What is stacking trains?

See subj.

i used to work at six flags great adventure on medusa, when the trains are stacked it means that there is a train in the station, another train on waiting or transfer brakes, and the third is on the safety brakes. In other words, the trains are innactive all lined up in back of eachother

Exactly. On some coasters, stacking is what you want to happen: Raptor and Mantis at CP can stack in the manner described above, and that's better than having a setup and getting stopped mid-course. Of course, they can all stop mid-course too anyway, but by including a longer brake run manufacturers try to get it so that the ride can be operated on a better interval and won't set up so much.

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Po!nt of View: A different look at Roller Coasters.
http://www.crosswinds.net/~justmayntz/thrills/index.html

...But the reason we bring it up in trip reports and such is because it's bad. If a ride crew is stacking it generally means that they're not loading the trains quickly enough and getting them out on the course. That of course means that your wait is longer. When it's 90+ degrees and you're standing in the sun while only two ride ops are checking restraints and there are two trains in the brake run, one tends to get irritated when you know it doesn't have to be that way.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com

When I worked Canyon Blaster at the Adventuredome if we stacked we were yelled at by managment. Stacking, as told to us, is not something that should happen AT ALL. Only exception is if you have a disabled guest other than that there is no exception!

One reason for this is that the trains come into the ready breaks at a good 35mph. Normal operation meeting interval will not stop the train but simply slow it. When you stack, the breaks close forcing it stop in a quicker and more uncomfortable fashion. You are thrown into the OTSR's! Once you finally get the first train out of the station you can then reset the ready breaks allowing the train to roll into the station. The bad part is that we dont have booster wheels on Canyon Blaster so its speed into the station depends on weight. If it doesnt move fast enough (or you have an unloader messing with the dispatch enable) and the breaks arent clear the first train stops at the top of the lift and you get a BLOCK SET-UP! Major pain in the butt involving a long climb to the top of the lift!

ANYWAYS....
Stacking is esentially avoidable as long as you have a fast crew that isnt playing around, but there are certain situations that do make you miss interval.

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

Thankfully, i have never witnessed this strange phenomenom you speak of.

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"Thank you for challenging the Raging Bull-We hope you enjoy the rest of you're day, here at Six Flags Great America"

RagingBullGuy said:
"Thankfully, i have never witnessed this strange phenomenom you speak of.

Be happy! It seems like every SF park I've been to has perfected the art of stacking trains. It's pretty bad when only 2 trains are on a coaster that can have 3 and they still stack them.

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http://www.bolliger-mabillard.com

A lot of stacking I see is related to one simple problem-the guest themselves. They seem to not have a clue about taking big loose articles on board, or about wearing shoes, shirts, or not wearing hats. The rides that have a seatbelt and a lapbar are the worst though. Since many guests don't put on a seatbelt in their own car, why would they put one on at the amusement park? And Kennywood seems a little confused on the seat belt issue altogether. On Exterminator, they don't make the guests use the seatbelts, but on Phantom's Revenge they do. So, I saw many people who closed the lapbar on PR without putting on the seatbelt. The result is late train dispatches. Understand, I know some ride ops and attendants could also use a little Prozac in their breakfast cereal.

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Batwing-Bow Down

Exterminator's seat belts need to be used for kids under a certain height. What that height is, though, I'm not sure.

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Matt Lynch
Co-Webmaster, Kennywood Boulevard
http://kennywood.coasterbuzz.com

At least we know that S:UE will never stack :)

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Rollercoasters are the secret of life!

http://www.woodencoaster.com

I've experienced train stacking quite a few times on the Beast.
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Talon laps: 171

This Train Stacking, I think about this and i ask can any ride do this or only the ones that have the emergency brake lines?

The worst I've ever seen is on Batman at SFWoA. Here's a ride that has almost the exact same interval and loading style as Raptor, yet they stack three trains, even with a brake run and transfer that huge. Compare to the Raptor crew that, once they find a groove, let each train roll right into the station.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"From the global village... in the age of communication!"

I noticed Mf was pretty horrible at stacking when I went there last year. They stacked it the whole day I was there.

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chill factor

What? Millennium Force doesn't stack. Hell, if they could dispatch sooner, they would. You can't dispatch until the train ahead approaches the brakes because of the blocking.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com

Jeff, you can NOT compare CP's ride-op staff to those at other parks. At CP, they are completely used to the park being FULL, having guests who are knowledgeable about loading/unloading, etc. They MOVE to get those trains in and out of the station, and CP keeps it that way. At SF parks in general, there are not enough people working the coasters to get loading/unloading done quickly and efficiently, and management seems content. Finally, baddboy was right in that stacking should occur basically only when you have a disabled guest - it simply takes longer to load.

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rollergator - intent on improving the "guest experience" - coming soon to a park near you

gatorwoodie said:
"Jeff, you can NOT compare CP's ride-op staff to those at other parks. At CP, they are completely used to the park being FULL, having guests who are knowledgeable about loading/unloading, etc.

Im confused by your statement. So your saying, the reason Six Flags ride ops cant dispatch their trains at an efficient rate is because they are not capable of handling huge crowds. I was at Six Flags Great Adventure and their ride ops were just as good as CP's. SO, maybe its that particular park and/or ride ops?

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Dayuum, Your HOT! *** This post was edited by Coasterr on 7/24/2001. ***

gatorwoodie: Efficient operations is a top-down thing that starts with management. I'm well aware of the conditions at other parks, and in particular the number of people working the platforms. When the few there are lack any haste in getting people loaded, that's a problem.

I can compare whatever I want. What exactly is your point?

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Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com

Millennium Force is stacked ALL THE TIME! well at least the 10 times I've been this year they have been!

FRONT CLEAR BACK CLEAR ALL CLEAR

MF is definately some kind of unique operating machine. No question there.

And for people, they get irratated, it's always hurry hurry, until it's really time for them to hurry, and they switch the defense to a don't hurry me attitude. People taking thier times sitting down, errrr, I know it's annoying, they need audio playing at all times to remind these people to quickly sit, belt, bar. Then in reverse! There's always someone lacing a hat through a seatbelt, too. Especially if there's a line, everybody should be ready to hop on right?

Stacking, I thought that was the proper loading procedure on stand-ups, especially the two B&Ms I've been on.