony Clauser

While I'm obviously a technofreak, I ride coasters so that my brain can stop thinking for about 2 minutes and go into primal mode.