Capacity - It's great, but what could be improved?

MF always nearly stacks even if they are hitting interval as best they can. When interval is hit with three trains, you sort of slow down, but never quite stop as you roll into unload. The reason it is this way is because the lift is so fast and there is no midcourse block so the previous train has to be all the way into unload before the next one can be tossed over the top of the lift. I don't know the exact time they can hit the dispatch buttons, but I think it's right around when the previous train goes past the station. They hit the buttons then, but it takes 10 seconds for the catchcar to engage the train, the gates at the front to open and the train to actually start up the lift so you get a near stack of all three trains. If they dispatch it any earlier, the train will stop at the top of the lift because the previous train doesn't clear the block behind the unload station in time. Sometimes on a cold morning, this will happen rather frequently. Also, the lift will speed up near the top when the previous train makes it all the way into unload.

MDOmnis said:

MF always nearly stacks even if they are hitting interval as best they can. When interval is hit with three trains, you sort of slow down, but never quite stop as you roll into unload. The reason it is this way is because the lift is so fast and there is no midcourse block so the previous train has to be all the way into unload before the next one can be tossed over the top of the lift. I don't know the exact time they can hit the dispatch buttons, but I think it's right around when the previous train goes past the station. They hit the buttons then, but it takes 10 seconds for the catchcar to engage the train, the gates at the front to open and the train to actually start up the lift so you get a near stack of all three trains. If they dispatch it any earlier, the train will stop at the top of the lift because the previous train doesn't clear the block behind the unload station in time. Sometimes on a cold morning, this will happen rather frequently. Also, the lift will speed up near the top when the previous train makes it all the way into unload.

Yeah. Is it ready to go the moment the front gates open or is the catch car still working? Or do the front gates cause a DELAY in starting it (e.g., is the catch car ready before the gates have 100% opened)? (Diamondback has a similar issue, but it's only the front gates opening that slows things down, as Diamondback uses a chain lift.)

I noticed during CoasterMania! ERT they were sending MF trains a touch early. The lift would do this stop/start jerk near the top of the hill, right around where it normally speeds up. Scared the crap out of me. I love coaster, but I'm terrified of heights if I'm not moving (too of a Ferris wheel, Power a Tower before the Turbo Drop, etc)..

GigaG said:

Yeah. Is it ready to go the moment the front gates open or is the catch car still working? Or do the front gates cause a DELAY in starting it (e.g., is the catch car ready before the gates have 100% opened)? (Diamondback has a similar issue, but it's only the front gates opening that slows things down, as Diamondback uses a chain lift.)

I think the following things happen sequentially as seen in this video. Op announces CLEAR, buttons are pressed, catchcar backs up a bit more to engage the train, gates open, catchcar starts forward slowly, and then finally gets up to speed. If these things could happen quicker, it would give the crew more time to finish the job of getting the train ready, but assuming they have enough time to get the job done consistently now, it wouldn't increase capacity.

It's been a couple years since I've been to the park, but unless it's changed, the biggest thing they could do is fix the computer on Iron Dragon and Mine Ride (possibly Corkscrew? I can't remember) so the trains don't get stopped 3 or 4 times as they roll into the station. You could easily buy an extra 15 or 20 seconds of loading time if they let the trains come into the station a little faster and didn't bring them to a complete stop until they were in their parked position.