Extended Closure

I think it’s been said but at this point they’re not getting it opened before they go to reduced operating hours, which is a shame - it’s a super fun ride that I wish people were able to enjoy. Hopefully come next year, they have it all figured out and it will go on to a long run of reliable operations.

Maybe the metal box is for loose articles.

It really still looks like they're in a trial and error phase here but who knows.

They most definitely are looking at adding some weight to the trains though which seems to run counter to the entire point of the aluminum train to begin with but whatever works at this point.

I'm not putting my loose articles in that metal box. Too much rattling/shaking. Kind of like that episode of the Simpsons where Bart put Homer's Duff beer can into the paint shaker at the hardware store.

BleauxJays:

They most definitely are looking at adding some weight to the trains

What could possibly indicate that?

https://x.com/topthrillstat...RLJ_wOWbIQ

The pictures above would have to add some weight I would think.

Yes those. The white metal frames between the seats are newly added and there appear to be some weights stacked on top of those for testing as well

I'm not really sure what we're looking at, and it's hard from those photos to see what it's actually attached to. If the photos were taken from a little higher up, it'd be easier to tell.

If we break it down, each car starts with a center beam, with magnets mounted to each side. The front of the beam has the ball joint that attaches to the next car. At the rear of the beam, another one is mounted on top of it, perpendicular, where the wheel bogies are attached underneath. The rear seats are bolted to the top of it. There's a smaller block mounted on top the center toward the middle, where the front seats are attached. It also supports the floor, which I think is carbon fiber, and the connections for the restraint release underneath on the starboard side. The black, angled boxes under the rear seats are where the electronics live.

Because of the angle of the photo, it looks like the white beams are mounted to the places where the seats attach, but there are left seats still there. They're over the electronics box, so they seem to span the mounting points of front and back seats. So it begs the question... are they permanent or for some kind of test?

https://x.com/topthrillstat...RLJ_wOWbIQ

Not sure if this helps but it gives you an idea of what it looks like with all the seats on.

Not my photo but thought it was funny.

I think all we need is some duct tape and a bit of structural caulk and she'll be ready to roll again, again!

Joking aside those are structural beams, not just there to add weight. If it were simply to add weight there would be easier ways to do it. I don't think this one was anywhere on my rumor sheet.

I think they're permanent if they work and temporary if they dont!

Jeff:

At the rear of the beam, another one is mounted on top of it, perpendicular, where the wheel bogies are attached underneath.

They way you describe the construction of the trains has me wondering if the weak connection was where the beam that is perpendicular to the track connects to the main parallel beam. These new pieces that they have installed today would definitely strengthen that area in the center of each car by tying the front and rear beams together which I think would stabilize them as the forces would be applied more evenly. Of course its just a guess but I am struggling to figure out what other purpose these beams would be for.

It just seems like they are doing a whole lot of plug and play.

Let's assume all the trains are identical. Which, they are.

The majority of the work we have seen done has been on the silver train.

Once they find the permanent solution, they are still going to need to manufacture the fix for the other trains. That will take time.

So we could be looking at one train operation for a while, or they might wait until all trains are ready to go.

...at least that's how I see it.

Please excuse these ramblings from my AuDHD mind.

Wobble

I believe this was the from the last day it operated. What grabbed my attention is the major wobble after exiting the 90 degree twist almost as if it was going through the spine of train.

^ I'm not seeing the wobble. I just see a rollback in that clip. What am I missing?

I would say focus on the head rests as it exits the 90 degree twist on its way up. Unless I am seeing things which is very much possible.

I don't see anything in that video.

So in the other picture, the white beams are sitting between the seats. Cool, but will people have to climb over those? I'm skeptical that they would be permanent.

Thinking out loud... The trains are pushed, in both directions by a force acting on the length of the center beam. The wheel bogies are on that perpendicular beam at one end. It's easier to see in the video they did for the PNE train. I have a hard time believing that the chassis pieces aren't rigid enough to handle that, but with all of that mass on the ends, that is, the wheels and the seats, I wonder about the durability of the connection point in the center. Is it twisting in a way that could harm the bolts?

Aside from the non-welded arrangement, this isn't all that novel. The Wicked Twister trains were similar, with one important difference: The width of the perpendicular piece was also joined by diagonal members to the center beam. The white things imply that the lack of triangles may be a problem.

Even if that's the case, I find it odd that they wouldn't just replace the carbon fiber floor with an aluminum, structural piece.

All speculation.

Fun fact from one of the videos, there are 500kg (1,100 pounds) of magnets on the train, which was one of the considerations for milling the aluminum.

Were the seats always connected?

They were not.