Iron Dragon Platform
I heard a rumor somewhere that this summer Iron Dragon will have safty gates on the loading platform. Is this true, Jeff or Dan?
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MF Count: 11
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MF Count: 11
Hope so. Based on working the ride, it would be nice! I think it would be a good idea for all the coasters, because no one really pays attention to the yellow line and/or the operators asking them to bak off. I'd think Raptor would really need them, because people might be likely (as intelligent as everyone is) to try to get on after the floor has dropped. Smart...
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PO!NT OF VIEW - A Different Look at Roller Coasters
http://www.crosswinds.net/~justmayntz/thrills/
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PO!NT OF VIEW - A Different Look at Roller Coasters
http://www.crosswinds.net/~justmayntz/thrills/
While I think it might not be a bad idea for safety, I think the air gates hurt capacity. One thing that has always been nice about CP (at least with the pre-1996 coasters with no gates) is that as people get off, there are new people following right behind them. Even on Mantis though, CP opens up the gates as soon as the train stops. Some other parks wait a rediculously long time, or until every last person from the previous train is out of the station. I know every new coaster now is required to have the air gates.
-Matt
-Matt
If they could computer program the gates to open as soon as the coaster stops in the loading station, or just train the operators to do so, it wouldn't be a bad idea. I think the gates are a safer way to go. There certainly are a lot of air heads out there, and it would make the operators lives easier, I'm sure. All I hear once I get in the stations are, "Please keep your feet behind the yellow line," about a hundred times. Stick gates in there and they can concentrate more on saying, "Please do not sit or stand on the rails!"
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don't touch me there...
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don't touch me there...
When I worked weekends on the Dragon last fall after Soak City closed, the girl who trained us said next summer keeping guests behind the yellow line shouldn't be a problem since she thought the platform was getting gates like Mantis.
Provided that a few simple rules are adhered to...
a) Gates MUST open QUICKLY when the train stops.
b) Gates MUST be equipped with some kind of clutch to keep people from getting crushed.
You know what works just as well? Back the rails off a bit so that the end of the rail lines up with the yellow line. People tend to walk right up to the end of the railing, completely ignoring whatever happens to be painted on the floor. This is why some coasters have major Yellow Line problems, and others don't. Look at where the yellow lines are on the platform versus where the rails are, and you can pretty much predict which ones will have yellow line incursions.
Question: Did Gemini have gates when it opened? I know it had gate operating mechanisms under the platform until just a few years ago when the square orange handrails were replaced with the round silver rails...
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
a) Gates MUST open QUICKLY when the train stops.
b) Gates MUST be equipped with some kind of clutch to keep people from getting crushed.
You know what works just as well? Back the rails off a bit so that the end of the rail lines up with the yellow line. People tend to walk right up to the end of the railing, completely ignoring whatever happens to be painted on the floor. This is why some coasters have major Yellow Line problems, and others don't. Look at where the yellow lines are on the platform versus where the rails are, and you can pretty much predict which ones will have yellow line incursions.
Question: Did Gemini have gates when it opened? I know it had gate operating mechanisms under the platform until just a few years ago when the square orange handrails were replaced with the round silver rails...
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
Thinking back to 1978, I'm 99.9% sure that Gemini never did have gates. I bet they found out through testing that capacity would be reduced too much from the gates, so they never installed them.
Just PLEASE let them be mechanical and not those joke gates they have on alot of the SFO (Yes I'm still calling it that) rides. Where the guests have to help push them open. Double Loop comes straight to mind, but there are others.
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MF 2000 - 269 laps
MF 2001 - ???????
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MF 2000 - 269 laps
MF 2001 - ???????
Pete and Tim are correct. While the Gemini had the ability to have gates for crowd control..becasue of reduced capacity the gates were never used.
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