Ask RideMan #5 - Restraints

I remember the buzz bars, but can't remember if they were there after Raptor was built.

They were. Blue Streak got the current loading setup, fin brakes, and the computer in 1994; the seats and lap bars didn't get changed out until 1996 or 1997...the year Mantis:TCFKAB opened.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

That now rings a bell in mind. One thing I forgot to mention how the setup was, that there was the brake person moving the big stick to apply the brakes. Rideman if I am thinking right BS had skid brakes?

With regards to MaXair, I worked the ride back in 2010 and yes, each seat lit up individually. The green lights on our control board corresponded with the green lights under the number on-board the ride. If one was still red/not lit up, the ride would not budge.

We also had the ability to open all restraints, or the load/unload hosts were able to open specific sections at a time around the platform. It sucked having to do that for someone who needed to get off/had a stupid camera or phone in their hand, as you had to then recheck the entire section.

We got a real good workout that summer. Those restraints are really heavy, and if you didn't have a full gondola, there were a lot of restraints to push down.

Sparty-
How many seats are in a "section" on maXair? For that matter, how many seats total?

RideMan-
You should add "ANKAR" (and no known as Rougarou) to Mantis:TCFKAB. That'll really mess people up!

After going to Six Flags over Texas (which was fun, but nothing compared to CP in multiple ways) over New Years, there was one interesting bit about Runaway Mine Train and Judge Roy Scream. They are still using the skid brakes on both! And from the looks of Youtube POVs other wood coasters (like Kennywood's Thunderbolt) do too. Why did CP (and maybe CF as a whole) remove them? Blue Streak's final brake is so abrupt compared to Judge Roy. Also, since I am too young to know, did Mine Ride ever have skid brakes?

Yes, Mine Ride had skid brakes when built. The skid brakes were different than typically found on wooden coasters in that they were multiple individual units, about the length of the present day fin brakes.

Although I have no way of knowing the official reason CP replaced the skid brakes on Mine Ride and Blue Streak, it is presumably for better braking performance, especially when wet. Same reason cars now have disk brakes with calipers (translates to fin brakes on a coaster) instead of drum brakes (translates to skid brakes on a coaster).

Shane - There are 50 seats total on MaXair. Load side checked 26-50 and Unload side checked 1-25. After checking belts and restraints we'd then do a visual on the other half on the way back around. And I'm sure you all know, but give those kids a break and remember your number! They give it to you for a reason.

As far as the section releases, there are four boxes located around the platform. So doing the quick math it's 12 or 13 seats per section.

As a quick note, we got to be so good during the season that we were regularly hitting 13 intervals an hour, and were so close to 14 on several occasions (For reference, 15 was a perfect hour of capacity). The problem on one hour was we had one person on our last cycle with a camera in their hands and we couldn't send it without them putting their camera away. Talk about frustrating... I believe that summer we had the record for guests on MaXair at over 850,000 beating 2005 by over 10,000 guests.

There are actually five restraint release knob switches on the platform. Two are at the same location. Each can manually release and lock a separate group of 10 seats.

^Thank you! I knew that didn't sound right.

KHTOExtreme said:
That now rings a bell in mind.

In that case you'd better release the train from load. Ready or not, when the bell rings it needs to move; stop it on the lift if you have to.

...One thing I forgot to mention how the setup was, that there was the brake person moving the big stick to apply the brakes. Rideman if I am thinking right BS had skid brakes?

As others have noted, yes it did. The transfer table was in the middle of the station and the brake handles were at either end on what is now the load side.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

RideMan said:

KHTOExtreme said:
That now rings a bell in mind.

In that case you'd better release the train from load. Ready or not, when the bell rings it needs to move; stop it on the lift if you have to.

Wait what? Can you explain that?

There was a signal bell that rang in the station when a train entered the turn around (I believe), and depending upon weather conditions and a couple of other factors you had about ninety seconds to dispatch the train in the station, as there was only one brake. Real old school operation. A lot of guys couldn't take the stress of running it, especially on busy weekends. They either quit or asked for a transfer to a non coaster ride.

Though from what I remember, the skid brakes outside of the station served as a block brake in addition to their trim function. So, there wouldn't be a collision but from what I remember when a train was stopped out there it was not easy to get going again as maintenance came out to reset everything.

In my previously posted Blue Streak video you can hear the bell ring at about the 24 second mark, right before the train starts moving.

You think any of today's crews can load and check an empty train in under 24 seconds?

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Not reliably every time. Guests are two slow today. They have to walk across the train and put their junk in the bin. They can't figure out their seat belts. They think they can wear flip-flops on Raptor. Most of the delays in dispatching are not due to the ride hosts.

And they don't know the difference between two and too.

I guarantee a couple crews I have been on are completely capable of checking a train in 24 seconds. That's granting Ohio would allow us to check a train as its being dispatched too.

But as Altor said, a lot of times, it's not the ride hosts. It's the guests that don't understand the importance of capacity.

I loved how Walt Disney World would tell you to move your arse, but maybe not those exact words. The trains on Seven Dwarves barely stops. Get in, stow your junk, quick check, and you're out.

I wish more parks would follow the way Disney handles dispatching

Call your state legislatures. It really does make a difference.

Seriously, if coaster clubs put together a convincing argument as to why regulations should be changed and everyone in the club contacted the representatives, it doesn't take that many people to get action, than the regulations would be changed.

It'd be really interesting if coaster clubs got their membership together and United for something other than ERT and complaining about free stuff not being as good as prior free stuff.