Blue Streak's Minor Updates

I think Blue Streak is great! The only thing i could complain about is how long it takes to park the train in the station. I counted 3 times. I also think it is stupid that the train has to be totaly out of the station before the next one can come in. If they fixed these two Minor problems, it could reduce stacking and make the ride PERFECTO! :)

^When Blue Streak had the separate load/unload platforms it was better- and without seatbelts the load was extremely fast. The train was usually out of the station and hitting the lift as the other train entered the station. If there was ever a delay, no biggie, the incoming train could still be in to unload. The boys that ran the ride prided themselves on high capacity and the speed of dispatch.

The "improvements" to the ride have been discussed here ad-nauseum. I understand the need for flow-thru loading, and the need to move the queue to a larger area. (At the height of popularity, on busy days the station queue was full, the outside queue was full, and the line would stretch down the midway past the ball fountain) But if they had left the unload where it was and brought the line of oncoming riders to the front half of the station, (which is now a strange wasteland) they could have continued to use the 2 stop station. In my opinion it wouldn't have impeded operation the way the current set up does.

Downside to that? It would probably require more staff, and well - you know.

With the old setup, the rule was that when the bell rang (indicating the other train had reached the turnaround), the train in the station had to leave. Period. No discussion. If the train wasn't ready to go, they would stop it on the lift.

I have film and video showing the old loading procedures. Always cool to watch the attendants riding the running boards while assisting with seat belts, and using both hands to check the lap bars two at a time...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Man, that actually sounds fun! ;)

Getting rid of those horrible airline belts last year was a great move, and increased hourly numbers by about 100-150 on average for the busier hours. I think the crew I was a part of in 2007 could have boosted our numbers by at least 200/hour had we had that change. :)

I know the interval on the ride back in those days varied from what it is today, but they still have the "official" interval time at around the time the train is coming down from the turnaround. In reality, the optimum time to dispatch the train is when the train on the circuit is coming over the last hill before the brake run. This puts the train leaving the station at the start of the lift as the train finishing the circuit is gliding through the readies and into the station. No stacking, and you have the most time possible to load the train and check restraints. If you try to dispatch even a few seconds later (as the train on the circuit is cresting the brake run hill) the train will not have left the transfer table (the proxy sensor that indicates the end of the station block and the start of the lift block is located at the far end of the transfer table track) and the train will stop in the readies.

^^ Rideman can i find this anywhere on the web? I want to see how the ride used to look before 1995.

The video is not in web-viewable condition at the moment, but here is a photo that I have hanging above my computer, right above the MiniDV tape library. Unfortunately, the video in question is VHS.

Look closely at that photo. Notice that the train is not lined up with the red dots. Note also the exact foot position of the attendant working with the passengers in Seat #4. Note also the operator working the controls; if you remember what it looked like when the operators worked the ride, then his actions are also telling...

Notice that the train is, in fact, in motion, being dispatched, and only four of the twelve lap bars have been checked. Before that train gets all the way out of the station, all twelve seat belts will have been visually checked, and all twelve lap bars will have been tugged upward.

BlueStreak64, that optimal dispatch point probably hasn't changed much, but remember that once the bell rings there was a little bit of time for the operators to react. Also, while the current system opens the brake fully on dispatch, I think with the old system the operators would drag the brake a little to keep the speed down until the train got out of the station, or at least until the platform attendant got off. :) Did you ever suggest that CP put a switch at the base of the last hill with a signal to the doghouse? I am not sure that you can see that spot from down there...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I never did suggest putting a switch down there, though my crew were constantly discussing the best point of dispatch when we had a light platform and were able to hit interval multiple times in a row. I don't believe any of them made their way into the TL/ATL revisions for the manual. Some of them disagreed with me, but I found it to be the best practical spot that worked on a consistent basis with consistent results. As for the visibility of the train, you cannot see it at the bottom between the hills, but you can see it crest the hill I mentioned, as well as the one before that from the control booth. The op at unload has a pretty good line of sight down that way and can see the train when it hits the bottom of both those hills, and so does the person at crowd when we can pull our entrance person up to the station. Like I said, a warning tone when the train reaches that point would not provide enough "ready time," but rather it is the point at which you need to be dispatching. The way the manual and the supervisors/managers have phrased their explanation of the interval/ready tone all suggest that the best time to dispatch is when the tone rings in the control booth. In reality, that is really your "get moving because we should be dispatching soon" warning. What it really comes down to is knowing the timing of the ride, and it really doesn't take even a week to get the timing of the full circuit down in your head.

Although speaking of suggestions, I offered up a few in regards to the turnstiles last year that I think were absolutely killer and would have helped a lot of crews, but were ultimately disregarded. A lot of the turnstiles that have the tiny LCD displays have a very tiny viewing angle because of the brightness of the LCD screen, as well as the glass/plastic protecting it. I've spent a good two minutes trying to make out a number on one of them before, and have given up more than once to end up averaging out between hours because I didn't want to waste any more time.

These improvments were made because of osha?

Was there a problem on the coaster that has not been addresed since 1964?

What would happen if the train didn't go out when the bell rang?

Scenario: If I was just getting in and the bell rang. I did NOT have my seatbelt plus i had a backpack. Would they have an emergency stop?

"Back in the day", the train would start moving. If you couldn't get your seat belt fastened by the time the train got clear of the station, they'd stop it on the lift. In theory, if they didn't get the train out of load in time, the train would stop on the approach brake and a buzzer would sound. The approach brake was semi-automated, unlike the unload and load brakes.

Remember, though, that the whole load process took a lot less time than it takes now. There were only 12 lap bars, 12 seat belts, no seat dividers and no headrests, which means there was a lot more space for manipulating the seat belt; also the lap bar position was such that the easiest thing to do was to sit down, close the lap bar, THEN fool with the seat belt. That backpack of yours? You got that clear before the lap bar came down!

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Thanks RideMan!:)

Wow, very interesting post here. I do remember the stops on the hill to do seatbelt and lap bar checks. Yes, I do miss the gold old days. But due to the lack of common sense and overly sensitive people that love to sue over anything things like this have to happen. TOO BAD.

My favorite ride on it was before Raptor came to town, when there was just the single tiny lap bar to kind of hold you in, when it decided to stay put. On one ride me and friends bar decided to unlatch. Needless to say we had one hand on the bar and one hand up in the air enjoying the maximum airtime on the coaster.

Overall the good old Blue Streak will be one of my favorite coasters at CP. Even when people ask me what is my favorite coaster there.

A quick clarification--

When Raptor arrived in 1994, the Blue Streak got the big changes: the queue was reconfigured, the transfer table was moved, the computer was installed, the fin brakes were installed...but apart from adding brake fins, the trains were not changed.

It was 1996 that we got the headrests, ratcheting lap bars, and lost the handlebars.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

RideMan said:
A quick clarification--

When Raptor arrived in 1994......but apart from adding brake fins, the trains were not changed.

It was 1996 that we got the headrests, ratcheting lap bars, and lost the handlebars.

Yes I remember riding BS in 1994 when the brake fins and computer were new and with how quick it stopped the train compared to the old breaking system that if you did not brace yourself from the old flip down whole row "lap bar" / handle bar when you came into the break run you could end up cracking your ribs on the bar. (And in 1996 we saw the change to individual ratcheting lap bars :( )

Yes, I'm late. Haha. I just signed up, though I've been viewing the site for quite some time.

But I did notice a huge difference in the ride from last year. My friend and I sat in front and it was so much smoother. Wonderful ride.