Awesome Line Speed

If it was you, thanks! Nothing irritates me more than people thinking they're too good to wait in line like the rest of us.

I love the way TTD and WT handle keeping the actual platform organized (only letting in certain amounts of people at a time). Magnum had a bit of a problem with that last time I was there... you couldn't really see what line you were in once you got up there!

But yeah, I'm gonna jump on that bandwagon and say that Raptor is great. It's my favorite ride, partly because the line never feels longer than 15 minutes (even if it is) just because it's always moving.

The only other park I visit regularly is SF Darien Lake, and their line speed sucks. The usually don't even have long lines and they still suck!

I also noticed Raptor in particular was awesome when I was at the park. Out of all the ride ops they seemed like the most fun and really seemed to be enjoying themselves; I love to see that!!!

S2Kster said:
I don't think people give the Dragster crew enough credit.

I totally agree. I haven't been yet this year, but last year they were really hustling. Considering the volume of riders and the mechanical challenges they face, I think that the crew does a great job of keeping the line moving.

Raptor always seems to have a great crew while every other ride in the park can vary from year to year. Let's think about why the consistancy on Raptor. I'm not trying to take any credit away from the crew (although I *have* seen better Raptor crews, this year's crew is still great), but there *has* to be a reason Raptor is always consistant.

First, look at how idiot-proof the loading is. Raptor's air gates line up perfectly with the rows of seats. Nobody gets confused.

Second, look at how easy the trains are to get in and out of. There's LOTS of room in each row and there's really no size question. Either the belt buckles or it doesn't. The extra room also makes it a whole heck of a lot easier for the ops to check restraints.

Timing. Considering the idiot-proof nature of the loading (YES, I know there are people who seem to be idiot-proof-proof) and the length of the interval it's rare that, even with a idiot-proof-proof guest on the platform, the train waiting outside the station is there for more than just a few seconds.

IMO, much of the reason behind the quickness of the Raptor crew is simply GOOD DESIGN of the ride and the platform. Now, let's look at some examples of good platform design and bad platform design.

Good:
* Raptor
* Wicked Twister
* Mean Streak
* Iron Dragon

Bad:
* Magnum
* Blue Streak (thanks to the redesign)
* Corkscrew
* CCMR
* Gemini (again, thanks to redesign)
* Disaster Transport
* Just about everything else

If any crew at Cedar Point should be commended for speed it should be Magnum's crew. The crew (even on their bad years) manages to keep things moving amazingly well even with the absolutely retarded design of the platform. Co-dispatch buttons behind pillars, "safety zones" where the crew member can't even see the train without being a contortionist, and queue rails that don't line up are not condusive to quick loading and dispatch.

Why does the Magnum crew hustle like they do then, you ask? Set ups. Nobody wants to be the guy that took too long to do their job and made the other two trains stack. Why's that so bad? Well, when a train hits the safety brakes(just down track of the last tunnel, near the bottom of the lift) and the train at the transfer track hasn't moved into the station the ride "sets up" and somebody has to physically run out to the safety brakes to reset it.

Now, let's compare this to Raptor:

Raptor:
* Well designed station
* Idiot-proof loading
* Good timing
* Long brake run

Magnum:
* Poorly designed station
* Non-idiot friendly loading
* Set ups
* Pillars

Yet, Magnum runs at about the same capacity as Raptor... who's the better crew?

Raptor is an easy ride to load, no question about that (as long as the crew members have tough shins). The floorless coasters are equally easy to load, as are the B&M speed coasters (Nitro) and loopers (Wildfire) that have floors flush with the station. Having the crew members able to get in front of each seat and tug on the belt and restraint is a big deal.

All of the B&Ms that I've seen seem to be quite easy to load (aside from the stand-ups). I haven't, however, seen a dive machine in person. Does the extra-wide train make it more difficult to get to the inner seats to check restraints?

It amazes me that even the flyers are simple to load. It's really no different than an inverted assuming everyone sticks their ankles inside of the ankle restraints instead of on top of them.