Brakes
I hope not. They are always putting brakes in to ruin some of the fun. (Like at the top of the hill on mean streak) and in the middle of Raptor. We want speed!!!!!!(at least I do) That is why megaphobia is one of the best wooden coasters...the only brakes are at the station...If people complain about getting bruised or whatever stay off it. Sure mean streak is bumpy, that is all part of the fun. Oh yeah also the brakes right before the pretzel loop on magnum...Boo!!!!!! I am sure that CP will install trim brakes somewhere on MF after enough people complain about something they don't like. To all those people take a hike.
Mid-course brakes are placed in a ride circuit to "block" the ride. It's the reason they can run more than one train. It's fairly simple... if one train hasn't cleared a block, the next train can't enter it so it's stopped. On Raptor, for example, a train can't exit the lift until the train in front of it has gone through the mid-course brake. A train can't cross through the mid-course until the train in front of it has entered the final brake run at the station.
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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
Yeah Ok, we don't need to be running into another train now. It just so much better when they turn off the brakes on raptor. SOOO much more speed on the way back and in the double helix. I have ridden it toward the end of the year when they were not using those brakes and you just hauled ass all through the end of the ride. It would be nice if when they installed the trim brakes on MF they kept them turned off unless the sensors told the computer that your train was going to run into another one. Then by all means turn on the brakes. otherwise leave them off
I think Jeff did a more than adequate job of explaining the need for block brakes.
I should also add that rides are frequently engineered so that the proper ride speed can be achieved by a train coming off of the block brake, and for that reason, block brakes are frequently also used to trim the ride...so that the train will be going about the same speed through the end of the ride whether or not it had to stop at the block brake. As for the braking situation on Cedar Point coasters....
Blue Streak has no trims, but a long safety brake uptrack of the station.
Cedar Creek Mine Ride has two trims positioned to limit the train's speed aproaching the lift hills; it also has two block brakes which are normally open, and a block brake uptrack of the station normally used to trim the train approach.
Wildcat has NINE block brakes on it, all of which are normally wide open.
Corkscrew has a trim brake just ahead of the lift hill, and a series of block brakes approaching the station.
Gemini has a block brake on the 'far' turnaround which is normally used for trimming, and a set of trims just before the helix finish.
Iron Dragon has no trims on the course, but there is a block brake at the base of the second lift which is usually used to trim the lift approach.
Magnum XL-200 has a trim brake on the turnaround, then two block brakes at the end of the ride.
Disaster Transport has two governor wheels at the block brake positions...sometimes these are brakes, sometimes they are boosters.
Mean Streak has a lift approach trim, three trims on the first drop, and a mid-course block brake.
Raptor has a mid-course block brake used for trimming.
Mantis:TCFKAB has a trim on the first drop, a mid-course block brake, and two block brakes behind the station.
Woodstock Express has a block brake at the end of the ride because while Cedar Point has only one train, V???? ???????? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?????????????? ?????? ??? ??? ??????? ????? ??? ?? ???? ????????????????????? ??? ????????? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ??????? ????? ????? ??? ? ?????? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ????? ??????????? ???? ?????? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ??????? ????????????? ?????????????????????????? ???????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ? ???
I should also add that rides are frequently engineered so that the proper ride speed can be achieved by a train coming off of the block brake, and for that reason, block brakes are frequently also used to trim the ride...so that the train will be going about the same speed through the end of the ride whether or not it had to stop at the block brake. As for the braking situation on Cedar Point coasters....
Blue Streak has no trims, but a long safety brake uptrack of the station.
Cedar Creek Mine Ride has two trims positioned to limit the train's speed aproaching the lift hills; it also has two block brakes which are normally open, and a block brake uptrack of the station normally used to trim the train approach.
Wildcat has NINE block brakes on it, all of which are normally wide open.
Corkscrew has a trim brake just ahead of the lift hill, and a series of block brakes approaching the station.
Gemini has a block brake on the 'far' turnaround which is normally used for trimming, and a set of trims just before the helix finish.
Iron Dragon has no trims on the course, but there is a block brake at the base of the second lift which is usually used to trim the lift approach.
Magnum XL-200 has a trim brake on the turnaround, then two block brakes at the end of the ride.
Disaster Transport has two governor wheels at the block brake positions...sometimes these are brakes, sometimes they are boosters.
Mean Streak has a lift approach trim, three trims on the first drop, and a mid-course block brake.
Raptor has a mid-course block brake used for trimming.
Mantis:TCFKAB has a trim on the first drop, a mid-course block brake, and two block brakes behind the station.
Woodstock Express has a block brake at the end of the ride because while Cedar Point has only one train, V???? ???????? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?????????????? ?????? ??? ??? ??????? ????? ??? ?? ???? ????????????????????? ??? ????????? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ??????? ????? ????? ??? ? ?????? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ????? ??????????? ???? ?????? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ??????? ????????????? ?????????????????????????? ???????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ? ???
I was just saying that I like a coaster with no brakes whatsoever, better than a coaster that slows you down, then you speed up again trying to give you a feeling of speed. I love speed, so we don't need brakes to slow me down. I like riding raptor with the trim brakes off. I just don't like going the same speed through the entire ride, like manufacturers sometimes design rides, rideman. I like to pick up speed through the whole ride, and be going twice as fast as you were at the beginning. But if engineers built rides the way i wanted them everyone else who rode it would sue saying it is to rough.
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Welcome back Millennium Force riders...We all want to know how was your RIDE!!!!!
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Welcome back Millennium Force riders...We all want to know how was your RIDE!!!!!
To address that original question... MF was designed for pure speed. Since Intamin knows their stuff, we will probably not be seeing any trims on the ride. These guys have stress physics and ride tolerances down to a science now-a-days thanks to big HAL 9000 computers... Therefore the only brakes we should ever be seeing are those used for blocking which should be at the unload station , load station , and emegency brakes before the unload station. This allows all three trains to be on the track but only one on course. YEAH BABY!!(Dave who is in exhulatating bliss could not help himself as he finally has all of his college applications in the mail, including that CMU essay that he spent five nights and days on.) :)
*** This post was edited by DaveTKoch on 1/15/00. ***
Hey thanks body that reminded me of why MF can't have a mid-course brake. If I am not mistaken magnetic brakes have two settings, on and off. So the midcourse could in no way regulate speed and it would either need to bring the train to a complete halt or not touch it, allowing for blocking but defeating the purpose of trims. If this makes no sense maybe someone else can explain it better.
The only thing that magnetic brakes have in common with pneumatic friction brakes is that they stop the train... that's it.
On MF, the trains have long, flat metals plates that run parallel to the track. The plates slide between magnet "sandwiches" but DO NOT touch. There is absolutely no sound. When the train comes to a stop and the station is clear, the brake sandwiches tilt out and away from the train, releasing it.
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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
On MF, the trains have long, flat metals plates that run parallel to the track. The plates slide between magnet "sandwiches" but DO NOT touch. There is absolutely no sound. When the train comes to a stop and the station is clear, the brake sandwiches tilt out and away from the train, releasing it.
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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
IF there is "absolutely no sound" then what is that humming noise that comes from the brakes on Superman:Ride of Steel? :) An interesting feature of the magnetic brakes is that the braking force is proportional to the train speed. One of the results of this is that you get a very sudden stop, but the stop is also *extremely* smooth. Also, magnetic brakes CAN be used for trimming, by using a lower-power magnet which is not strong enough to stop the train.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
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