Friday Dragster Rollback

So this past Friday, I got to see my first Dragster Rollback. It happened a little after noontime I think. Since I live in Virginia, I was quite happy to see what I believe is a rare occurrence. However my question for the seasoned seen it all before Cedar Point family......

So when the roll back occurred, there were two trains loaded behind it. They unloaded both trains those trains, opened the gates, had the people get back in the front of the line. They then back up both trains. Then they backed up the train that had rolled back all the way to the station, but the people did not get off,and they eventually, after about a 20 minute wait, sent them up again. I also noticed the magnets/break fins going up and down (In and out) repeatedly before the train got launched again. I guess they were testing them?

Do they (Cedar poit) the follow the same procedure each time a roll back occurs? And if so, why did they make the people on the other two trains, unload and get back in line? is there some type of protocol they are following? Just curious, again, my first time seeing it, hopefully these questions are not to boring, but it was cool to see, although one younger teenage girl was pretty frightened by the whole experience, but she stayed on :-).

I had the pleasure of being on the receiving end of a rollback at the night ert during coastermania, and they just rolled us back to the starting position, then re-launched us, no major reset was done.

Cool!!. So is the roll back a "Frefalling" sensation, or is it much calmer since your not being launched back?

From my experience with them - rollbacks are typically weather condition related (cool temperatures or high winds) or mechanically caused - like if a brake fin fails to drop on the launch track, the fin will work against the train and slow it down potentially causing a rollback. My rollback this year on opening day was like this - a brake fin failed to drop and we weren't even close to clearing the top hat. If it's a mechanical issue they will usually back everyone up and unload everyone back into the station while they attempt to fix the problem. The ride is considered "broken down" during this time. If it's weather related they don't unload anyone, they just reset the launch system and relaunch the train. Typically the ride computer will compensate with a stronger launch the second time to prevent repeat rollbacks. As far as the sensation - it's really the same feeling you have going back down when it clears the top hat - but more exciting since you can't see where you're going. It's a unique experience on a unique ride!

DRE420 said:

I had the pleasure of being on the receiving end of a rollback

Did you really have to word it that way? Haha

I would think the most common cause of rollbacks would be wind related. If that was the case, it makes sense to unload as many passengers as is easily possible, since they won't know if the high winds will persist or not. This is likely the procedure for mechanical issues as well.

It might be a slightly different policy if the computer does not detect any issues (not mechanical or weather related). This might apply for situations like cold mornings in the spring/fall. That's purely speculation though.

thedevariouseffect said:

DRE420 said:

I had the pleasure of being on the receiving end of a rollback

Did you really have to word it that way? Haha

Yes, see, it was quite the experience lol

Jwig said:
Cool!!. So is the roll back a "Frefalling" sensation, or is it much calmer since your not being launched back?

A free fall back to earth, same as going forward, just more exciting plus you get to go again

Although not so common anymore, rollbacks can happen early in the morning while the ride is still cold.

When I got a roll back it was almost closing time, it wasn't windy and the weather was beautiful. I knew as we left the launch that we may not make it. It just didn't feel right. I said to my partner "We're not gonna make it. Wait, yes we are. Oops, no we're NOT! YAY!" We were seated in row 1 of car two and we actually crested the top for some hang time. It seemed to balance there for a loooong second then we finally fell backwards. From the front there was a bit of scary backwards airtime. It was thrilling and I'll never forget it.
I don't know how many times I've been on TTD but whatever the number is has .5 after it.

By the way, 15-20 minutes before our relaunch seems about right, if I recall correctly. It was a long time, as the o.p. reports.

It depends on the reason for the rollback if they bring all the cars back or not. Believe if its not mechanical or constant wind appearing, they will relaunch it pretty quickly. If it rolls back twice in a row, then they call mechanics to check it out as precaution. (move cars back/unload the same as OP saw)

Least that's my experience with TTD, not sure how accurate I am.