Why Close Rows on Trains?

Here's a question for ride ops.. I get why you don't run the most trains you have always. But if you're running the trains, why chain off certain cars even when there's lines for the rides. I had a wait of 15 minutes for CCMR today because all of the rows were chained off except two in the back and two in the front. I have a feeling this will be the only time ever I'll have a shorter wait on Maggie than on CCMR. ;)

They like to do that on CCMR. It could be that the ride would be a walk-on without those closed. I think CCMR has rollback problems with nearly empty or unevenly weighted trains.

Yeah. If they had left all the rows open, Capacity would have been more than the demand, thus they would have had to send empty or nearly empty trains. Doing so could end up in a rollback

So they chain off a couple rows so that they can keep the trains weighted.

Okay, does any other rides have that problem because I ran across a couple of rows closed here and their on other rides also.

Corkscrew will do it from time to time.

Gemini as well.

Dragster does it too.

I'm sure others would as well, but they usually have ridership. It's the same kind of idea in the morning on why the Millennium Force crew will leave a train or two full of waterdummies until they start to gather a line

I did run across it with Corkscrew and Gemini but I also ran across it with Magnum at about 2. It was really weird getting walk-ons at that time. *** Edited 5/9/2005 1:25:37 AM UTC by Fastball84***

I could see on Corkscrew and CCMR how it would save time as harneses must be released by hand. If they close rows on those rides and rides like gemini and blue streak, it prevents them from having to waste time doing the seatbelts if the seat was occupied the the last ride cycle, but not this one.

I'd rather wait a couple minutes then have to wait hours for them to pull a train off that rolled back.

Yeah I saw the same for magnum yesterday when I was at the park, they had two cars that were chained off because the lines were so short all day. I couldn't understand why they had 3 trains running for Millennium Force, because that was walk right on as well. The longest I waited for that was 10 minutes. I think they should've used like 2 trains, but either way I was happy to get on like I did.

They close rows when capacity exceeds demand to balance the trains, and so that the rides ops don't constantly have to fasten restraints on empty seats.

This is better than taking off trains as the interval will be shorter, which results in a shorter, less boring wait in the station.

I forget where I heard this, but is it true that the ride ops fill the front seats first on a slow day to add momentum?

yeah thats what i thought would be the best way to do it.

Yes the Mine Ride does have rollback problems. I think part of closing the rows is for the rollback reasons and part is for the fact it creates less work for the ride ops if they have less things to do like if those rows are closed off they will not have to worry about fastening the seatbelts on those seats they will only have to worry about checking the lapbars.

Another ride that does this is Mean Streak early in the day when it is not doing its busy bussiness.

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Cory Marshall
*** Edited 5/23/2005 4:39:36 PM UTC by TTD420atCp***

I was in the Gemini and three rows were closed on each train. People are so stupid, they see those rows empty, unchain the chain, and hop onto the train. A ride op got on the PA and told them to get out and that those rows were closed but they just didn't get it.