Lift evacuation question...

I know that this must have been addressed in the past and I am sorry if that is the case, but I have a question. If they unload Millenium Force for any reason at the top or near the top of the hill, do you have to climb out of the train and over that big gap between the bucket without a protection? Ever since I found out that they unload it with the "bucket" I have wondered this.

I've wondered this myself. Common sense would tell you that they would have some type of safety harness to put on before you climb across. I think MF was only evacuated once, correct? When the cable broke during the test run with employees.

MF has had only 2 evac's that I know of.

During the employee evac no harnesses were used. Nor do I think they are necessary. There is no big gap between the train and the evac car. There is however an awkward step down and a fairly unnerving gap about 1 foot wide from the catwalk at the top of the lift into the evac car.

The other evac that I can think of was during a power outage late at night before park closing. The train had only partially left the station when the power cut off, so only the first three cars had made the lift. This made things particularly difficult because the 2nd and 3rd cars were not in a position where the funicular could reach them.

The option was to move the train farther up the hill so that the train would line up flush with the evac car. But for one reason or another there was trouble with the auxiliary power and the train could not be moved.

The only solution was to carefully escort the guests one at a time between the seats back down into the station. Maintenance and Management held on to the guests by their arms as they passed them down through the train. The CP police used thier flashlights to provide some light.

Wasnt there an evac during the middle of the season either last season or the season before when the train was at the middle of the hill?

Also, when it is at the middle of the hill (away from the top stairs) do they move it up or do they evac it there?

A foot still seems like a lot when your 300 feet in the air with wind and such. I dont think that a lot of people could do that.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that Millennium has a backup generator that can take the train over the hill. During the power outage in 2003, I remember seeing the train stuck about 3/4 the way up the hill, and then a little while later I saw it running the course. Cedar Point does not like to have walkdowns on any coaster, for saftey and liability reasons, among others.

You might be thinking of an evac in 2002 BPMCH02. The train was half way up the lift when something cut out. They brought down a few of the guests for reasons I don’t remember. Twenty or so minutes later, the rest of the guests got to ride the train over the lift and everything was fine.

That was about mid summer.

SC01- That would work fine in a power outtage, however if the cable breaks, I don't think there is a back-up lift system. Taking people down the lift is the only way to get them off the ride.

Speaking of the cable breaking - when that happened was there an evac?
*** Edited 4/6/2005 5:12:08 PM UTC by BPMCH02***

I had a walk-down on Six Flags America's Superman when the chain broke, I think that was 2001. Similar trains, but the lift is I think closer to a standard 30 degrees. The procedure there was that a maintenance guy with fall protection tied off to the structure and pulled the outside rider out (where there were no stairs), and helped the inside rider. The actual walk down was two people at a time with an employee in front and back, and I think that's the procedure on Magnum and other standard lift coasters at CP.

I don't imagine things would be that different on Millennium Force, except that the angle is so steep. I would be really nervous getting out of the back seat without fall protection on before releasing the lap bar.

Yes. Ask Richie about it...if i remember correctly, he was the last one off the train that morning. :)

That day, I was driving up the Causeway when the rope broke, so I didn't get to hear the CRASH that was described by several other coaster nuts who were stationed around the park at the time. I drove around the Perimeter Road as I usually do, nearly colliding with a man in suspenders who was a bit more preoccupied with crossing the street and entering the park through the maintenance gate next to Millennium Force than with not getting himself killed doing so. By the time I entered the park through the back gate by Magnum, the "Millennium Force will not operate today" signs had been posted on the ticket windows.

As I waited for Magnum to open, I learned what had happened, and so naturally I immediately blamed "Magnum Man" Jerry for doing it. :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

That sounds crazy! I would imagine that there would be a crash because from the looks of it in the station the sled would have just crashed into the ground after falling down the hill right? Crazy! Jeff, I totally aggree with you but I dont know if only the back seat would have me worried!!

The catch car never made it to the ground, there was too much "wire rope" blocking it's path.

Jeff, don't they release all the lap bars at once? Or do they open them a car at a time?

(I think I'd prefer to do them all at once...then once they're open you don't have to worry about the battery going dead halfway through an evac...)

That fear you feel is just that: fear. I mean, you're tipped back at a 45-degree angle. The lap bar comes up, you aren't going anywhere unless you kick off first. Just grab the seat-back ahead of you, keep your feet on the floor, and white-knuckle your way to the escape car! :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I kinda wish I would be lucky enough to get an evac on any ride. I think it'd be interesting. On MF, I'd be a little worried becuase of the height and factors such as wind. If I'm correct, don't they evac guests who are most uncomfortable up there (read as: screaming and yelling in a panick).

The Catch Car on Millennium Force I believe did fall when the cable snapped. I remember reading somewhere that it was damaged. I'm not 100% sure on this.

I don't know how they have done it in the past, but I imagine they release each lapbar individually. The valves have a manual release.

The catch car was in fact taken off the ride for repairs, but they weren't as major as some made it out to be. I've heard that the front of the station was in bad shape because the 400' return rope got creative as the catch car reveresed at high speeds. I can imagine that the return rope had to be replaced too.

I've always wondered what exactly happened to the ~40' section of rope still attached to the catch car during the whole ordeal. There will be some recoil and the catch car was dragged about 15' in reverse by the counterweights. Then it would be forced under the train somehow. It's sheer luck that nobody was seriously injured or killed with the cable snapping and the later evacuation.

How do you figure that it was luck that no one was killed or injured? The anti-rollbacks hold the train, the catch car is free to go in reverse under the train by design. I don't see how this is different than a chain breaking on another coaster.

How do they get people off of raptor lift hill??

RideMan said:
Jeff, don't they release all the lap bars at once? Or do they open them a car at a time?

I seem to recall it was one car at a time, because I seem to remember them either inserting the battery in between cars or disconnecting the last far from the rest of the train first and connecting to it from behind. I was in the second to last row, and they let us out first.

Two terrified little kids behind us, but otherwise it was a non event.

Raptor has an electric lift I believe. It sits on the bottom platform, that can be raised under the train. I've always wondered why this B&M invert is different than the other ones by the lift style.

Here are some good pics of the Raptor car, taken by me:

http://m0ny.pwnt.info/displayimage.php?album=17&pos=9
http://m0ny.pwnt.info/displayimage.php?album=17&pos=11