Iron Dragon Question

I have a guestion about Iron Dragons lift(the first lift) Why is there always a pause in the middle of the lift hill. Was that intentional or is it just a glitch?

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MF Count: 11

No glitch - it's the way the computer controls the ride. Because the trains have to be spaced out throughtout the track (known as blocks), the first lift has to wait until the train in front of it has engaged the second lift before it can continue. The slowing is just the computer waiting. Also, the jerkiness when the trains come back into the station isn't the operators, it is the readjustment in the air compressors for the shocks on the train. :)

'98 Iron Dragon Crew
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Final moments - cast your vote today! *** This post was edited by CrystalKat on 3/18/2001. ***

Thanks for clearing that up for me. I have always wondered why it did that. :)

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MF Count: 11

I always blaim it on the person sitting next to me and sometimes they get all worked up about it. :)

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Trim brakes-a necessity???
(used to be MFistheBEST)
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LOL! Cute one. :)

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Last summer when I was on ID, we were just pulling out of the station when all of a sudden they did an emergency stop because a little girl behind me had a problem with her harness. Well anyway, after we got going again and up the lift, I could see the other train still sitting on the 2nd lift and not moving. After we cleared the 1st lift, I was beginning to worry that if that other train doesn't start moving soon, we were going to smash into it. Well as my train approached the 2nd lift, that other train was still there and not moving. Fortunately, there happens to be a brake run before the 2nd lift incline which brought us to an abrupt halt. After about a brief moment, the train on the 2nd lift started moving again and then we advanced to the 2nd lift and sat there until the other train cleared the final brakes.

My question is why does CP need to slow down the train on 1st lift as long as the last car on the other train is already on the 2nd lift? The way that it is set up now is that a train has to completely clear the 2nd lift before the train on the 1st lift can proceed. If an entire train is on the 2nd lift, and there is a brake run before the 2nd lift, why slow down the train on the 1st lift?

Good question. The second lift counts as a single entity, and there cannot be two trains on the lift at one time. The first lift slows so that it guarantees that the second lift will be clear and the brake run will not have to be used all the time because the trains are catching up to one another. The brake run before the second lift is a last-ditch precaution (not that it's dangerous or anything), and is not meant to be used -- just extra safety for the entire coaster to have the lifts coordinate with one another.

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