Block Brakes
I have a question about block brakes. I understand their purpose and everything but I don't understand why they need to act as trims. Can't they just let trains go right by them without slowing them down? Some days they grab, some days (mostly never) they don't. Who decides, "okay, MS block brakes are going to grab really hard today and Raptor's are gonna grab a tad, and Mantis' aren't gonna grab today." ? :) You get the idea. :)
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aIrtIme'S oVeRrAtEd...
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aIrtIme'S oVeRrAtEd...
I don't know all of the details...
But on Raptor and Mantis at least, and I think Mean Streak as well, at least at the mid-course, there are prox switches that monitor the train's progres through the brakes and adjust the braking according to the vehicle speed, so that the train speed should be reasonably constant coming out of the brakes.
But there is more to it than that. I have been told that the trimming program on Mean Streak takes into account the train's speed coming into the brakes, the air temperature, and the wind speed and direction as well. So there is some kind of mysterious formula used for figuring out how much the ride will be trimmed.
On Magnum, the trim brakes don't have any associated hardware. There are some calipers there, with air lines feeding them. No switches, no relays, no nothing. I don't know if the braking pressure is determined by the PLC or by an operator with a regulator knob. I do know that on consecutive rides you can get different degrees of braking on Magnum, and it does vary with wind speed and direction. But then, the trims on Magnum are just that; they are not block brakes.
On Gemini, I believe it is more like the old system on Mine Ride, where the brakes are set for block-stop, trim, or off. I can tell you from experience that the trims on the block brake make very little difference in the ride from there to the helix, but they make a *huge* difference in the ride through the helix. Gemini has run a lot in recent years with the trims off in an effort to make sure it completes the circuit.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
But on Raptor and Mantis at least, and I think Mean Streak as well, at least at the mid-course, there are prox switches that monitor the train's progres through the brakes and adjust the braking according to the vehicle speed, so that the train speed should be reasonably constant coming out of the brakes.
But there is more to it than that. I have been told that the trimming program on Mean Streak takes into account the train's speed coming into the brakes, the air temperature, and the wind speed and direction as well. So there is some kind of mysterious formula used for figuring out how much the ride will be trimmed.
On Magnum, the trim brakes don't have any associated hardware. There are some calipers there, with air lines feeding them. No switches, no relays, no nothing. I don't know if the braking pressure is determined by the PLC or by an operator with a regulator knob. I do know that on consecutive rides you can get different degrees of braking on Magnum, and it does vary with wind speed and direction. But then, the trims on Magnum are just that; they are not block brakes.
On Gemini, I believe it is more like the old system on Mine Ride, where the brakes are set for block-stop, trim, or off. I can tell you from experience that the trims on the block brake make very little difference in the ride from there to the helix, but they make a *huge* difference in the ride through the helix. Gemini has run a lot in recent years with the trims off in an effort to make sure it completes the circuit.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
Wildcat's block brakes have to be set every morning. You can sometimes see them doing this if you get there early enough.
I have noticed that DT's trains have actually been speeding up when they reach the blocks. How do DT's brakes work?
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Dispatch Master, This is Transport one! I'm losing control, I'm losing control!
I have noticed that DT's trains have actually been speeding up when they reach the blocks. How do DT's brakes work?
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Dispatch Master, This is Transport one! I'm losing control, I'm losing control!
A funny thing happened to me last year on Gemini regarding the trim brakes. The three sets of trims; the one right after the beam, and the one right before the helix at the end, and the ones right after the helix before you enter the station. All these must have been monitoring where the trains were. Because when the trins arrived at each of the trims the slower of the trains had no trims and the faster train had trims. This was on all three trims and only for that one night I was there last year. I rode alot of times that night because these trims enabled the trains to stay real close together thus keeping the hand smacking tradition alive. I wish they ran it that way again. But they have not.
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Raptor Flights: 35
Force Rides: 19
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Raptor Flights: 35
Force Rides: 19
There was a post a long time ago about Disaster Transports brakes. I'm not sure if I'm right about this, but, apparently the brakes are not brakes at all. Instead, they are running wheels that monitor the speed of the train. The wheels will speed up the train if it is going too slow and they will slow down the train if it is going to fast. Again, I'm not sure if I'm right about this, can anyone help me out?
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...and enjoy the rest of your day at Cedar Point, The Am-aaaa-zement park!
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...and enjoy the rest of your day at Cedar Point, The Am-aaaa-zement park!
I think that's pretty much it on Disaster Transport. I think the final brakes may be 'normal' skid brakes, but the block brakes are rotating pneumatic tires. By stopping the motor, those can be used to stop the cars. If the car is running slow when it hits, it will be kicked up to speed; too fast and it will tend to slow down a bit. I don't know if there are flywheels on those tires or not; I am guessing not because they need to be able to stop quickly.
This configuration is used on all the service brakes on that ride, which is why the car takes off from a desd stop so rapidly both in the load station and on the ready brake. That also explains the wheel-chirp that you hear when the cars start and stop.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
*** This post was edited by RideMan on 6/12/2000. ***
This configuration is used on all the service brakes on that ride, which is why the car takes off from a desd stop so rapidly both in the load station and on the ready brake. That also explains the wheel-chirp that you hear when the cars start and stop.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
*** This post was edited by RideMan on 6/12/2000. ***
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