Inclined Brake Run

Does anyone know what the first coaster in the world to have an inclined brake run was?

Examples:

http://rcdb.com/ig2498.htm?picture=17
http://rcdb.com/ig3570.htm?picture=40

Most brake runs are actually inclined. Take Blue Streak for example. Once the brakes release the train just rolls into the station due to the incline.

Technically, you guys are all talking about decline brake runs. Incline means it's going up, not down.

The hill after the tunnel on Maverick would be considered an inclined brake run.

Don't all launches also incline so that in case of failure the train would roll back to the launch position?

I've always wondered why the brake runs have become so steep, especially on Intamins like Storm Runner. Does anyone know?

^^ - but when it acting as a brakeline it is declined. You're moving backwards through it.

You'll notice that modern coasters are much smoother when it comes to final brake runs. That's just from how far the technology of engineering has come. It's just smart engineering to try and cut speed to limit the wear and tear on braking.

Are you comparing rides like Millennium and TTD which use magnets to Magnum and Gemini which use friction?

An increase in speed into magnetic brakes won't increase the wear, but it will increase the braking power. Since there is no physical contact between the train and the brakes, there is nothing to wear out.

Does anyone know of there ever being problems with magnetic brakes? I'm positive there's a fail-safe mechanism on them, but since there is no contact it seems like it could be risky. The fail safe on contact (friction) brakes is that they stay closed. But if the mag brakes fail to activate, then what happens? I wonder if there are friction brakes for the fail-safe mechanism on newer rides in case the magnets don't activate. In any case magnetic brakes are much more comfortable.

I don't believe there's ever been a case of permanent magnetic brakes failing.

However, the movable magnetic brakes on Superman: Ride of Steel (New England) failed, allowing a train to collide with one already in the station. The brakes themselves didn't fail (meaning the magnets), but the hydraulic or pneumatic hose that controlled the movement of the brake itself did fail. So, the brakes remained in the open position and allowed the train to pass.

It would be the same if EVERY hydraulic cylinder on TTD were to fail and the brakes never came back up (on the launch). If a train were to roll back at that same time, it would collide with the next train waiting to launch. That seems basically impossibly since there are (I think) over 150 different brake fins with their own cylinder.

I believe that by default the brakes are in the up position, this way there is no way they can fail. They actually go down on TTD only for the launches.

Magnetic brakes are always active, there is no "on/off" switch for them. There's a permanent magnet on the train and a copper fin on the track. As the fin passes through the magnetic field it creates a braking force, slowing the train. Because braking force is directly proportional to the speed of the train, magnets cannot brake a train to dead stop, however, if your worry is that a TTD train could go whipping into the station at 120, it won't happen.

Dave (RideMan) may have a better description (with diagrams) somewhere that he can link to.

The "on/off" switch for a magnetic brake is the mechanism that moves the fin out of the way though. That can, and has failed in the past - as per the S:ROS accident I mentioned.

Accident story.
Accident report.

^ - MOST (not all) have permanent brakes now for that reason (see TTD brake run, there is a section of permanent followed by the retractable that come down after the tires engage). Also, the default position for the brakes in the event of a power failure is up. They are held up by a spring, and then a compressor inflates an air bladder to drop them down.

That is a weird accident at SF though (I do remember reading about it). I'm surprised that a failure in the air line wouldn't result in the brake snapping back up.

Who else but Six Flags?

Giggity

The brakes on S:ROS are on the side of the track like on Millennium. They tilt out of the way to allow the train to pass. I think I read on RideMan's site a complete description of the failure, but I'm not sure where that is now. I just found it. Here it is.

That's still not to say the brake fins on TTD couldn't fail. Anything is possible. However, the likelihood of ALL those cylinders failing is basically nil. I think what happened on S:ROS was the fins were all on the same system. So, once that failed, they all failed. I'm pretty sure all the fins on TTD are wired and controlled individually. So, it would take a pretty catastrophic failure for something bad to happen.

Just a theory, but is it possible in some way for a snapped cable/damaged sled trough to break lots, if not all of the brake fin mechanisms? So, if there was a botched launch somehow, could it damage the fins enough so they were unable to raise back up?

Are millennium's retractable though? I thought they were permanently positioned.

If you read Dave's story, he talks about those brakes. MF has a set of "trim brakes" before the actual block brakes. Those are the ones back by the queue. They take off most of the speed from the train before it reaches the block brakes right before the unload station. S:ROS doesn't have trims, just the block brakes.

I believe (and I could be wrong) that the block brakes right before MF's unload station are only half retractable. I remember while waiting in the queue I noticed the lake side of the brakes tilt off to the side to allow the train to move forward, leaving the brakes on the queue side of the track stationary. But, I could have missed seeing those move because they could've been under the platform from my vantage point - I'm short. :)

But, to answer your question, yes, the BLOCK brakes on MF are retractable. The trim brakes are not, they are permanent.

EDIT: HERE is a picture of the retractable block brakes. *** Edited 7/6/2007 5:47:47 PM UTC by halltd***

Isn't there a non-retractable drive tire there as well to stop the train as well as move it forward? I know a fast enough moving train could overshoot the tire (especially in rain, one of the reasons WC doesn't run in rain) but I'm just trying to remember if there is anything else in place that would stop the train.

Well, barring a catastrophic failure of some sort, the train will never enter the block brakes faster than the designed speed. This is because of the non-retractable trim brakes back by the queue. I think there is a drive tire right after that sensor in the foreground of the picture though.