Another TTD RollBack question

NO - don't think that. Those brakes are quite reliable and have been around for a long time - during countless shutdowns and they designed enough of them into each system there is enough coverage. The low air alarm is set high enough that if there is low air the ride will shut down early. If you look at their brake sections there is quite a long row of brakes at each location, or mulitle brakes close together. Not to worry.

arms_down said:
Forgotten EE: So you know the train must get moved all the way to transfer and clear launch before it can be switched to auto mode. and then the train can get moved into launch.

I can't remember the exact situations that the ride must be moved back to transfer. I do remember that having to be done for rollbacks. This is especially annoying when the train from load 1 rolls back and all of the trains must be moved back in manual. I also remember all the nights when the ride was run in manual just to avoid that problem when the trains rolled back.

clean up crew said:
I do belive that the breaks are entirely pneumatic. As shown in http://www.pointbuzz.com/Gallery.aspx?i=34 there are two yellow air lines running to the cylinders.

Actually, those yellow lines are electrical wires for the limit switches placed by the brakes. In the first picture below you can see the cam that triggers the switch. The black lines are for air with the exception of the wires that run from the electrical boxes to the electrical room by the holding area.

Limit Switch:
http://www.pointbuzz.com/Gallery.aspx?i=1651
Overall view:
http://www.pointbuzz.com/Gallery.aspx?i=1654
Pressure operated valve with release.
http://www.pointbuzz.com/Gallery.aspx?i=1650

My head!!! lol

Seriously though it's amazing at how complicated Dragster is. It's awsome to find out this kind of info(thanks.....again). I'm soaking it all up like a sponge so I can further bore my friends.:)

Also on each Arrow (and Vekoma's) that uses the older brake systems, each brake segment has a small air tank with a one way check valve on it just in case of a power failure.

There is enough air in the tanks to stop any trains still out on the track and hold others in place.

Usually arrows have a set of safety brakes after the main brakes. Each are more than enough to stop a train. Of course the pneumatics are seperated in many circuits isolated by check valves. If the one develops a leak the others will be fine.

Eventually the brakes will lose pressure. That could take anywhere from a few hours untill the tanks rust through.

ForgottenEE. Top Thrill Dragster can not be ran in manual mode it is impossible to launch a train in that mode.

I wasn't quite clear when I posted. I ment that the trains were moved in manual mode from load 1 to the transfer, switched to Auto Mode. That takes train to the launch position and allowed the host to launch the train. If it rolls back then you don't have the train from load 2 at transfer requiring all 5 trains to be moved. When it makes it over the train from load 2 can be moved ahead to transfer and all 4 of the other trains advanced to the next platform. At that time the trains are loaded and unloaded as well as the launch attempt for the train that is now at launch. When that train makes it over and stops the cycle repeats.

ForgottenEE: Dont take me wrong all I was doing is clearing it up for you. if you think that it took a long time that way have you ever seen it run with 4 trains?

I seen it run with 3 and 4 trains a couple times each back in May '03. I can't remember exactly how it ran.

I do remember that 5 train mode at first would ghost the 6th train in the station. I think it was because of the 6th train not being there that they fixed that. As a result 5 trains became more efficient than 6. If the 6th train had been there at that time, then 6 trains might be still used today.

4 trains you can not clear until the 4th trains has parked in unload 2 and has been unloaded. I have no clue how you could run it with three, that would go to the whole manual/ auto mode switching back and forth. That would be fun.

I'd imagine that it would be the simular as 5 trains back in early May of 2003 but the difference is that the 4th train would be ghosted instead of the 6th. There would be 2 at load and 1 at unload 1. The two at load would move to launch and transfer, the 1 at unload would move to load 1 and load 2 would be empty. Next dispatch load 1 would move to launch and the two other trains would move to load from unload. When the train gets back it would goto unload 1.