Extra Footers?

Can anyone explain the extra footers in this picture? If you look at the middle left of the picture you can see around 8 extra footers between the launch and brake row. I don't think this is for the station, could be wrong. Any thoughts?

http://www.virtualmidway.com/mystery/attraction423.jpg

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Eric Morrison (Coast)
Point Hype
http://www.pointhype.com
*** This post was edited by Etrain 10/19/2002 11:43:56 PM ***

Looks like supports for the station, they have to support it some how. :)

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House of Tomorrow: Only technology makes live worth living

Either for the station or for transfer track.

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June 28th: LocoBazooka Tour (Sevendust headlining)
July 11th: Korn, Puddle of Mudd, and Deadsy
*** This post was edited by CP_bound 10/19/2002 11:49:55 PM ***

probably for the station/transfer track. but also, while i was there today from open to close. i noticed they are not done pouring footers. or so it seems. they still have all the equipment necessary to pour more footers. not to mention a massive area of curing cement towards the back of the construction area

Could the station area be sort of like X-Flight's at SFWoA? It has 2 areas to load and unload. It may make the process go a lot faster.

That's your station right there... Xcelerator's station track is supported by concrete pads, without any steel section. As for a double station, I don't think you could do that with way the launch system works... picture Mellennium Force's elevator lift, but cranked up to pull the train to top speed. The track would have to line up before the sled could return.

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Jes
Jes's Roller Coasters DJ Jes
Six Flags Worlds Of Adventure 2002 Ride-Ops Crew! Have fun trying to find me!

That could be what all of the wheels are for. They could send the trains out of the station, then there could be a launch station after that.

At first I was thinking that maybe this is where the station would go:

http://www.virtualmidway.com/popup/mysterypopup6001.asp?image=attraction354.jpg&title=Mystery%20Attraction

But after looking at that picture it looks like maybe that's where the station will go cuz it doesn't look like the track could continue going down anymore.

Those "extra footers" will most likely be for transfer track. The interesting thing is that there are two rows of them, which suggests that there could be two transfer tracks (which in turn suggests that there could be an extra train) :)

As for the taller, inclined footers, read Jes' post, you can bet on those being for a station. (I'm not ruling out two stations yet... especially with these footers being poured)

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"Meh."
Wicked twists: 10
Danger: Hgih Voltage!

I think it's definitely for the station. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Intamin mega/giga type rides use one long transfer spur, and not a seperate parking track for each train. See MF, Xcelerator and any S:ROS for an example. On Xcelerator, the transfer is immediately after the final brakes. On CP2003, they probably haven't poured the transfer footers yet, but I'd image that it'll run on the inside of the course, and start near ID's 2nd lift and end down near ID's helix.

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Scott W. Short, Rail Junkie
mailto:scott@midwestcoastercentral.com
http://www.midwestcoastercentral.com

I may be way off, but here was what i was thinking about this picture

http://www.virtualmidway.com/mystery/attraction423.jpg

A lot of people have said that the footers between the launch and brake run with be for either the station or transfer track. I don't think that is what they are for. First if they were for the station, they wouldn't be beside the launch as it is inclined. They can't load and unload passengers at an incline they would put it before this when the trach is level. Same with transfer track. Wouldn't it make sense to put transfer track next to level track instead of the already inclined launch. Just a thought. Let me know if I am way off or if it is something to think about.

Two words: kicker wheels.

If you look at construction photos for Xcelerator, like this one:

http://www.twistedrails.com/kbf/mar24-01.shtml

You might get an idea that something else may be going on inside the circuit of track that many want to conclude is only a L-TH-B design. It might be even clearer if you compare the above to this one:

http://www.twistedrails.com/kbf/apr25-03.shtml

Notice the transfer track next to the level part of the brake run. And by the way, the Xcelerator station is on large linear footers (poured after track was in place) just like you would expect to find for a typical building-type structure:

http://www.twistedrails.com/kbf/apr07-16.shtml

http://www.twistedrails.com/kbf/may11-03.shtml

In the end, we can't tell for sure yet what is happening. I for one am enjoying the anticipation!

You can't say that the extra footers aren't for the station. KBF is in Southern California, an area that is earthquake-prone. Building codes are different out there, so they might require a full foundation.

However, I didnt' realize that Xcelerator uses a full transfer rather than a switch like on MF in my previous post. It's entirely possible that the storage tracks could be on these footers, but the storage track is downtrack rather than uptrack of the transfer. I'm sure the work done this week will shed more light on this part of the mystery.
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Scott W. Short, Rail Junkie
mailto:scott@midwestcoastercentral.com
http://www.midwestcoastercentral.com

krazy: Your reasons are invalid. Storage track is level no matter where it goes on the Intamin rides. See MF's storage track next to the brake run. Furthermore, every wood coaster I can think of, and some steel as well (most Arrow's) have inclined stations.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP
"There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, when it's all in your mind. You gotta let go." - Ghetto, Supreme Beings of Leisure

Are they inclined or declined? Is declined a word? Are think what you are referring to is that the track basically slopes down through the station.

If it didn't, the coaster wouldn't roll out when the brakes were released.

Sorry i was unaware of the inclined stations, at least inclined that much. That is a steep incline, but still why would they put the station right by the inclined launch. the area is so long, that there has to be level track before the incline launch why not put the station back there.
*** This post was edited by krazy 10/24/2002 3:13:08 PM ***

Xcelerator's station is noticably inclined, at an angle that appears to be paralell to the inclined launch track.

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Jes
Jes's Roller Coasters DJ Jes
Six Flags Worlds Of Adventure 2002 Ride-Ops Crew! Have fun trying to find me!

That really does make sense to be inclined at the loading platform. I think it would be a bit harsh on the passengers to change the trajectory right outside the station. At that speed it would probably feel like jumping a curb in a car. Also, from an engineering standpoint, you would be introducing unnecessary loads into the track supports. Even though the support design could take it into account, why bother? You don't need a level track thru the station to get the train to the loading point. A system of driven wheels as is on MF under the track can easily push the train up a slight incline.