Vekoma SLC/Invertigo question

I have noticed that just about every Vekoma inverted coaster (SLCs & Inveritgos) have trains with an additional, seemingly-unused wheel assembly behind the "last" car.

Now, it is my understanding that Vekoma inverted vehicles are a lot like B&M inverted vehicles, featuring 4 road wheels (two on each side) that support the weight of each "car". In other words, the vehicles are not like Arrow/Vekoma looping coaster cars, where the rear wheels on each car support the front of the next car (trailered vehicles). In other words, the road wheels on each "car" are for that car only, and have nothing to do with the next one. So, as I see it, that unused wheel assembly is not needed.

It is my understanding that, when Vekoma SLCs first came around in 1994 and 1995, it was determined that the last car was too rough for riders and was removed, leaving an unused wheel assembly trailing behind the train. With Vekoma newer SLCs having become smoother (from what I hear), and Invertigos being fairly smooth to begin with, I am curious as to why these wheel assemblies still exist. If the back seats are still too rough, why not eliminate the assembly and save save money? Or install the seats on the newer rides and increase capacity?

If you are trying to visualize what I am talking about, I am providing two links which illustrate this quite well:

http://www.joyrides.com/sfa/full/two_face3.htm

http://www.rcdb.com/installationgallery163.htm?Picture=4

Rob although I can't provide a detailed answer, the simple one is the last "Car" functions just like a "zero car" on a B&M train. http://www.coastergallery.com/2000/IOA21.html They are needed to tie the train together. (Some SLCs have gone between 7 and 10 cars, but this phantom last car does not have to do with roughness) Arrow often uses the same tactic on their big loopers, placing their car on the back like a Vekoma SLC. http://www.coastergallery.com/1999/SFGA21.html .

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- Peabody

*** This post was edited by Peabody on 3/5/2002. ***

its been talked about before on here before... its the "zero car"

On the invertigos, I can see where it would be there for the "Catch" on the first spike pull backwards. It IS a zero car, but what purpose DOES it serve?

Especially being in the back. I though the zero car was supposed to be in the front of the train. With the Arrow's, their trains are trailered, so they'll ALWAYS have a set of wheels behind the last car, but those wheels are basically the wheels holding up the back car. I don't know if you could call this a "zero" car. How many B&M inverts have a zero car, other than Alpengeist, I can't think of any.

-Josh

Its just like a leading and trailing trucks on a steam locomotive. Not the big driving wheels which are rigid. But the small wheels in front and behind the large driving wheel. These wheels help the locomotive or in the coaster sense the train follow the curves and track better and smoother.

oo OOOO oo That is the wheel setup up a 4-8-4 locomotive. The small wheels (lower case o's) allow the Driving wheels (Capital O's) to follow the track.

Amazing how everything I love deals with tracks, coasters, racing, and railroads.

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Does CCI know how to make a bad coaster?

MagnumForce said:

These wheels help the locomotive or in the coaster sense the train follow the curves and track better and smoother.
Didn't help the SLCs! (OK, I'll stop there. I'm only ripping on Vekoma once a day for lent :) )
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- Peabody

LOL Sure it does Peabody, just imagine how awful it would be without them.

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Does CCI know how to make a bad coaster?

talking of SLC's, construction has advanced on the 200ft tall SLC at skegness in england. there are lots of pictures floating around the internet, but i have put the best 2 of the loop together on one page for you.

http://www.angelfire.com/extreme3/b_and_m/fi.htm

the page does look rubbish, but that is because it was made in 10 seconds!

All of the B&M coasters have a zero car. It's just that on most of their inverted coasters, there is a set of seats hanging from that car.

I forget who pointed it out...but if you watch, say, Raptor for instance, as it pulls over the first drop you will see that the distance between rows varies as the train goes through the top of the first drop...EXCEPT at the front of the train. The distance between the first row and the second row remains constant because those two rows are attached to the same car.

Vekoma simply built their inverted coaster chassis in the same manner as their standard "1200" looping coaster chassis, then they suspended the seats from the axles instead of from the chassis beams. The result is that the train configuration is pretty much identical to what we see on the "1200" coasters, and that means an additional single-axis trailing axle at the back end of the train.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Rideman, why are the Vekoma trains called "1200"?

- Peabody....struggling to not make a crack about it being related to MGs of Asprin you need after riding.

*** This post was edited by Peabody on 3/5/2002. ***

Yes, it's a zero car. Now why do you need a zero car? Think of each car as being like a trailer. The tongue of each trailer is supported by the wheels of the car ahead. Of course when we get to the front (or it can be the back) of the train we need something to support the tongue of the first car. The zero car is just a set of wheels that do this. It's a little less obvious on other makes than on Vekoma inverteds since the Vekomas have the seats directly under the wheels rather than under/over the beam portion.

For the same reason that the Roller Skater system is called "700"...it refers to the approximate track gauge in millimeters. :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Gotcha! Thanks, Dave.

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- Peabody

Wow, Dave... your answer completely changes what I thought about B&M inverted vehicles (and proves me just about completely wrong.) Thanks for the explanation!