Corkscrew Stacking

I've read about this in multiple trip reports and finally witnessed it on Wednesday. The ride is running three trains and stacks two trains at a time.

When I went on the ride, my train went up the lift, went through the course, hit the brakerun and stopped. The train behind us was just now leaving the station and the third train was on the waiting block. My train then had to wait for the third train to roll forward, unload, load, and clear the station before my train rolled into the station for I could get off.

Running three trains with load times as slow as they were is just stupid. I think running two trains works just fine.

Other than the guys at Happy Friar who sucked at their job, this was the only other negative thing I could say about the park after many visits.

I rarely ride corkscrew, and this is the first I have heard of this. But I think if that and the employees at Happy Friar are your only complaint that is very good :).

You can thank the seatbelts that were added under the reign of Mr. Safety Science degree.

Is MR. SS still there, or could we see some of these blunders get fixed?

You can spend 5 minutes on the platform and realize what the problem is in getting trains checked and dispatched in a timely manner.

Maybe it's just me, but I have never noticed an issue due to checking restraints. They always ask the rider to check the belt and the push the harness. It does not seem to take any longer than say... Iron Dragon.

I think the seats are harder to get in and out of though.

Coastern3rd said:

I think the seats are harder to get in and out of though.

I agree. It feels like the seats are smaller. Of course it could be me.

Coastern3rd - Its not so much the restraint checking that takes longer, its the fact that guys like me can't see what the hell they are doing to get the belt fastened in the first place. I can't lean forward to see what I'm doing because that pulls the harness up and the belt away from the clasp. The ops won't help because they don't want to be putting their hands between people legs (not that I can blame them). It's just a poor design that does nothing to add to the safeness of the ride.

well, I don't know how these recent crews run things but in my time we were hitting intervals one right after the other; plus we only had three people on the platform. the way we did this was marvelous. first, after the train came in, I would pop all the pedals in less than three seconds(it can be done). then, everyone got out new people got in while I was lifting the pedals back up. meanwhile, the operator would be making the spiels and watching the other trains. then, both the platform host and I would run down and check harnesses and give thumbs up making yet another interval. you just have to be really good at popping them pedals when the train comes in. any questions on how that's done just ask.

Did you work in the pre or post seatbelt era?

With the addition of the "stupid ,pointless" seatbelts, you may as well kiss 3 train operation goodbye. It is pointless to run 3 trains when all you do is stack them.

The seatbelts are not only pointless, but they dont feel too good when they nail you in the face when you are getting in/out of the train. I would like to thank the moron who decided this was a good idea.

If it was nessesery(sp) to have the belts, why dident they attatch them on the sides of the train...kinda like flight of fear at kings island. Or better yet, have some kind of locking machinizem on the side on the train so that the ride ops can check it if they have too.

I can't believe people are complaining about CP running three trains. At some other parks I know, people would be wetting their pants in delight at the prospect.

Who cares if they are running 10 trains. If they can't clear the next train before you finish your run there is no need to have the other 8 out there. The most you need in this situation is 2.

You are wrong, sir! Having the maximum number of trains running lets the gp see that the park is doing the best it can by running at full capacity. You and I might know the difference, but that's because we're special.

Is your average park guest going to really know the difference between 2 or 3 trains on Corkscrew? Not likely. They don't notice the difference between 4 and 6 on Gemini.

They're guests, not idiots. They probably notice more than you think.

What the guest is going to know is that they are sitting in this uncomfortable seat for a seemingly interminable amount of time long after the fun part of the ride is over. The average guest wants to get off the ride so they can do something else, not sit and wait on a ride.

Your average guest won't notice that Corkscrew only has 2 trains instead of 3 as long as the line is moving. If the line stops moving for half an hour between dispatches, then they'll get grumpy and start to notice.

You know, it's the natural order of things for Corkscrew to stack at least one train anyway.

But I still think the belts are crazy stupid. People get smacked in the face by them on every train. That and they solve a problem that in 30 years of Arrow loopers has never surfaced.

Does anyone know when Mr. SS's contract is up? Send him to Six Flags, they could use the help in that area. ;)

The seatbelts serve no other purpose than to satisfy lawyers and insurance people, which probably could have cared less if no one would point it out to them. To think that this design which has been working for 30 years suddenly needs more "safety" is ridiculous. I'm just waiting for the belts to come on Draggin Iron.

I rode it the other day, and the amount of time spent in the brake run was more than quadruple what was spent actually running the course of the ride. I'm normally in support of running all the trains whenever possible, (even though you might be sitting in a brake run, to the general guest it seems like the park is doing more or running at a higher capacity which they like) but it was ridiculous! Sure they change rides like Gemini that can actually justify running 3 trains on each side, but on a ride that really only needs 2 trains, they run 3... go figure.