Intamin AG - Blue Streak

^ - I've done Magnum 13 times in the final hour before. At least I count it as 13, they all started to run together after a while, but it was a blast.

Jeff -- Did you ride the Blue Streak when it had the old restraint system? If you did, I am not sure how you can say that the current lap bar is not significantly different from the restraint bar that was used in the 70s and 80s. There was one bar for the entire seat. And it had only two positions: locked/down and up/unlocked. So there had to be enough room for the bar to come down and lock over all sizes of riders (and I cannot remember ever seeing someone not being able to ride because of size back in the 70s and 80s). So it was really one size fits all. And when the bar was locked down there was still 2-3” of play allowing the bar (and riders) to move up. When I first started riding the Blue Streak there were no seatbelts. And if I remember right, when they added them, seatbelts were optional. So when you rode the ride, you spent very little time in your seat.

Currently, there is a lap bar for each rider and it ratchets down depending on the size of the rider. So there is much more of a custom fit. And the seatbelts are mandatory. So although you still move up off your seat, the effect is not nearly the same. The amount of time you spend in your seat today is much more than it was with the old restraints. You had at least double (probably triple or more depending on the size of the rider) room to be tossed out of your seat as you do today. There is no comparison.

I do agree though that the seat divider also had a significant impact on the ride. With the old restraints and no seatbelts/seat divider, you had much more of a sense of being out of control than you do today.
Part of what made Blue Streak great was because the small hills and dips tossed you all around the car. And the restraint system and how it impacted the ride itself was a big part of it. Changing it had a huge detrimental impact on the thrill of that ride.

If you never rode the ride with the old restraints, you would never know what you are missing. My son who is 10 loves the Blue Streak but he never rode with the old restraints. But I have yet to meet anyone who rode the Blue Streak 20-30 years ago who thinks the ride is anywhere near as good today as it was then.

We took a trip to Kennywood a couple of summers ago and I really liked riding their wood coasters with the old restraint systems. But I don’t think any of those coasters are any better from a pure ride standpoint than the Blue Streak. The difference is the restraint system.

I remember hearing stories of a Blue Streak ride op who would leave the station sitting in the front seat and by the time he got back to the station, he was sitting in the back seat. Those were stories from a friend of a friend and I never did verify or even attempt to verify them. But I know for a fact that when I was in high school, I could have easily gotten out of my seat on the Blue Streak if there was no one sitting next to me. I never tried to do that or even thought about doing that. There is no way in a million years with the current restraints I could do that now or when I was in high school for that matter.

And if you are seeking more airtime, you can’t really just avoid pulling the bar down as far. One, the ride ops will push it down (and tighten the seat belt). And if you sit with your feet up on your toes, you will get a little more play with the bar. But once you put your feet down flat on the floor of the car, the bar will come down during the ride at the bottom of any hill. And if you keep on your toes, you will not fly up out of your seat and that defeats the purpose.
*** Edited 7/19/2007 4:24:37 PM UTC by GoBucks89***

Of course I had been on the ride before, that's why I still say it's no different. I still get "2-3" of play" with a typical PTC bar, since the design of them is such that it really can't touch your thighs. The bend in it tends to catch it on your leg too, further preventing it from coming down very far. So what's the problem?

And seat belts make no difference either. The way crybaby enthusiasts would explain it, seat belts rigidly pin you to the seat and prevent you from moving at all. That's total crap. I purposely pull the belt as tight as possible on Magnum so it's the belt, and not the bar, that acts as primary restraint (rather something flexible than steel), and you can get I still get tossed out of my seat on every hill.

I still spend "very little time" in my seat on Blue Streak. Your mileage may vary, particularly if you're overweight.

Who is crying? I simply stated that the restraint changes on Blue Streak make a huge difference to me in terms of a ride experience. Your experience is different. Which is fine. But having a view thats different than others around here is crying?

I would never say that seat belts prevent you from moving at all or rigidly pin you down. And with the newer lap bars, they do not make much of a difference. But they make a huge difference in terms of the older bars which left significantly more room to bounce around. There would be a big difference in riding in the Blue Streak with its one restraint bar per seat with and without seatbelts (particuarly if there were separate seat belts for each rider).

As for being overweight, I suspect that is all relative. But one thing I know for sure, at 6"2 and 150 llbs, I have never been called overweight.

Did you ever come down on top of the seat divider following a bit of airtime? That smarts. I'd love to see that divider go. As for the track, it's fine.

Jeff's didn't say you are overweight... he said IF you are. No need to get defensive.

And I agree.. the seatbelts, no matter how tight, still allow for some great air time.

Who is getting defensive? Jeff and I have different views of the restraints on Blue Streak. He acknowledged that mileage may vary particularly if you are overweight. I was just pointing out that although our mileage does vary, its not because I am overweight. Nothing more; nothing less.

Tip said:
Did you ever come down on top of the seat divider following a bit of airtime? That smarts. I'd love to see that divider go. As for the track, it's fine.

And just how would that happen unless you're intentionally standing? There's not enough room even between a one-click bar and the seat divider to get your ass through there?