Dragster Reminiscing?

Considering the current state of the ride, and that this year's crew may be about to experience what the premier season's crew experienced, I thought it might be interesting (fun?) to look back at a few lists the premier season's crew put together when dealing with the frustrations of that 1st season. I've deleted all the personal items and the items only the crew would understand. Some of the comments are pretty harsh, but they are true nonetheless.

You Know You've Worked Dragster Too Long If...

• You walk down the midway wanting to ask guests wearing glasses if they have a strap or a cargo pocket
• When you're working Magnum and you tell guests they can't bring bookbags or purses in line
• Trouble lights are a part of the normal routine
• You're scared to go to the beach on your day OFF
• When Bill Spehn knows you on a regular basis
• When you're trained on ten other rides, not including Dragster
• When you're going on break and you hide your pin so when guests ask if you work at Dragster you're like "nope, I work at Corkscrew"
• You see large people and think "no way can they fit on my ride"
• You can answer the question before they even ask you
• You've seen the ride rebuilt more than 3 times aside from the structural steel

The Stupidest Questions/Comments from Guests:

• Do you know you're leaking hydraulic fluid?
• Do you have to pay to ride Dragster?
• Is it 2 hours from here (entrance) or there (end of people)?
• (while standing next to the line that says closed) Are you open?
• Ride Op: "This ride is open later." Guest: "So you mean 4pm, maybe 5?"
• Does this ride only run on weekends?
• What are the odds that this is opening today?
• Did someone die on this ride?
• What is the average downtime wait?
• Is the track on fire?
• What record did we break?
• How does this ride run now that you got rid of the engines?

Ahh...Memories...

• Guest: "One of our tires flew off." Ride Op: "Yeah...right"
• Pushing the trains on the transfer track when they get stuck
• Having three (nix that) four different TLs in one season
• "Cleaning" the queues
• Was that the cable?!
• Top Thrill Cleaning Crew
• The train getting stuck at the top of the hill
• Watching the added seats on their first launch...because if the tires wouldn't stay, would the seats?

I'm not even a ride op (see my user name), but I worked in zone 3 enough to agree with:

# You see large people and think "no way can they fit on my ride"
# You can answer the question before they even ask you
# Is it 2 hours from here (entrance) or there (end of people)?
# (while standing next to the line that says closed) Are you open?
# Ride Op: "This ride is open later." Guest: "So you mean 4pm, maybe 5?"
# What are the odds that this is opening today?
# Did someone die on this ride?
# What is the average downtime wait?
# Pushing the trains on the transfer track when they get stuck

That was really funny. A bunch of them applied to MF too, and I'm sure several other rides.

Oh, the memories... ;)

Good to see you're still around Patrick ..

werd *** Edited 9/9/2005 4:55:47 AM UTC by CPPD177***

As a two-year crew member...I caught myself nodding (and laughing) in agreement. When will the stupidity end? Seriously...they have a secret "Brain Check" at the front gate. It's a conspiracy. Admissions people hate us. We didn't do too much "cleaning" this summer...mostly just when it rained. It's definitely been improving over the last couple years. I can't imagine what Crew 03 went through. We still push the trains on the transfer track though...I mean...we don't touch moving trains.

TTD '04-05 Crew

It's funny to see off job-repitition is also found in CP. I know I'd catch myself wanting to say to people, Hi, is there anything I can help you find today? And I'd be like, what the heck? Why did I just want to greet that stranger? Retail's bushly.

-S. Eagle

I'm glad people have enjoyed the lists.

Rob, yep I'm still around...believe it or not, working with the "scary things" out here in Los Alamos hasn't killed me yet.

BabySwaps4TTD, it's good to hear that things are improving with the ride. It makes the 3am shifts that I worked in '03 seem a little more bareable. Imagine spending up to 26 hours continuously clocked in and dealing with upset guests when the ride breaksdown. And that's just the beginning of what '03's crew dealt with. Nothing quite like greeting Intamin's engineers with the statement: "Guess what we learned the ride can/can't do!" and see their jaws drop in shock.

BabySwaps4TTD said:
... I can't imagine what Crew 03 went through. We still push the trains on the transfer track though...I mean...we don't touch moving trains...

TTD '04-05 Crew

What? You don't touch the 120mph moving trains? How come?