Ask RideMan #1 - Magnetic Braking

Consequently, the park added concrete to the top of the trough in the turn after that incident. If you look at it, you can see where the old concrete ends, and the new begins.

I also heard that they re-profiled the SRF drop sometime around when the brakes were added, too. Something about it used to level out quicker/at a sharper angle than it does now, and they raised the pull out a bit and made it more of a gradual "ramp" at the bottom into the water.

The combination of both of those things means that splash is nowhere near as impressive as it used to be. I remember being younger, and that splash went way high in the air, and came crashing down on the boat with a vengeance. Now, it barely reaches the bridge.

Its all good till the magnetic breaks fail that train makes it a long way around with no breaks.

^What?

How would magnets fail? They don't need any electricity and aren't affected by weather. The only failure would have to be a major structural failure, which if that happens there are typically much bigger problems with the park.

Magnetic brakes might not fail, but magnetic breaks need to be fixed.

Or, magnetic breaks are mandatory for minor magnets working over 5 hours?

WolfBobs said:

Didn't see anything else other then an incident on the ride in 2013 in which a boat jumped the track after the drop, but that was blamed on low water level (source: Wikipedia so take it with a grain of internet salt).

Actually, Wikipedia sources http://www.sanduskyregister.com/News/2013/07/03/Snake-River-falls-boat-jumps-the-track.html so the Sandusky Register is the source.

In late August, 2013, Snake River Fall's sister ride, White Water Landing at Dorney Park, closed early for the season. It reopened the next year with the trims installed. (No other modifications are visible.)

I do not understand how adding trims will fix the issue of running the ride with a low water level. The ride has two methods for ensuring adequate water levels. One being a sensor that sets off an alarm (the upper flume also has a sensor), and the second is markings in the sump that the operator is suppose to check on periodically. (In the green, good to go; if it hits yellow, call maintenance; red, stop operations and call maintenance.)

I don't think the trim brakes and low water level are related in any way. The trims would be there regardless. Also, jumping the track is really over stating what happened, I saw it and one of the front guide wheels rose up over the flume and jammed the boat against the flume, stopping it. . Nothing very dramatic at all.

Not as dramatic as, say, Shoot the Rapids (II) sliding backwards down the lift hill, missing the turn and running up on the wall, thus tipping over sideways in the flume...

When Snake River Falls was new, there was apparently a series of minor incidents relating to what the boat did when it hit the water. Apparently there were some changes made to the profile at the base of the drop to smooth that out a bit, and the lap bars were modified to extend them upward. That combination seemed to fix the issues they were having.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Pete said:The trims would be there regardless.

There were no trims on DP's WWL prior to the 2014 season.

Snake River Falls has had the trims for a couple of seasons now, but they seemed stronger this year. So strong, in fact, that as the boat started down the drop the water in the bottom of the boat would slosh back toward the back, then on hitting the trims the water sloshes forward, then as the boat exits the trims it sloshes backward again. Just to make sure your feet are well and truly soaked before you hit the bottom of the drop.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.