Power Outage

I was thinking back how each coaster at the park stops when there is a power outage. Many coasters stop on the lift hill and either have an staircase up to that point or some kind of cart. TTD will only rollback if there's no power during the launch, other than that there's no other mechanical things in use throughout the ride course. MF has a generator that powers the lift system so it prevents unloading so high up. My question is, how does WT react to a power outage? If the brakes stop the train how does it park back in the station since the LIMS normally do this. Any rideops know what happens.
*** Edited 1/26/2005 1:04:43 PM UTC by Gomez***

My guess is it would just keep going back and forth until it ran out of energy to go anywhere.

I have seen a train stuck in the launch area that was moved back to the station by maintenance people pulling it back using a big harness attached to the train. The train was empty.

My guess is they would let the riders off, they probably have some platform to put under the train, and then manually pull it back.

The guests would never be let off anywhere but at the station, if at all possible. When the train got pulled manually, the guests would always stay in until it got back to the station.

Wouldn't they unload the guests into the low zones before dragging the train back using physical force? Also, doesn't Wicked Twister have a back-up generator like Millennium Force that would kick on allowing the train to be brought back?

Correct me if I am wrong guys, but I believe that if the power ges out the brakes will automatically go into the lock position and then maitenance gets it so that the people can get off. Like I said correct me if I am wrong.

The launch area is pretty far up there. I'd guess 15 feet or more. That's a lot when you have to get 32 people down it. Many of them aren't in the physical shape to climb down a ladder even with help.

My guess:
If the power goes out, the brakes all close, and bring the train to a stop. If the train was traveling up the spake farthest away from the station, it would probably stop somewhere on the launch track before the station. If it was on the other spike, it would probably stop past the station too (imagine slamming into breaks at 60mph and getting stopped where the station is; seems like an awful hard stop)

From there I would htink that they would come out and unload the train in the sand or concrete or whatever is under the launch track (i've only rode WT once). That or they will somehow get the train back into the station, and unload.

Why are you even still speculating? I guy on the crew just posted that they bring the train back manually into the station. There's no way they're going to risk people getting hurt unloading them ten feet off the ground.

I figured they'd just let the people wait until the power comes back, I mean, how long can it possibly take for the power to come back.

They must not remember the summer before last when the whole east coast all the way back to OH and MI, we were out here for at least six hours, I know there were areas of Detroit out for over 24 hours...

JuggaLotus said:
I figured they'd just let the people wait until the power comes back, I mean, how long can it possibly take for the power to come back.

They probably would wait a few minutes. No use in pulling the train back into the station if the power is only going to be out for a couple minutes.

Jeff said:
Why are you even still speculating? I guy on the crew just posted that they bring the train back manually into the station.

Because it's the offseason and they have nothing else to do.

Speak for yourself... I've got plenty to do.

I was on WT once and the power went out. We launched, went up the twist, started to come backdown and then it just stopped outside of the station over the sandy part. We waited for about 20 minutes while maintanence got a ladder and unlocked all the breaks and pulled us back into the station manually, and then they let us out of the harnesses. I got a ride again out of it though!

Working on Steel Venom in 2004, I am very familiar with how an Impulse would act in a power outage. Basically, the ride would stop somewhere in the LIM run, as the brakes would come down when the power is lost.

One of the only nice things about GL's Steel Venom compared to Wicked Twister is much of SV's LIM run has a raised concrete platform below it. That would make a walk-down from the brakes possible, though I have yet to hear of a walk-down from an impulse.

-Sam

Chasity Buehrer said:
They must not remember the summer before last when the whole east coast all the way back to OH and MI, we were out here for at least six hours, I know there were areas of Detroit out for over 24 hours...

I live near Detroit and it was out for almost 36 hours. It also had to be on the hottest most humid week of the whole year too.

Jeff, notice how I said they. I've got plenty to do.

What happens when trains hit electromagnetic breaks do they keep going or stop?

I would hope they stop, since they're brakes.

The brakes are meant to stop the vehicle even in the event of a power loss and technically (Dave back me up on this) TTD and MF do not use "Electro" magnetic brakes, however they are magnetic brakes. There are magnets on each car, and copper fins on the track. The fins interfere with the magnetic fields causing a loss of velocity by the train. Bringing the train ALMOST to a complete stop. The last 1 or 2 mph is handled by traditional braking or a tire which will hold and advance the train.